We look back into The Hunts Post archives and bring you news from the early 1900s.

Nationally, this decade gave us the discovery of radium and x-rays and Henry Ford’s Model T-Ford went into production. Locally, King Edward VII paid a visit to Huntingdon and ‘Oliver Cromwell’ took up permanent home in St Ives and the district mourned their Queen.

1901: People across the country were in mourning for the death of Queen Victoria who died on January 22. In Huntingdonshire, the Post ran a report asking people to “put themselves into the deepest mourning".

Posters were displayed around the district to inform people of the monarch's death and flags were lowered to half-mast.

Posters were erected, urging people to "mourn properly". The poster read: "Public mourning commences on this day when all persons are requested to put themselves into the deepest of mourning upon the present occasion of the death of her late majesty of blessed and glorious memory".

On February 30, the district ground to a halt to mark Queen Victoria's funeral. Special memorial services were held in Huntingdonshire and traders were ordered to close their doors as a sign of respect.

1901: The idea of erecting a statue of Oliver Cromwell in Huntingdon to mark the Lord Protector's 300th anniversary was shunned by town officials.

However, the people of St Ives took a different view, and due to the fact that Cromwell had lived in the town for five years, people there were happy to pay tribute. The statue was designed by FW Pomeroy and cost £850.

1906: King Edward VII visited Huntingdon on July 1. The town was decorated with 1,312 flags and people lined the streets to welcome him.

1907: Brampton Park Mansion burnt to the ground on January 24. The fire started in an upstairs room and more than 100 fire-fighters attended, but by the time the horse-drawn pumping engine reached the scene, it was too late to save much of the prized interior.

The family and servants managed to retrieve some paintings and furniture from the house. Fire-fighters pumped water from nearby streams, rivers and ponds. The magnificent building was never rebuilt as the owner, the Duke of Manchester, decided the £25,000 price tag was prohibitive.

Photos capture life in Huntingdonshire in the early part of the new century.

The Hunts Post: Flooding in St Neots in 1908.Flooding in St Neots in 1908. (Image: CMABS ARCHIVES)

The Hunts Post: Henry and Elizabeth Stevens, front row left, who were the publicans of the Barley Mow in Hartford. They are pictured with their family. Henry and Elizabeth Stevens, front row left, who were the publicans of the Barley Mow in Hartford. They are pictured with their family. (Image: The Cambridgeshire Community Archives.)

The Hunts Post: Godmanchester Railway Station in 1905.Godmanchester Railway Station in 1905. (Image: Cambridgeshire Community Archives)

 

The Hunts Post: The Franks store in Huntingdon in the early part of the century.The Franks store in Huntingdon in the early part of the century. (Image: Cambs Community Archives)

The Hunts Post: St Neots Wesleyan team - season 1905/1906.St Neots Wesleyan team - season 1905/1906. (Image: Cambs Community Archives)