Demolition of listed cottages beside A1 completed

Work to dismantle a pair of Grade II-listed cottages to make way for a £950m road project has been completed.

The Brook Cottages building had stood by the side of the A1 near Wyboston, on the Bedfordshire-Cambridgeshire border, since the 18th Century.

It was demolished so work could continue on the A428/A421 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet upgrade.

It was hoped the building could be dismantled and moved to an open air museum, but National Highways said the structural integrity had deteriorated and it was "deemed to be of low historic value".

National Highways said demolition work began on 17 June and was completed on 5 July.

Original features such as a bread oven door, structural beams, two fireplace lintels and internal fixtures and fittings were removed and would be preserved.

Hazardous material, including asbestos, was also taken out.

The final job involved removing the thatched roof and dismantling the timber frame.

There have been a number of angry comments posted on the scheme's Facebook page, with one calling the demolition "disgusting, disgraceful and absolutely ridiculous".

Construction work on the new 10-mile (16km) dual carriageway through Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire began last year, and is due to be finished by 2027.

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