Barkway, High Street c.1965
Photo ref: B281019
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Photo ref: B281019
Photo of Barkway, High Street c.1965

More about this scene

Barkway spanned the main route from London to Cambridge, and it was only the coming of the railways in the 1850s that transformed it into a countryside backwater. The building on the right with the tall brick chimneys is the Reading Room, erected in the 1860s to provide a respectable meeting place for the young men of the village. On the left, the Chaise and Pair, one of five inns still functioning in the village in 1965, offered fine beer and accommodation. It closed for business in 1993.

A Selection of Memories from Barkway

For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our website to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was, prompted by the photographs in our archive. Here are some from Barkway

Sparked a Memory for you?

If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?

This photo, along with the other 4, attracted my attention because the thatched cottage on the left is where my father, Arthur Sidney Bentley, was born in 1926. He lived all his life in Barkway until his death in 2005. Married to Pamela Mary Sharp of nearby Therfield, he had 3 children, one of them myself, Jeffrey born in 1952. Linda Bentley was born next in 1953 and Ronald in 1956. The school also ...see more
My great great grandparents were born and married in Barkway before coming to the US in 1854. I am wondering if there are any relatives of John and Sarah (Butler) Welch in Barkway. I will definitely have to visit some day.