By 1700 Baldock was becoming prosperous chiefly due to the malting of locally grown barley for which North Hertfordshire was famous. Maltings were located all over the town and the citizens used their increasing wealth to build the grand Georgian mansions we still see today. Much of the malt was used for brewing outside Baldock, and was transported south to London via Ware down Maltman’s Way (now Limekiln Lane) in large waggons.
As the coaching age began, an alternative route from London through Hatfield, Stevenage, Baldock and Biggleswade to Huntingdon was developed and became known as the Great North Road. It brought further prosperity with the traffic on the road providing increasing employment especially in the inns of the town and for those in allied trades such as blacksmiths.
Many signs of the malting trade remain such as Pryor Court, a converted malting. Similarly, many of the pubs hint at their greater glory in the coaching age.