Road named after family whose home was demolished

Lisa and Lewis (third and second left), the daughter and grandson of the last residents of Brook Cottages, joined workers and councillors to see Baron Way before it opened

A new road has been named after a family who lived in a Grade II-listed cottage which was demolished to make way for a £1bn highways project.

National Highways said the new link road, near Bedford and the Cambridgeshire border, will "provide a vital link between Roxton Road and The Lane in Wyboston" as part of the Black Cat roundabout upgrade.

Named Baron Way, it honours the Baron family who lived in Brook Cottages, which were knocked down in June 2024.

"We were honoured to be joined on site by local councillors, as well as Lisa and Lewis, the daughter and grandson of the last resident of Brook Cottages - to mark this special occasion," National Highways added.

The cottages were demolished in June 2024

Brook Cottages had stood by the side of the A1 near Wyboston since the 18th Century.

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".

Dove Farm Lane, also part of the new road layout, was named after an adjacent farm.

National Highways said that the link road will provide "safer and more convenient access to the A1 and A421 Black Cat roundabout."

Baron Way opened to traffic at 16:15 BST on Tuesday

As part of the project a new Roxton Road bridge was built and opened in May. It was purpose-built to accommodate a new westbound slip road and an eastbound free-flow link between the A421 and the A1.

The works are part of the 10-mile (16km) dual carriageway being built between the Black Cat roundabout and the Caxton Gibbet roundabout near Cambourne, in Cambridgeshire.

Work started in December 2023 and is due to be finished by 2027.

A new bridge has been built over the A428, close to Bedford, and the old one has since been removed