Ridgmont
Encyclopedia
Ridgmont is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire
, England
. It is located beside junction 13 of the M1 motorway
, and close to Milton Keynes
and Woburn Abbey
. The 2001 census states the total population to be 418.
The parish is first mentioned in the Domesday book
of 1086, by its original name of Segenhoe, which was approximately 500m south east from where the village now lies. In 1227 the name Rugemund was first recorded, taken from the French 'rouge mont' which means red hill.
The modern village lies on top of a green sand
ridge at approximately 350 feet (106.7 m) above sea level. The surrounding valley has underlying 'Upper Jurassic Oxford Clay
' which is suitable for making bricks. In 1935 the Ridgmont Brickworks were built by the Ridgmont Fletton
Brick Company. By 1979, as part of the London Brick Company, the works had 25 chimneys and was said to be the second-largest brickworks in the world.
The large Amazon.co.uk warehouse now occupies the site of the former brickworks, which is situated beside the Ridgmont railway station
.
November 2006 saw work start on the Ridgmont Bypass, and the £15.5 million project was finished in June 2008. The A507 Ridgmont relief road is designed to carry 80 per cent of heavy traffic away from the neighbouring villages.
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...
. It is located beside junction 13 of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
, and close to Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
and Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
. The 2001 census states the total population to be 418.
The parish is first 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...
of 1086, by its original name of Segenhoe, which was approximately 500m south east from where the village now lies. In 1227 the name Rugemund was first recorded, taken from the French 'rouge mont' which means red hill.
The modern village lies on top of a green sand
Green sand
Green sand may refer to:*Green sand , slightly damp sand, used in sand casting of metals*Greensand, a mineral containing glauconite*Olivine sand, which can form "green sand beaches"...
ridge at approximately 350 feet (106.7 m) above sea level. The surrounding valley has underlying 'Upper Jurassic Oxford Clay
Oxford Clay
The Oxford Clay Formation is a Jurassic marine sedimentary rock formation underlying much of southeast England, from as far west as Dorset and as far north as Yorkshire. The Oxford Clay is of middle Callovian to lower Oxfordian age and comprises 2 main facies. The lower facies comprises the...
' which is suitable for making bricks. In 1935 the Ridgmont Brickworks were built by the Ridgmont Fletton
Fletton
Fletton is a residential area and electoral ward of the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom. For parliamentary purposes it falls within North West Cambridgeshire constituency...
Brick Company. By 1979, as part of the London Brick Company, the works had 25 chimneys and was said to be the second-largest brickworks in the world.
The large Amazon.co.uk warehouse now occupies the site of the former brickworks, which is situated beside the Ridgmont railway station
Ridgmont railway station
Ridgmont railway station is a small unstaffed railway station that serves the villages of Ridgmont in Bedfordshire , Brogborough and Husborne Crawley. It also serves the large Amazon.com warehouse next door...
.
November 2006 saw work start on the Ridgmont Bypass, and the £15.5 million project was finished in June 2008. The A507 Ridgmont relief road is designed to carry 80 per cent of heavy traffic away from the neighbouring villages.
People
The village was the birthplace of Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne, mother of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.External links
- Ridgmont 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...