Clifton, Bedfordshire
Encyclopedia
Clifton is a village
and civil parish in the English
county
of Bedfordshire
. It is historically one of the nine hundreds of Bedfordshire.
The first recorded reference to Clifton is in 944 when it is referred to as Cliftune.
Clifton is also mentioned in the Domesday Book
. The entry reads:
Cliftone: William de Cairon from Bishop of Lincoln, Eudo FitzHubert and Nigel d'Aubigny; Leofwin from St. Benedict's of Ramsey; Alwin from Countess Judith. 2 mills.
All Saints Church, built in the 14th and 15th centuries was heavily restored
in the 19th.
Clifton village is now a popular place to live as a consequence of its good transport links and proximity to the railway station at Arlesey
.
It is today largely residential, but in the past it was a centre for straw plaiting. The original All Saints school was a "Straw Plait School" where children were expected to learn to straw plait from as young as 4 years of age. They would also be taught to read.
There was also once a small factory producing bottled drinks. Harwoods Minerals Water Factory operated from 1880 until 1947. Harwoods produced Hops Bitters, Cherry Cider, Stone Ginger Beer, Lime Juice and Soda, and Ginger Ale and sold them to the pubs and shops of all the surrounding villages.
Clifton was voted Bedfordshire Village of the Year in 2003, 2005 and 2009.
Clifton was visited by the Queen
and Prince Philip on 17 November 2006 as part of a visit to re-open Samuel Whitbread Community College
.
Amongst the facilities in Clifton there are; Clifton lower school, a butcher, a post office/village store and two public houses (The Golden Lion and The Admiral). There is also an Indian restaurant, garage and petrol station, a hairdresser and a bicycle shop. At the Northern edge of the village is Clifton Cricket Club.
There is a duck pond in the middle of the village.
There is a large playing field. A community centre is built at the Northern corner of the playing field.
There are two BMX jumps in the playing field built by local young people.
Samuel Whitbread Community College is also located in the village of Clifton although it is nearer to the market town of Shefford
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
. It is historically one of the nine hundreds of Bedfordshire.
The first recorded reference to Clifton is in 944 when it is referred to as Cliftune.
Clifton is also mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. The entry reads:
Cliftone: William de Cairon from Bishop of Lincoln, Eudo FitzHubert and Nigel d'Aubigny; Leofwin from St. Benedict's of Ramsey; Alwin from Countess Judith. 2 mills.
All Saints Church, built in the 14th and 15th centuries was heavily restored
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in the 19th.
Clifton village is now a popular place to live as a consequence of its good transport links and proximity to the railway station at Arlesey
Arlesey
Arlesey is a small industrial town and civil parish in the district of Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire. It is located on the border with Hertfordshire, about three miles north-west of Letchworth Garden City, four miles north of Hitchin and six miles south of Biggleswade. Arlesey railway...
.
It is today largely residential, but in the past it was a centre for straw plaiting. The original All Saints school was a "Straw Plait School" where children were expected to learn to straw plait from as young as 4 years of age. They would also be taught to read.
There was also once a small factory producing bottled drinks. Harwoods Minerals Water Factory operated from 1880 until 1947. Harwoods produced Hops Bitters, Cherry Cider, Stone Ginger Beer, Lime Juice and Soda, and Ginger Ale and sold them to the pubs and shops of all the surrounding villages.
Clifton was voted Bedfordshire Village of the Year in 2003, 2005 and 2009.
Clifton was visited by the Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and Prince Philip on 17 November 2006 as part of a visit to re-open Samuel Whitbread Community College
Samuel Whitbread Community College
Samuel Whitbread Community College serves the rural communities around the small market town of Shefford in Central Bedfordshire. It consists of an expanding upper school for years 13-18, a nursery school and facilities for adult education...
.
Amongst the facilities in Clifton there are; Clifton lower school, a butcher, a post office/village store and two public houses (The Golden Lion and The Admiral). There is also an Indian restaurant, garage and petrol station, a hairdresser and a bicycle shop. At the Northern edge of the village is Clifton Cricket Club.
There is a duck pond in the middle of the village.
There is a large playing field. A community centre is built at the Northern corner of the playing field.
There are two BMX jumps in the playing field built by local young people.
Samuel Whitbread Community College is also located in the village of Clifton although it is nearer to the market town of Shefford
Shefford, Bedfordshire
Shefford is a small town and civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. At the 2001 census it had a population of 4,928, although this was estimated to have grown to 5,770 by 2007.-History:...
.
External links
- Clifton pages at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records ServiceBedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records ServiceThe Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service is a county record office, holding archival material associated with Bedfordshire and Luton. Established in 1913 by George Herbert Fowler as the Bedfordshire Record Office, it was the first county record office in England. It is located in...