Bedfordshire

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Bedfordshire
County
Bedfordshire's Flag.svg
Flag
Bedfordshire UK locator map 2010.svg
Coordinates: 52°05′N 0°25′W / 52.083°N 0.417°W / 52.083; -0.417Coordinates: 52°05′N 0°25′W / 52.083°N 0.417°W / 52.083; -0.417
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast
EstablishedAncient
Ceremonial county
Lord LieutenantHelen Nellis
High SheriffJulian Polhill (2018–19) [1]
Area1,235 km2 (477 sq mi)
 • Ranked41st of 48
Population (mid-2017 est.)664,600
 • Ranked36th of 48
Density537/km2 (1,390/sq mi)
Ethnicity86.3% White
8.3% S.Asian
2.9% Black
2009 Bedfordshire Ceremonial Numbered.png
Districts of Bedfordshire
  Unitary
Districts
  1. Bedford
  2. Central Bedfordshire
  3. Luton
Members of ParliamentList of MPs
PoliceBedfordshire Police
Time zoneGreenwich Mean Time (UTC)
 • Summer (DST)British Summer Time (UTC+1)

Bedfordshire (/ˈbɛdfərdʃər, -ʃɪər/; abbreviated Beds.) is a county in the East of England. It is a ceremonial county and a historic county, covered by three unitary authorities: Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton.

Bedfordshire is bordered by Cambridgeshire to the east and northeast, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the southeast and south. It is the fourteenth most densely populated county of England, with over half the population of the county living in the two largest built-up areas: Luton (236,000) and the county town, Bedford (102,000).[2] The highest elevation point is 243 metres (797 ft) on Dunstable Downs in the Chilterns.

History[edit]

Main article: History of Bedfordshire

The first recorded use of the name in 1011 was "Bedanfordscir," meaning the shire or county of Bedford, which itself means "Beda's ford" (river crossing).

Bedfordshire was historically divided into nine hundreds: Barford, Biggleswade, Clifton, Flitt, Manshead, Redbornestoke, Stodden, Willey, Wixamtree, along with the liberty and borough of Bedford. There have been several changes to the county boundary; for example, in 1897 Kensworth and part of Caddington were transferred from Hertfordshire to Bedfordshire.

Geography[edit]

The southern end of the county is on the chalk ridge known as the Chiltern Hills. The remainder is part of the broad drainage basin of the River Great Ouse and its tributaries. Most of Bedfordshire's rocks are clays and sandstones from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, with some limestone. Local clay has been used for brick-making of Fletton style bricks in the Marston Vale. Glacial erosion of chalk has left the hard flint nodules deposited as gravel—this has been commercially extracted in the past at pits which are now lakes, at Priory Country Park, Wyboston and Felmersham. The Greensand Ridge is an escarpment across the county from near Leighton Buzzard to near Gamlingay in Cambridgeshire.

Climate[edit]

Bedfordshire is relatively dry, being situated in the east of England. Average annual rainfall is 597.6 millimetres (23.53 in) at Bedford.[3] October is the wettest month with 62.5 millimetres (2.46 in), February the driest with 36.7 millimetres (1.44 in). While there is little difference from month to month there are more wet days in autumn and winter but often heavier individual falls in spring and summer, of note were the 1998 Easter floods.[4]

Average temperatures in Bedford range from a low of 0.8 °C (33.4 °F) overnight[3] in February to a high of 22.1 °C (71.8 °F) during the day in July.[3] In the last 20 years the highest temperature recorded was 35.9 °C (96.6 °F).[5] The lowest temperature on record in Bedfordshire is −20.6 °C (−5.1 °F) at Woburn on 25 February 1947.[6]

Politics[edit]

Police and Crime Commissioner[edit]

The Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner is Kathryn Holloway who is a member of the Conservative Party.[citation needed]

Local government[edit]

For local government purposes, Bedfordshire is divided into three unitary authorities: the boroughs of Bedford and Luton, and the District of Central Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire County Council was abolished on 1 April 2009, although the three districts continue to form a county for ceremonial functions such as lieutenancy and High Sheriff.[7] Many services in the county, such as education and public libraries, continue to be provided jointly by Central Bedfordshire and Bedford as if they were a single local authority.[8]

Emergency services[edit]

Policing, fire and rescue services continue to be provided on a county-wide basis, with Bedfordshire Police governed by the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner and Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service governed members of the three councils.[9]

Parliamentary constituencies[edit]

For elections to the House of Commons, Bedfordshire is divided into six constituencies, each returning a single member of parliament:

Constituency Member of Parliament
Bedford   Mohammad Yasin
Luton North   Kelvin Hopkins
Luton South   Gavin Shuker
Mid Bedfordshire   Nadine Dorries
North East Bedfordshire   Alistair Burt
South West Bedfordshire   Andrew Selous

The present constituencies date from 1997.[10] The boundaries were slightly modified for the 2010 general election.[11]

See also: Category:Parliamentary constituencies in Bedfordshire (historic).

Economy[edit]

This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Bedfordshire at current basic prices published (pp. 240–253) by Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.

Year Regional Gross Value Added[12] Agriculture[13] Industry[14] Services[15]
1995 4,109 81 1,584 2,444
2000 4,716 53 1,296 3,367
2003 5,466 52 1,311 4,102

Bedfordshire is the location of a number of notable UK and international companies who have either headquarters or major bases in the county. Autoglass, Boxclever and Charles Wells Pubs are all based in Bedford, while the Kier Group and Kingspan Timber Solutions are based in Sandy, and Jordans Cereals are based in Biggleswade. EasyJet, Impellam, TUI Airways and Vauxhall Motors are all based in Luton, while Whitbread (including Costa Coffee) is based in nearby Houghton Regis. UltraVision is based in Leighton Buzzard, while Moto Hospitality is based at Toddington service station.

Traditional dishes[edit]

The "Bedfordshire clanger" is a local dish consisting of a suet crust pastry filled with meat in one end and jam in the other.

Visitor attractions[edit]

Key
AP Icon.svg Abbey/Priory/Cathedral
Accessible open space Accessible open space
Themepark uk icon.png Amusement/Theme Park
CL icon.svg Castle
Country Park Country Park
EH icon.svg English Heritage
Forestry Commission
Heritage railway Heritage railway
Historic house Historic House
Museum (free)
Museum		 Museum (free/not free)
National Trust National Trust
Drama-icon.svg Theatre
Zoo icon.jpg Zoo

Transport[edit]

See also: List of future transport developments in the East of England

Although not a major transport destination, Bedfordshire lies on many of the main transport routes which link London to the Midlands and Northern England.

Roads[edit]

Two of England's six main trunk roads pass through Bedfordshire:

To these was added in 1959 the M1 motorway, the London to Leeds motorway. This has two junctions around Luton, one serving Bedford and another serving Milton Keynes. A new junction 11A was built for the new A5-M1 link to Dunstable.

Former trunk roads, now local roads managed by the local highway authority, include A428 running east–west through Bedford Borough, and A6 from Rushden to Luton.

Railways[edit]

Three of England's main lines pass through Bedfordshire:

There are London North Western rural services also running between Bedford and Bletchley along the Marston Vale Line.

Taxis[edit]

Bedfordshire is served by a large number of taxi companies. Luton is reported to have the highest number of taxicabs per head of population[citation needed] in the United Kingdom with a number of firms competing for work in the town and from Luton Airport.

Waterways[edit]

The River Great Ouse links Bedfordshire to the Fenland waterways. As of 2004 there are plans by the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust to construct a canal linking the Great Ouse at Bedford to the Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes, 14 miles (23 km) distant.[16]

Air[edit]

Luton Airport has flights to many UK, European, Middle Eastern and North African destinations, operated largely but not exclusively by low-cost airlines.

Settlements[edit]

Main article: List of places in Bedfordshire
Further information: List of Bedfordshire settlements by population and Civil parishes in Bedfordshire

Education[edit]

The state education system for all of Bedfordshire used to be organised by Bedfordshire County Council. Unlike most of the United Kingdom, Bedfordshire County Council operated a three-tier education system arranged into lower, middle and upper schools, as recommended in the Plowden Report of 1967, although Luton continued to operate a two-tier system. The three-tier arrangement continues in the rest of the county, though in 2006 a vote was held with a view to moving to the two-tier model, but this was rejected.[17]

After the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, Bedfordshire County Council was abolished, and its responsibilities for education were passed to Bedford Borough Council and Central Bedfordshire Council.

Bedford Borough Council voted in November 2009 to change to the two-tier model in its area.[18][19] The change was due to be introduced over a five-year period and be completed in 2015.[20] However, with the cancellation of the Building Schools for the Future programme in 2010, the borough has changed its proposals, and the switch is now proceeding on school by school basis where council funds allow.

In Central Bedfordshire, the school systems in Dunstable and Sandy have been re-organised into the two-tier model in response to parent and school demand, but elsewhere in the authority the three-tier model continues. Plans for the construction of new settlements in Marston Vale have included lower, middle and upper schools.

Bedford and Central Bedfordshire[edit]

Until the division into two unitary authorities in April 2009, education in the area continued to be administered by Bedfordshire County Council.

All of the two councils' upper schools offer 6th form courses (such as A Levels), though Bedford College, Central Bedfordshire College and Shuttleworth College also offer a range of further education courses. Additionally, Stella Mann College is a private college (based in Bedford), which offers a range of further education courses relating to the performing arts.[21][22]

There are a number of independent schools, many of which have links to the Harpur Trust. These are Bedford School for boys (formerly Bedford Grammar School), Bedford Modern School (co-educational), Bedford Girls' School and Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School (co-educational).

Luton[edit]

Main article: Education in Luton

Luton also operates a three-tier education system, though its organisation of infant, junior and high schools mirrors the traditional transfer age into secondary education of 11 years. However, most of Luton's high schools do not offer sixth-form education. Instead, this is handled by Luton Sixth Form College, though Barnfield College and Cardinal Newman Catholic School also offer a range of further education courses.

Higher education[edit]

There are two universities based in the county – the University of Bedfordshire and Cranfield University. These institutions attract students from all over the UK and abroad, as well as from Bedfordshire.

Landmarks[edit]

Cardington airship sheds[edit]

The enormous Cardington airship sheds are situated to the south of Bedford, near the villages of Cardington and Shortstown. They were originally built for the construction of large airships during WW1. Since falling out of their intended use, one has been used for many purposes including housing film sets for 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and 'Batman Begins' and as a rehearsal space for Take That, with the other having been extensively refurbished and now accommodating Hybrid Air Vehicles, a British modern airship design and manufacturing company.

St Paul's Church Bedford[edit]

St Paul's Church, Bedford is a Church of England parish church and the Civic Church of the Borough of Bedford and the County of Bedfordshire. Located on St Paul's Square, the large medieval and later church of cathedral proportions and iconic spire dominates the town and area, exercises a ministry of welcome to thousands of visitors and pilgrims from far and wide each year, and is a focus for special commemorations and celebrations in the borough, county, region and wider community, as well as being a central venue for concerts, recitals and exhibitions. Historically, St Paul's played a key part in the life of the British nation during the Second World War as the church of the BBC.

Millbrook Proving Ground[edit]

The Millbrook Proving Ground, near Junction 13 of the M1, has 70 kilometres (43 mi) of varied vehicle test tracks.[23]

Sports and leisure[edit]

Main article: Sport in Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is home to Luton Town F.C. and Bedford Blues rugby team amongst other various sporting teams.

Bedfordshire boasts a 40-mile (64  km) walk traversing the county from Leighton Buzzard at the southern endpoint and Sandy, Bedfordshire/Gamlingay in southern Cambridgeshire to the east. This is called the Greensand Ridge Walk. For cyclists, a parallel route following minor country roads is also available, Greensand Cycle Way.

Notable people from Bedfordshire[edit]

Bibliographical references[edit]

  • Bedfordshire Magazine (quarterly)[24]
  • Elstow Moot Hall leaflets on John Bunyan and 17th century subjects[24]
  • Guide to the Bedfordshire Record Office 1957 with supplements.[24]
  • Guide to the Russell Estate Collections Published in 1966.[24]
  • Conisbe, L. R. (1962) A Bedfordshire Bibliography (supplement, 1967)[24]
  • Dony, John (1953) A Bedfordshire Flora. Luton: Corporation of Luton Museum & Art Gallery[24]
  • Dony, John (1942) A History of the Straw Hat Industry. Luton: Gibbs, Bamforth & Co.[24]
  • Freeman, Charles (1958) Pillow Lace in the East Midlands. Luton: Luton Museum and Art Gallery[24]
  • Godber, Joyce (1969) History of Bedfordshire 1066–1888[24]
  • White, H. O. Bedfordshire Historical Record Society (published annually)[24]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bedfordshire 2018/2019". High Sheriff's Association of England and Wales. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  2. ^ http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/urban-areas-in-england-and-wales/urban-areas-in-england-and-wales-ks01-usual-resident-population.xls
  3. ^ a b c Met Office Bedford Averages 1981–2010 http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/averages/19812010/sites/bedford.html
  4. ^ Met Office: Easter 1998 – Heavy rainfall http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/easter1998/
  5. ^ CLIMATE BEDFORD – Weather http://www.tutiempo.net/en/Climate/BEDFORD/35600.htm
  6. ^ Climate Extremes – Met Office http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate-extremes/#?tab=climateExtremes
  7. ^ "The Bedfordshire (Structural Changes) Order 2008 (S.I 2008 No. 907)". Office of Public Sector Information. 27 March 2008. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  8. ^ "Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire and Libraries – About Your Library – Bedfordshire's Virtual Library". Galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  9. ^ "The Local Government (Structural Changes) (Areas and Membership of Public Bodies in Bedfordshire and Cheshire) Order 2009 (S.I 2009 No. 119)". Office of Public Sector Information. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 27 March 2009.
  10. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 1995". Office of Public Sector Information. 1995. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
  11. ^ "The Parliamentary Constituencies (England) Order 2007". Office of Public Sector Information. 2007. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
  12. ^ Components may not sum to totals due to rounding
  13. ^ includes hunting and forestry
  14. ^ includes energy and construction
  15. ^ includes financial intermediation services indirectly measured
  16. ^ "Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust". B-mkwaterway.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  17. ^ "Two-tier school proposal rejected". BBC News. 13 July 2006. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  18. ^ "Middle schools to be abolished – Biggleswade News". Bedford Today. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  19. ^ "'Momentous decision' for schools". BBC News. 17 November 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  20. ^ "Tiers to be shed in school restructure? – Local". Bedford Today. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
  21. ^ "Education in Bedford". Bedford Borough Council. 2004. Archived from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
  22. ^ "Education and Schools Information" (PDF). Creating Central Bedfordshire. Central Bedfordshire Council. Retrieved 31 March 2009.[permanent dead link]
  23. ^ "About Millbrook Group". Millbrook Proving Ground. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Detail from a copy of History of Bedfordshire published by Bedfordshire County Council in 1969

External links[edit]

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