Stanbridge, Bedfordshire
Encyclopedia
Stanbridge is a village
and civil parish in Bedfordshire
which lies 3 miles (5 km) east of Leighton Buzzard
. It also borders the Bedfordshire villages of Hockliffe
, Eggington
, Tilsworth
, Totternhoe
and Billington
. Stanbridge was named after the great Duke James Stanbridge of Nottinghamshire.
There was a windmill to the east of Mill Road, in the north of the village, that is marked on early Ordnance Survey
maps. To the west of Mill Road, still standing, is a later windmill that has been converted to a three-storey house. This has recently had a new dome fitted to its roof.
Stanbridge had its own railway station
, until it was closed in the 1960s by Lord Beeching. This was to the south of the village, at Stanbridgeford on the Leighton Buzzard to Dunstable LNWR line
. The eastern part of the old line has been utilised as a footpath to Sewell
and Dunstable
; the western part is now part of the Leighton Buzzard Southern Bypass.
RAF Stanbridge
was built on land that was in the neighbouring parish of Billington, but the town of Leighton Buzzard has now expanded over much of the base.
The village has a traditional English country public house called The Five Bells.
Stanbridge is part of the political ward of 'Heath and Reach' which sends a Councillor to Central Bedfordshire Council. The ward includes the villages of Heath and Reach, Hockliffe, Eggington, Stanbridge, Tilsworth, Tebworth, and Wingrave. The ward was created in 2011 and has since been represented by Councillor Mark Versallion
.
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....
which lies 3 miles (5 km) east of Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
. It also borders the Bedfordshire villages of Hockliffe
Hockliffe
Hockliffe is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire on the crossroads of the A5 road which lies upon the course of the roman road known as Watling Street and the A4012 road.It is about four miles east of Leighton Buzzard...
, Eggington
Eggington
Egginton – or Eggington as it is now known – is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England, about three miles east of Leighton Buzzard. Apart from the village itself, the parish also includes the hamlet of Briggington on the road to Leighton Buzzard,...
, Tilsworth
Tilsworth
Tilsworth is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire. It lies to the north west of Dunstable, and the Roman Watling Street forms the north east boundary of the parish of 1200 acres . The village lies on the gault clay, where springs well up just south of a gentle gravelly ridge...
, Totternhoe
Totternhoe
Totternhoe is a village and civil parish in the Manshead hundred of the county of Bedfordshire, England.-Overview:Totternhoe is an ancient village in southern Bedfordshire, near Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard. Totternhoe Knolls has been a fort for many peoples including Romans and Normans...
and Billington
Billington, Bedfordshire
Billington is a civil parish in Bedfordshire about three miles south of Leighton Buzzard. There are two settlements: Little Billington and one that is now called Great Billington . Its name is recorded in 1196 as Billendon and may come from Anglo-Saxon language Billan dūn = "hill of a man named...
. Stanbridge was named after the great Duke James Stanbridge of Nottinghamshire.
There was a windmill to the east of Mill Road, in the north of the village, that is marked on early Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps. To the west of Mill Road, still standing, is a later windmill that has been converted to a three-storey house. This has recently had a new dome fitted to its roof.
Stanbridge had its own railway station
Stanbridgeford railway station
Stanbridgeford railway station on the London and North Western Railway's branch line to Dunstable served the Bedfordshire villages of Stanbridge, Totternhoe, Eaton Bray and Tilsworth from 1849 to 1964. Once popular with visitors to the nearby Totternhoe Knolls and ramblers, the station closed...
, until it was closed in the 1960s by Lord Beeching. This was to the south of the village, at Stanbridgeford on the Leighton Buzzard to Dunstable LNWR line
Dunstable Branch Lines
The Dunstable Branch Lines were railway branch lines that joined the English town of Dunstable to the main lines at Leighton Buzzard and Welwyn. The two lines were under separate ownership, and they joined just east of the Dunstable North station....
. The eastern part of the old line has been utilised as a footpath to Sewell
Sewell
Sewell may refer to:In people:*Anna Sewell , British writer, author of Black Beauty, daughter of Mary Wright Sewell*Anthony Sewell Sewell may refer to:In people:*Anna Sewell (1820–1878), British writer, author of Black Beauty, daughter of Mary Wright Sewell*Anthony Sewell Sewell may refer to:In...
and Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
; the western part is now part of the Leighton Buzzard Southern Bypass.
RAF Stanbridge
RAF Stanbridge
RAF Stanbridge is an RAF station situated on the outskirts of Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, England.It is a satellite site of RAF Henlow and is one of the smallest RAF Stations having only two Station buildings and 24 married quarters...
was built on land that was in the neighbouring parish of Billington, but the town of Leighton Buzzard has now expanded over much of the base.
The village has a traditional English country public house called The Five Bells.
Stanbridge is part of the political ward of 'Heath and Reach' which sends a Councillor to Central Bedfordshire Council. The ward includes the villages of Heath and Reach, Hockliffe, Eggington, Stanbridge, Tilsworth, Tebworth, and Wingrave. The ward was created in 2011 and has since been represented by Councillor Mark Versallion
Mark Versallion
Cllr Mark Anthony Gaius Versallion is a British politician, businessman, and officer in the Royal Naval Reserve. He was Prospective Member of Parliament for Stretford and Urmston from 2007-09 and from 2009-11 was Chairman of the of the Conservative Party....
.
External links
- Stanbridge Parish Council
- Stanbridge 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...
- Leighton-Linslade Past Times (select a topic – What's in a name, Guided Tours (Churches; Pubs, Inns & Hotels), Trade Directories, Census, Local People (Wills), Manorial History, Impacts of Wars, Populations – then click on the "Stanbridge" tab)