High Town
Encyclopedia
High Town is a hilly district of Luton
adjacent to Luton railway station
and extends in a north easterly direction towards Hitchin
. It is a convenient location for the daily commuter to London
and the district has been recently renovated after many years of neglect.
Compared to Luton town centre, High Town is a quieter, older world of small shops and Victorian
terraced houses. It was always a mixed area that provided work, housing and leisure to people employed in the hat trade that flourished in Luton until the late thirties.
Luton Council has recently finished a programme of refurbishing shop fronts and re-paving roads. This has been undertaken in a style befitting the Victorian heritage of much of High Town. The High Town Action Trust has its offices in High Town Road, just across the road from the Council’s Wellbeck Centre. There is now a Polish
deli and a brand new Lithuania
n café and grocer shop. But there are still the older, seedy junk and second hand shops as well as other signs of dereliction.
Further up High Town Road and on the side streets and adjacent roads are terraces
of Victorian houses, traditionally built in local brick with bay-windows and all with very substantial back gardens. Between High Town Road and Hitchin Road, is an area of warehouses and factories.
High Town has always been a favourite location for the young with many lively pubs and clubs
in the area. Diana Dors
, the famous 60s British actress, spent some time as a barmaid at The Rabbit public house, located in the area. The Legendary High Town Records http://www.hightown.org.uk is based in the district, and is responsible for Clod Magazine and Books, the Luton Haiku and the recordings of local alternative band, The Knockouts. With recent renovation and building projects, such as Milliners Court (a large warehouse converted into apartments), High Town is seeing a growth in commuters living in the area. This has been encouraged by the fast train connection to London's St Pancras railway station
which is less than 25 minutes journey time.
) and Cllr Roxanna Whittaker (Labour
).
The ward forms part of the parliamentary constituency of Luton South
, and the MP is Gavin Shuker
(Labour
). High Town 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....
adjacent to Luton railway station
Luton railway station
Luton railway station is located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The station is near to the town centre, about three minutes' walk from the Arndale Shopping Centre. It is situated on the Midland Main Line and is operated by First Capital Connect.-History:...
and extends in a north easterly direction towards Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
. It is a convenient location for the daily commuter to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the district has been recently renovated after many years of neglect.
Compared to Luton town centre, High Town is a quieter, older world of small shops and Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
terraced houses. It was always a mixed area that provided work, housing and leisure to people employed in the hat trade that flourished in Luton until the late thirties.
Luton Council has recently finished a programme of refurbishing shop fronts and re-paving roads. This has been undertaken in a style befitting the Victorian heritage of much of High Town. The High Town Action Trust has its offices in High Town Road, just across the road from the Council’s Wellbeck Centre. There is now a Polish
Polish cuisine
Polish cuisine is a style of cooking and food preparation originating from Poland. It has evolved over the centuries due to historical circumstances. Polish national cuisine shares some similarities with other Central European and Eastern European traditions as well as French and Italian...
deli and a brand new Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n café and grocer shop. But there are still the older, seedy junk and second hand shops as well as other signs of dereliction.
Further up High Town Road and on the side streets and adjacent roads are terraces
of Victorian houses, traditionally built in local brick with bay-windows and all with very substantial back gardens. Between High Town Road and Hitchin Road, is an area of warehouses and factories.
High Town has always been a favourite location for the young with many lively pubs and clubs
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
in the area. Diana Dors
Diana Dors
Diana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
, the famous 60s British actress, spent some time as a barmaid at The Rabbit public house, located in the area. The Legendary High Town Records http://www.hightown.org.uk is based in the district, and is responsible for Clod Magazine and Books, the Luton Haiku and the recordings of local alternative band, The Knockouts. With recent renovation and building projects, such as Milliners Court (a large warehouse converted into apartments), High Town is seeing a growth in commuters living in the area. This has been encouraged by the fast train connection to London's St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
which is less than 25 minutes journey time.
Politics
High Town is represented by Cllr Andy Malcolm (LabourLabour 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...
) and Cllr Roxanna Whittaker (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...
).
The ward forms 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...
). High Town 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 houses in High Town, with news about Luton and the surrounding area.- Herald and Post (Luton based) - Delivered every Thursday
- Luton on Sunday - Delivered every Sunday
Further reading
- J. G. Dony, The Story of High Town, Bedfordshire County Library, 1985, ISBN 978-0-907041-30-6.
- Urban Futures case study into High Town comparing this to Burnley