Silsoe
Encyclopedia
Silsoe is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire
, England
.
‘hoh’, in "Sifels hoh", meaning "Sifel’s hill". The Danes
were thought to have been the earliest settlers here. The Domesday Book
(1086 – Siuuilessou or Sewilessou) records two manors, the larger held by Hugh of Walter, brother of Saher, and this later became the manor of Wrest. A smaller manor, believed to be that of Newbury, was owned by a concubine of Nigel de Albini of Cainhoe. The first market was held here weekly on Tuesdays and annual fair on May 1 from 1318. By 1563 there were 21 families living in Silsoe. The village growth was largely influenced by the needs of the Wrest Park estate and most of the inhabitants were servants, gardeners, stable hands and blacksmiths who lived in thatched and terrace cottages some of which still exist today. There was also a baker, who supplied Wrest House, and in the roof of the old bakehouse off the High Street, the oven ventilation can still be seen. From 1715 an annual fair was held on September 10 and a weekly market on Wednesdays. By the mid-19th century a number of trades were present in the village. There was a butcher, a milkman, cobbler, draper, builder and a grocer.
The Wrest Estate, in turn, provided the village with a church – St James’s, a school and a row of almhouses, so sited that a row of cottages was hidden from the gentry’s view as they drove from the Park to the church in nearby Flitton. Silsoe’s position on a main road to London
and half-way between Bedford
and Luton
made it a favourite halt for drovers and travellers stopping at the George coaching inn (first mentioned in 1624) on the High Street. Silsoe had many inns including The White Hart, The Ragged Staff, Duke of Kent’s Arms, The Bell, The Battle of Alma (or known as The Mouse's Hole in West End Road), Lord Nelson (Newbury Lane). Now only the George and Star and Garter in the High Street remain. During the First World War Wrest House was used as a military hospital until 1916 when the house was damaged by fire. Lady Lucas, the last member of the de Grey dynasty sold the House and estate before an auction that was to have been held at the Mart, Tokenhouse Yard, London EC2 on 17 July 1917.
Wrest Park's historic house and magnificent gardens are now part of English Heritage
and have been restored and opened to the public from 4 August 2011..
Lily Allen
, filmed at the house for the single 'The Fear
' from her second album "It's Not Me, It's You."
's Silsoe campus for agricultural engineering. The former campus grounds are now being redeveloped for housing, community and business use. The college was founded originally as the National College of Agricultural Engineering
.
(1781–1859), wished to construct a spire but the weight of the structure proved too much for the supporting walls and the whole building collapsed. The church was rebuilt between 1829–1831 and opened on 20 February 1831. It consists of chancel, nave, aisles and a tower containing three bells. Nikolaus Pevsner
admired it as ‘an astonishing job for its day’. The architect was Smith of Hereford
who achieved ’an antiquarian accuracy here extremely rare ten years before Pugin
’. Other sources such as Arthur Mee
suggest that the architect was Earl de Grey
, confirmed by Charles Read. Built in local ironstone, all embattled. The altar rails are made from 17th century oak taken from the chapel of the original Wrest House. Most of its stained glass windows represent the families of Wrest House. On Sunday. 25 July 1909 King Edward VII attended the church service here and made a donation towards the clock fund.
The War Memorial outside the church is of stone. The church also has an inscribed board with a further list of men.
erected 1796, octagonal, with a pointed head to the doorway. It was used as a temporary place for stray animals or drunks, and its central pole, now removed, was used to chain prisoners in transit between Bedford
and Luton
.
landscape engineering students drew up designs in collaboration with residents of the village and won a grant totalling over £45,000 to form the Green, a tranquil centrepiece for the village. As an integral part of the village, Cranfield University
had also been invited to contribute to Silsoe Parish Council's Millennium Time Capsule which was placed there in March 2000.
, a landing strip for small field aircraft.
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...
.
Origin
The village name is derived from the Danish wordDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
‘hoh’, in "Sifels hoh", meaning "Sifel’s hill". The Danes
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
were thought to have been the earliest settlers here. 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...
(1086 – Siuuilessou or Sewilessou) records two manors, the larger held by Hugh of Walter, brother of Saher, and this later became the manor of Wrest. A smaller manor, believed to be that of Newbury, was owned by a concubine of Nigel de Albini of Cainhoe. The first market was held here weekly on Tuesdays and annual fair on May 1 from 1318. By 1563 there were 21 families living in Silsoe. The village growth was largely influenced by the needs of the Wrest Park estate and most of the inhabitants were servants, gardeners, stable hands and blacksmiths who lived in thatched and terrace cottages some of which still exist today. There was also a baker, who supplied Wrest House, and in the roof of the old bakehouse off the High Street, the oven ventilation can still be seen. From 1715 an annual fair was held on September 10 and a weekly market on Wednesdays. By the mid-19th century a number of trades were present in the village. There was a butcher, a milkman, cobbler, draper, builder and a grocer.
The Wrest Estate
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 half-way between Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
and Luton
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....
made it a favourite halt for drovers and travellers stopping at the George coaching inn (first mentioned in 1624) on the High Street. Silsoe had many inns including The White Hart, The Ragged Staff, Duke of Kent’s Arms, The Bell, The Battle of Alma (or known as The Mouse's Hole in West End Road), Lord Nelson (Newbury Lane). Now only the George and Star and Garter in the High Street remain. During the First World War Wrest House was used as a military hospital until 1916 when the house was damaged by fire. Lady Lucas, the last member of the de Grey dynasty sold the House and estate before an auction that was to have been held at the Mart, Tokenhouse Yard, London EC2 on 17 July 1917.
Wrest Park's historic house and magnificent gardens are now part of English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
and have been restored and opened to the public from 4 August 2011..
Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
, filmed at the house for the single 'The Fear
The Fear (song)
"The Fear" is a song by British recording artist Lily Allen from her second studio album, It's Not Me, It's You. Written by Allen and Greg Kurstin, the song was released as the lead single of the album...
' from her second album "It's Not Me, It's You."
Silsoe College
The village was, until 2007, the location of the Silsoe Research Institute, a BBSRC-funded body, in Wrest Park. The village also was home to Cranfield UniversityCranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
's Silsoe campus for agricultural engineering. The former campus grounds are now being redeveloped for housing, community and business use. The college was founded originally as the National College of Agricultural Engineering
National College of Agricultural Engineering
The National College of Agricultural Engineering was opened in 1962. It was closed as a separate entity at the end of 2007 and the land sold for housing.-Foundation:...
.
Church of St James and War Memorial
The church stands on the site of a much earlier free chapel of St. Leonard, first mentioned in the Liber Antiquus (1209–35), that became a chapel of ease in the 17th century. The chapel belonged to the abbey of Elstow. Eventually the chapel had a central tower. In the fourteenth century two chantries were founded in the chapel. In the early 19th century Thomas Philip Robinson, 2nd Earl de GreyEarl de Grey
The titles of Marquess De Grey and Earl De Grey were created in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom respectively for descendants of the Greys, Duke of Kent and Earls of Kent, created 1465, who were unrelated or extremely distantly related to the family of the Earls Grey created...
(1781–1859), wished to construct a spire but the weight of the structure proved too much for the supporting walls and the whole building collapsed. The church was rebuilt between 1829–1831 and opened on 20 February 1831. It consists of chancel, nave, aisles and a tower containing three bells. Nikolaus Pevsner
Nikolaus Pevsner
Sir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
admired it as ‘an astonishing job for its day’. The architect was Smith of Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
who achieved ’an antiquarian accuracy here extremely rare ten years before Pugin
Pugin
Pugin most commonly refers to Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin , English architect and designer.Other members of his family include:...
’. Other sources such as Arthur Mee
Arthur Mee
Arthur Henry Mee was a British writer, journalist and educator. He is best known for The Harmsworth Self-Educator, The Children's Encyclopaedia, The Children's Newspaper, and The King's England...
suggest that the architect was Earl de Grey
Earl de Grey
The titles of Marquess De Grey and Earl De Grey were created in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom respectively for descendants of the Greys, Duke of Kent and Earls of Kent, created 1465, who were unrelated or extremely distantly related to the family of the Earls Grey created...
, confirmed by Charles Read. Built in local ironstone, all embattled. The altar rails are made from 17th century oak taken from the chapel of the original Wrest House. Most of its stained glass windows represent the families of Wrest House. On Sunday. 25 July 1909 King Edward VII attended the church service here and made a donation towards the clock fund.
The War Memorial outside the church is of stone. The church also has an inscribed board with a further list of men.
The Lock-up
In Church Road is an ironstone lock-upVillage lock-up
Village lock-ups are historic buildings that were used for the temporary detention of people in rural parts of England and Wales. They were often used for the confinement of drunks who were usually released the next day or to hold people being brought before the local magistrate. A typical village...
erected 1796, octagonal, with a pointed head to the doorway. It was used as a temporary place for stray animals or drunks, and its central pole, now removed, was used to chain prisoners in transit between Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
and Luton
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....
.
The Millennium Green
The Millennium Green is a 4.94-hectare amenity space located off the High Street. Cranfield UniversityCranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
landscape engineering students drew up designs in collaboration with residents of the village and won a grant totalling over £45,000 to form the Green, a tranquil centrepiece for the village. As an integral part of the village, Cranfield University
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
had also been invited to contribute to Silsoe Parish Council's Millennium Time Capsule which was placed there in March 2000.
Governance
The village has a Parish Council which has details of the Chair and meeting dates on its website. Silsoe is currently part of Mid Bedfordshire District Council for the ward of [Wrest]. However, from the 2009 elections a new unitary authority to be called Central Bedfordshire Council will be formed which will take over the functions of the present County Council, and the district councils of Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire.Demographics
The 2001 Census showed 1,729 residents in the parish, 869 male and 860 female living in 620 dwellings. Over 130 of these are listed. This will have included a number of residents of Silsoe College, closed in 2007, the site of which will be redeveloped for housing and community use.Facilities
The village has a small newsagent / grocery shop, hairdresser, post office, farm shop, two estate agents, two pubs, Chinese restaurant, lower school, and on the outskirts heading northbound for BedfordBedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, a landing strip for small field aircraft.
Literature
- Bradshaw, Roger (2011), A History of Silsoe, Clophill: Roger Bradshaw, ISBN 978-0-9570446-0-9