Old Warden
Encyclopedia
Old Warden is a village
and civil parish in Bedfordshire
, England
, just west of the town of Biggleswade
. It has a population of 275. The village grew up under the protection of the Cistercian Wardon or Warden Abbey
nearby.
The village is noted for being the home of the Shuttleworth Trust, an organisation committed to the preservation of transport artefacts — primarily bicycles, motor cars
, and aeroplanes
— produced in the early part of the 20th century. The corresponding collection is known as the Shuttleworth Collection
. The estate also has buildings and gardens of great beauty, and a small airfield from which many of the historic aircraft fly during the regular flying displays. The estate, museum, and airfield are open to visitors at a price. The estate is also the home of Shuttleworth College founded in 1944.
For local government purposes it forms part of Central Bedfordshire Council and is within the Mid Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency
, whose Member of Parliament
is currently Nadine Dorries
of the Conservative Party
.
.
The first mention of a post office
in the village is in 1873. The post office national archives record the issue to Old Warden in April 1890 of a type of postmark
known as a rubber datestamp. The village post office closed on 14 October 2008. It was one of about 2,500 compulsory compensated closures of UK
post office branches announced by the Government in 2007.
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 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....
, England
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...
, just west of the town of Biggleswade
Biggleswade
Biggleswade is a market town and civil parish located on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London and the North, as well as having a railway station on the main rail link North from London .-Geography:Located about 40...
. It has a population of 275. The village grew up under the protection of the Cistercian Wardon or Warden Abbey
Wardon Abbey
Wardon or Warden Abbey, Bedfordshire was one of the senior Cistercian houses of England, founded about 1135 from Rievaulx Abbey.It is a Grade I listed building.- History :...
nearby.
The village is noted for being the home of the Shuttleworth Trust, an organisation committed to the preservation of transport artefacts — primarily bicycles, motor cars
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, and aeroplanes
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
— produced in the early part of the 20th century. The corresponding collection is known as the Shuttleworth Collection
Shuttleworth Collection
The Shuttleworth Collection is an aeronautical and automotive museum located at the Old Warden airfield in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of the most prestigious in the world due to the variety of old and well-preserved aircraft.- History :...
. The estate also has buildings and gardens of great beauty, and a small airfield from which many of the historic aircraft fly during the regular flying displays. The estate, museum, and airfield are open to visitors at a price. The estate is also the home of Shuttleworth College founded in 1944.
For local government purposes it forms part of Central Bedfordshire Council and is within the Mid Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency
Mid Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Mid Bedfordshire is a county 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...
, whose Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
is currently Nadine Dorries
Nadine Dorries
Nadine Vanessa Dorries is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire since 2005. She has been involved in parliamentary attempts to change the laws on abortion....
of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
History
Old Warden is part of the ancient hundred of WixamtreeWixamtree
Wixamtree is the name of an ancient hundred located in Bedfordshire, England.Wixamtree was one of the hundreds of Bedfordshire, with its council being the primary form of local government in its area from the Anglo-Saxon times to the nineteenth century....
.
The first mention of a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
in the village is in 1873. The post office national archives record the issue to Old Warden in April 1890 of a type of postmark
Postmark
thumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...
known as a rubber datestamp. The village post office closed on 14 October 2008. It was one of about 2,500 compulsory compensated closures of UK
United 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...
post office branches announced by the Government in 2007.
External links
- Old Warden 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...
- Tourist Information