Histon is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, about three miles north of Cambridge city centre as the crow flies. Its neighbouring parishes are Cottenham to the north, Landbeach to the north-east, Impington to the south-east, Girton to the south-west and Oakington and Westwick to the west.
Histon and Impington are separate civil parishes, but their built-up areas have long since joined into one continuous settlement, and the two share a single parish council, Histon & Impington Parish Council, which also serves Kings Meadows. The 2021 Census recorded about 4,600 people living in Histon parish itself.
Histon's best-known industry grew out of fruit farming. Stephen Chivers started growing fruit on a large scale in the 1860s. In 1873 a successful experiment in making jam in a barn in neighbouring Impington led him, in 1874, to buy a plot of land next to Histon station, where he built a small factory called the Victoria Works.
The business grew quickly. Chivers and Sons became a limited company in 1901, by which time the workforce was over 1,000, and at peak periods in the late 1920s the factory employed nearly 2,000 people. As well as jam, fruit jellies, custard powder and orange marmalade were made at Histon from the 1880s, and fruit canning began in 1893. The company was taken over by Schweppes in 1959, and the factory was part of the Cadbury Schweppes group from 1969. In the 1980s new offices, plant and cold stores were built on the west part of the site and the older buildings to the east were demolished.
Food manufacturing continues on the site today. Hain Daniels lists its manufacturing facility at The Orchard, Chivers Way, Histon.
Histon was already populous in 1086, when the Domesday survey recorded 75 tenants. In the Middle Ages there were two parishes in the village, St Andrew's and St Etheldreda's. Their vicarages were united in 1588, and St Etheldreda's church was partly demolished around 1599 and never replaced.
The village grew from two early centres: a large oval green, of which only the eastern third remains, and Church End, around the churches to the north-west. The railway from Cambridge to St Ives opened in 1847, crossing the parish, and Histon station closed to passengers in 1970. The population grew to over 500 by 1801 and had nearly doubled, to 1,000, by 1851. Histon then avoided the decline experienced by most rural parishes in the county, mainly because of the Chivers factory. After 1945, when much housing was built for people who worked in Cambridge, numbers increased rapidly.
The historic centre of the village lies within the Histon Village Conservation Area, first designated by South Cambridgeshire District Council in December 1974 and extended in 1991 and 1998. There are 25 listed buildings in the parish.
The Parish Church of St Andrew is listed Grade I. It has a 13th-century cruciform plan, with a tower rebuilt in the 14th century. It was restored in the 19th century, with the nave and aisles by F. W. Bodley and the chancel by Sir George Gilbert Scott.
The Olde House at 2 Station Road is listed Grade II*. It is a timber-framed house of the early 16th and 17th centuries, cased in local red brick.
Histon Baptist Church and Sunday School on Poplar Road is listed Grade II. The church was built in 1899 to 1900 on land donated by the Chivers family, and its memorial stone was laid by Stephen Chivers. The listed buildings also include two historic pub buildings, the King William IV and The Boot.
Histon has two primary schools, both academies taking children aged 4 to 11. Histon and Impington Brook Primary School is on The Green; Ofsted last inspected the school in October 2024. Histon and Impington Park Primary School is on Glebe Way; Ofsted last inspected the school in June 2024. Full reports for both are available on the Ofsted website.
Impington Village College, an academy for students aged 11 to 18, is on New Road in neighbouring Impington. Its admissions policy for 2026 to 2027 names Histon and Impington Brook and Park primary schools among the schools given priority in its oversubscription criteria. Catchment areas can change, so families should confirm current catchment with Cambridgeshire County Council admissions.
Check National Rail and the bus operators for current times before you travel.
Histon's housing ranges from listed timber-framed and brick houses around the green, Church Street and Station Road to the large areas of housing built as the village grew after the Second World War.
HM Land Registry recorded 102 standard residential sales in Histon between October 2024 and July 2026. The median price was £453,500. Of those sales, 51 were semi-detached houses, 24 detached, 15 terraced and 12 flats or maisonettes, with prices ranging from £79,950 to £925,000. Because the mix of homes sold varies from year to year, these figures give a general picture rather than a precise valuation.
Thinking of moving to or from Histon? Book a free valuation or browse property for sale with our team.
Histon is about three miles north of Cambridge city centre in a straight line.
Not officially. They are separate civil parishes whose built-up areas have joined into one settlement, and they share Histon & Impington Parish Council.
Not any more. Histon station closed to passengers in 1970, and the old line is now the Cambridgeshire Guided Busway, with a Histon and Impington stop on Station Road. The nearest railway station is Cambridge North, about three miles away.
Histon and Impington Brook Primary School and Histon and Impington Park Primary School both take children aged 4 to 11. Impington Village College, for ages 11 to 18, is in neighbouring Impington; please confirm current catchment with Cambridgeshire County Council.
