Tucked beside Willow Bridge in Riverside Park, three life-sized steel figures greet walkers and cyclists as they cross the River Great Ouse. They look like simple silhouettes at first glance, but each one tells a piece of St Neots’ story, and together they explain why this stretch of riverside path exists at all.

Why they’re here

The sculptures were installed as part of Sustrans’ Connect2 project, the national scheme behind the town’s network of traffic-free walking and cycling routes. Willow Bridge itself was built to link communities either side of the river with a safe, car-free crossing, and the figures were put up to mark that achievement and celebrate the everyday act of getting about on two wheels or on foot.

Three figures, three stories

• A child playing cricket. Bat raised mid-swing; this figure nods to the willow trees that once grew in the park specifically to supply the cricket bat trade.
• James Toller, the Eynesbury Giant. Born in 1798, Toller grew to an extraordinary 8 feet 4.5 inches, making him one of the tallest men recorded in England. He remains one of the town’s most retold historical characters.
• John Cecil Paget. A further notable figure with roots in nearby Eaton Socon, standing alongside Toller and the young cricketer.

The willow and the bat

The cricket bat isn’t a random detail. St Neots was once home to Hunts County Bats, founded by the Trimmins family in 1904 and, for decades, a genuinely sought-after name in English cricket. The willow used to make the bats was grown right here, in plantations along the riverside park, before being harvested and shaped into blades that were shipped out under the town’s name. The business eventually moved to nearby Huntingdon in 1983, but the willow trees, and now this sculpture, keep that piece of local industry visible.

It’s a heritage that still has a local home today. Eaton Socon Cricket Club, which first played at Eaton House back in 1855, has fielded teams from its ground near Peppercorn Lane since 1936, and its Under 11, Under 13 and Under 15 sides still compete in county youth competitions, a living link to the same sport the sculpture commemorates.

A word of warning if the bat looks bare

Being cast as a separate piece, the cricket bat is the most vulnerable part of the group and has occasionally gone missing or been damaged over the years. St Neots Town Council has approved repair works to reinstate it, but don’t be surprised if you spot the young cricketer empty-handed again.

Visiting

The figures stand right on the path at Willow Bridge, making them an easy stop on a riverside walk or a short pause on a longer cycle along the network of traffic-free routes that thread through St Neots. They’re free to visit at any time and sit well alongside a wander through Riverside Park or a longer loop out towards Eaton Socon.