History
The Country Park was originally part of the large estate surrounding Hinchingbrooke House. The house is mainly a Tudor building and has remnants of the early 13th Century nunnery. The house and grounds were given by Henry 8th to the Cromwell family in 1538 at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. Queen Elizabeth I came here, King James I visited and Oliver Cromwell played here as a child. Subsequent owners were the Montagu family who became the Earls of Sandwich. The link to the right will take you to the Hinchingbrooke House own website for more information.
The house and estate was sold to Cambridgeshire County Council in 1962. Between 1963 and 1981 gravel was extracted in lower lying areas, with the contract including an agreement to reinstate the area for public use upon completion. These now make up our lakes, one used for watersports & the other left alone for wildlife.
In 1988 a Visitors' Centre and car park were built, paths were laid and community links were initiated. Hinchingbrooke Country Park opened in April 1989 with its priorities being for public recreation and education as well as conservation and wildlife. The Park was originally owned and funded by Cambridgeshire Country Council. Today Rangers from Huntingdonshire District Council run the site.