Bury Park
Encyclopedia
Bury Park is located one mile north west of Luton
town centre on the road to Dunstable
. Since the mid 1970s a large Muslim
Pakistani community has grown and Bury Park is now the home of a purpose-built mosque
.
Bury Park has a large commercial area specialising in fruit, vegetables, and Asian clothing. There is a significant number of restaurants in the area, particularly serving Halal
food. The main road through the area has recently undergone significant updating with new tree planting, improvements to the road layout, paving and street furniture.
Kenilworth Road
, the home of Luton Town F.C.
is also located here.
An estate was erected on the fields of the farm, and the first houses were occupied in 1882. Church school
halls were opened in 1895, Bury Park United Reformed Church
Church was built in 1903, and Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd opened a general store at the junction of Dunstable Road and Leagrave Road in 1906. The Anglican church of All Saints was opened in 1907 and a new church built in 1923 in Shaftesbury Road. Before moving to the Kenilworth Road ground, Luton Town played their home games on a flat field that became the site of the Odeon cinema. Dunstable Road was lined with Victorian
houses, each with a neatly-fenced garden, but the character of the road altered with the coming of the tram
s in 1908; the houses were turned into shops, and their front gardens became paved forecourts. By 1926, the shops included a "High-Class Pastry Cook and Confectioner" at 273 Dunstable Road.
Traffic has long been a problem in the area. In 1926, complaints were made that horses and carts were causing obstructions by stopping at a water trough
at the junction of Dunstable Road and Leagrave Road. In the following years the junction was covered by constable
s on point duty.
Edgar Barber established an aeroplane propeller factory during World War I
at 116 Bury Park Road. This was converted into a cinema called the Empire, which opened in 1921 and which closed in 1938 when the new Odeon
opened on Dunstable Road. The Odeon with 1958 seats was designed by Keith P. Roberts, and is now a listed building.
During World War II
the old Empire was requisitioned for "government purposes". After the war it was used as a synagogue
, and then later as an Islamic centre. The Odeon was used for music concerts as well as for showing films; The Beatles
played there in 1963. It eventually closed in 1983 and re-opened as a Top Rank Bingo Club. After local objections when its name changed to Mecca Bingo, it finally closed in 1999 and became a church.
headquarters of the Calvary Church of God in Christ
pastored by Jurisdictional Bishop, Rev Dr. Alvin Blake. The church is the current host of the Luton Churches Together service in May.
The Luton skyline includes the impressive large complex of Luton Central Mosque in Westbourne Road, foundations of which were laid by the late Waliat Hussain Jarral (also alternatively known as Walayat) who laid it's foundations in 1982. Born in Kashmir, the founder died aged 72, on the 24th of June, 2010 after a battle with cancer. But his legacy remains, as having founded one of the first purpose built mosques in Britain and the biggest purpose built in modern Europe in the early 1980s.
The more recent Islamic Centre in Bury Park Road, also serves the Islamic community in Luton and occupies the former synagogue.
ward, and the area to the south is in Dallow
ward.
The wards form part of the parliamentary constituency of Luton South
, and the MP is Gavin Shuker
(Labour
). Bury Park is within the East of England (European Parliament constituency)
.
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
town centre on the road to Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
. Since the mid 1970s a large Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Pakistani community has grown and Bury Park is now the home of a purpose-built mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
.
Bury Park has a large commercial area specialising in fruit, vegetables, and Asian clothing. There is a significant number of restaurants in the area, particularly serving Halal
Halal
Halal is a term designating any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term is used to designate food seen as permissible according to Islamic law...
food. The main road through the area has recently undergone significant updating with new tree planting, improvements to the road layout, paving and street furniture.
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road Stadium is a football stadium in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been home to Luton Town Football Club since 1905, when financial complications forced the club to leave its previous location at Dunstable Road...
, the home of Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
is also located here.
History
Bury Park takes its name from Bury Farm, which was situated near to where Kenilworth Road is now.An estate was erected on the fields of the farm, and the first houses were occupied in 1882. Church school
Church school
A church school is a place of education, the precise nature of which varies from one national jurisdiction to another.The State of Alabama defines a church school as follows:...
halls were opened in 1895, Bury Park United Reformed Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
Church was built in 1903, and Luton Industrial Co-operative Society Ltd opened a general store at the junction of Dunstable Road and Leagrave Road in 1906. The Anglican church of All Saints was opened in 1907 and a new church built in 1923 in Shaftesbury Road. Before moving to the Kenilworth Road ground, Luton Town played their home games on a flat field that became the site of the Odeon cinema. Dunstable Road was lined with Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
houses, each with a neatly-fenced garden, but the character of the road altered with the coming of the tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s in 1908; the houses were turned into shops, and their front gardens became paved forecourts. By 1926, the shops included a "High-Class Pastry Cook and Confectioner" at 273 Dunstable Road.
Traffic has long been a problem in the area. In 1926, complaints were made that horses and carts were causing obstructions by stopping at a water trough
Trough
Trough may refer to:* Trough , the lowest turning point of a business cycle* Trough or manger, a container for animal feed* Watering trough, a receptacle of drinking water for domestic and non-domestic livestock...
at the junction of Dunstable Road and Leagrave Road. In the following years the junction was covered by constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
s on point duty.
Edgar Barber established an aeroplane propeller factory during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
at 116 Bury Park Road. This was converted into a cinema called the Empire, which opened in 1921 and which closed in 1938 when the new Odeon
Odeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
opened on Dunstable Road. The Odeon with 1958 seats was designed by Keith P. Roberts, and is now a listed building.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the old Empire was requisitioned for "government purposes". After the war it was used as a synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
, and then later as an Islamic centre. The Odeon was used for music concerts as well as for showing films; The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
played there in 1963. It eventually closed in 1983 and re-opened as a Top Rank Bingo Club. After local objections when its name changed to Mecca Bingo, it finally closed in 1999 and became a church.
Churches and Mosques
The converted cinema in Dunstable Road is now the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
headquarters of the Calvary Church of God in Christ
Church of God in Christ
The Church of God in Christ is a Pentecostal Holiness Christian denomination with a predominantly African-American membership. With nearly five million members in the United States and 12,000 congregations, it is the largest Pentecostal church and the fifth largest Christian church in the U.S....
pastored by Jurisdictional Bishop, Rev Dr. Alvin Blake. The church is the current host of the Luton Churches Together service in May.
The Luton skyline includes the impressive large complex of Luton Central Mosque in Westbourne Road, foundations of which were laid by the late Waliat Hussain Jarral (also alternatively known as Walayat) who laid it's foundations in 1982. Born in Kashmir, the founder died aged 72, on the 24th of June, 2010 after a battle with cancer. But his legacy remains, as having founded one of the first purpose built mosques in Britain and the biggest purpose built in modern Europe in the early 1980s.
The more recent Islamic Centre in Bury Park Road, also serves the Islamic community in Luton and occupies the former synagogue.
Controversy
Luton Central Mosque was one of the first purpose-built mosques in Britain, constructed by the sizeable Kashmiri community in Luton in 1982. Nevertheless, a dispute over who should run it soon grabbed the national headlines. The dispute led to a highly publicised High Court battle, and was covered by newspapers and BBC News at the time. Soon after, the mosque changed hands to a section of the Pakistani community in Luton, and has remained so ever since.Politics
The area north of Dunstable Road is in BiscotBiscot
Biscot is an area of Luton close to the town centre. The name of Biscot can be traced back to the Domesday Book where it is recorded as Bissopescote which meens 'King's land'.Commer produced trucks in Biscot for many years at their factory in Biscot Road...
ward, and the area to the south is in Dallow
Dallow
The Dallow ward of Luton is a large area about one mile west of the town centre which has Dallow Road as its main artery. The recreation ground at the intersection of Brantwood Road and the open wooded hills beginning at Runley Road mark the boundaries of the area.Some buildings in the area are to...
ward.
The wards form part of the parliamentary constituency of Luton South
Luton South (UK Parliament constituency)
Luton South is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, and the MP is Gavin Shuker
Gavin Shuker
Gavin Shuker is an English Labour Co-operative politician, who has been the Member of Parliament for Luton South since 2010. Shuker successfully defended the seat after his predecessor Margaret Moran stood down following controversy over her expenses.-Education:A Lutonian, Shuker was educated at...
(Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
). Bury Park is within the East of England (European Parliament constituency)
East of England (European Parliament constituency)
East of England is a constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 7 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
.
Local attractions
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Whipsnade Wildlife Park
Local newspapers
Two weekly newspapers are delivered free to all the houses in Bury Park. However, they are not specific to Bury Park. They are:- Herald and Post - Delivered every Thursday
- Luton on Sunday- Delivered every Wednesday.
Further reading
- Sarfraz ManzoorSarfraz ManzoorSarfraz Manzoor is a journalist, documentary maker, and broadcaster. He is a regularly contributor to The Guardian, presenter of documentaries on BBC Radio 4, and a cultural commentator who appears on programmes such as Newsnight Review and Saturday Review. His first book, Greetings from Bury Park...
, Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock 'n' Roll, Bloomsbury, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7475-7711-9.