Milton is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, about three miles north-east of Cambridge city centre as the crow flies. The parish lies beside the River Cam, with Landbeach to the north, Impington to the west and the city of Cambridge to the south. To the east and south-east it borders Horningsea and Fen Ditton, and it has short boundaries with Waterbeach and Orchard Park. Its straight western boundary follows the line of a Roman road.
The 2021 Census recorded about 4,400 people living in the parish. The village grew rapidly from the early 1960s, and Milton Country Park lies on its southern side.
Milton Country Park lies off Cambridge Road on the southern side of the village. It opened in 1993, and its lakes are flooded former gravel pits, including Todd's Pit to the west and Dickerson's Pit to the east. Since 1 April 2008 the park has been managed by Cambridge Sport Lakes Trust, a registered charity.
The park describes itself as offering a café, playground, bike track, woodland, lakes and miles of accessible paths. Parking is charged, and the trust says car park fees are one of its most important sources of income for the upkeep of the park.
Milton was a small ancient parish. In the 10th century the abbey at Ely acquired land here, and its estate later covered almost the whole village. By 1086 the land had been seized by Picot the sheriff. The Domesday Book of 1086 records 31 peasants here, besides five servi (unfree labourers).
The village grew slowly until the late 18th century. Many older houses were lost in a great fire in 1735, and in 1782 there were 39 houses with 224 inhabitants. The old road towards Waterbeach formed part of the Cambridge to Ely turnpike from 1763 to 1874, and the Cambridge to Ely railway opened in 1845. The antiquary William Cole, a pioneer of Cambridgeshire local history, lived at Milton from 1770 until his death in 1782.
The population was almost static at about 740 from the 1910s to the 1950s, then doubled from 850 in 1961 to more than 1,700 by 1971. A bypass was built west of the village between 1976 and 1978, and in 1982, after strong local resistance to a city council plan for 1,800 houses, the scheme was reduced to about 600 homes on either side of Butt Lane.
The Milton Conservation Area was designated in 1981. According to the parish council, its main part covers the old part of the village, including the grounds of Milton Hall, the parish church, Church Lane, part of Fen Road, Memorial Green, Pond Green and the High Street as far as Cherry Close. A separate conservation area covers Baits Bite Lock on the Cam.
All Saints' Church on Church Lane is listed Grade II*. It has a Norman chancel arch and nave arcades of about 1300. Its monuments include a marble memorial of 1800 to Elizabeth Knight with figures by Flaxman, and a brass to William Coke, one of the King's Justices, who died in 1553.
Milton Hall, also on Church Lane, is listed Grade II. It was built in about 1772 for the Reverend Dr Knight, Canon of Ely, in gault brick with stone dressings.
Milton House on Fen Road is listed Grade II*. It is a 17th-century house enlarged in about 1768 by William Cole, who was Rector of Milton from 1770 to 1782, and includes reused medieval stonework.
Other listed buildings include Queen Anne's Lodge on Fen Road, a 17th-century timber-framed cottage with pargetted panels, and two village pubs: the Lion and Lamb on the High Street, an early 17th-century inn, and the Jolly Brewers on Fen Road, now the Brewers Inn, both Grade II.
Milton Church of England Primary School takes children aged 5 to 11 and is an academy within Grace Schools. Ofsted last inspected the school in November 2023, and the full report is available on the Ofsted website.
Milton has no secondary school of its own. Its catchment secondary school has been Impington Village College. Catchment areas can change, so families should confirm current arrangements with Cambridgeshire County Council admissions.
Check National Rail and Stagecoach for current times before you travel.
Milton's housing ranges from listed 17th-century cottages and inns in the old village to the large areas of homes built from the 1960s onwards.
HM Land Registry recorded 107 standard residential sales in Milton between October 2024 and July 2026. The median price was £430,000. Of those sales, 50 were detached houses, 20 semi-detached, 26 terraced and 11 flats or maisonettes, with prices ranging from £113,000 to £975,000. 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 Milton? Book a free valuation or browse property for sale with our team.
Milton is about three miles north-east of Cambridge city centre in a straight line.
Cambridge North, about a mile and a half south of the village. It is served by Greater Anglia and Great Northern trains, including direct services to London Liverpool Street and London King's Cross.
Yes. The park is off Cambridge Road on the southern side of the village. It opened in 1993 on former gravel workings and has been managed by Cambridge Sport Lakes Trust since 2008.
Milton Church of England Primary School serves children aged 5 to 11. The catchment secondary school has been Impington Village College; please confirm current catchment with Cambridgeshire County Council.
