Cambridge 2000: Histon Road: Chestnut House, 3
This block of student accommodation replaced a
Texaco petrol (gas) station. In between the
closure of the station and the construction
of the new building, the site was occupied for
years by a car washing operation
because the planning procedure took so long.
In the end, this building is too large, too close to the
neighbouring properties, and uninspiring.
The first part of the construction was relatively
quick because the individual student rooms were
hoisted into place by crane in a week or two.
But the rest of the construction was not any
quicker than normal. The building was occupied
by students in 2015 but the ground floor
façade was not finished until 2016 and
even then the small space at the front was not
completed until 2018, when an estate agent
became the first occupant.
The Murkett Brothers had a car garage on the site
during the middle part of the twentieth century.
As a result, the Histon Road and Huntingdon Road
junction was known as Murkett's Corner. Murkett's
later moved to a site on Histon Road, and vacated
that in around 2022.
Other photographs within 100 m:
