Wilstead
Encyclopedia
.
Wilstead is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire
, England
, just off the A6 Bedford to Luton
road, about five miles south of Bedford
town centre, and within the Borough of Bedford. The name of the village has been spelled in many different ways, including Wilshamstead, Wylhamstead, and Willshamstead. Wilstead is now the usual name of the village, but the civil parish is named Wilshamstead. The council estimated the population of the parish at 2,550 in 2005. Most of the inhabitants live in the main village, but some live in other hamlets and isolated houses.
Near the centre of the village are a small shop that incorporates a sub post office
with a sorting office, two pubs, a pharmacy/convenience store, an Indian takeaway, a Chinese takeaway and a small used car lot. There is a primary school, two churches and a village hall. A large number of allotments
are close to the village playing fields.
Housing types include traditional farms, older houses (including thatched
cottages and several Listed Buildings) and more modern, estate-type housing. Dwellings on the estate are generally of a more spacious character than the most modern developments. There is also a small caravan park and mobile home
centre called Briar Bank Park on the southern end of the village.
On the other (Western) side of the A6 is a large development of new, high density housing called Wixams
. The new town
is being developed in phases, and is expected to eventually become a civil parish in its own right. However, for now, Wixams is part of the Wilshamstead parish.
Wilstead is a village 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 off the A6 Bedford to 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....
road, about five miles south of 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...
town centre, and within the Borough of Bedford. The name of the village has been spelled in many different ways, including Wilshamstead, Wylhamstead, and Willshamstead. Wilstead is now the usual name of the village, but the civil parish is named Wilshamstead. The council estimated the population of the parish at 2,550 in 2005. Most of the inhabitants live in the main village, but some live in other hamlets and isolated houses.
Near the centre of the village are a small shop that incorporates a sub post office
Post Office Ltd.
Post Office Ltd is a retail post office company in the United Kingdom that provides a wide range of products including postage stamps and banking to the public through its nationwide network of post office branches.-Structure:Post Office Ltd...
with a sorting office, two pubs, a pharmacy/convenience store, an Indian takeaway, a Chinese takeaway and a small used car lot. There is a primary school, two churches and a village hall. A large number of allotments
Allotment (gardening)
An allotment garden, often called simply an allotment, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening. Such plots are formed by subdividing a piece of land into a few or up to several hundreds of land parcels that are assigned to individuals or families...
are close to the village playing fields.
Housing types include traditional farms, older houses (including thatched
Thatching
Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge , rushes, or heather, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates...
cottages and several Listed Buildings) and more modern, estate-type housing. Dwellings on the estate are generally of a more spacious character than the most modern developments. There is also a small caravan park and mobile home
Mobile home
Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied...
centre called Briar Bank Park on the southern end of the village.
On the other (Western) side of the A6 is a large development of new, high density housing called Wixams
Wixams
Wixams is a new town in Bedfordshire, England, which has been under construction since early 2007. It is expected to become the third largest settlement in the Borough of Bedford after Bedford itself and Kempston, and one of the largest new settlements founded in England since the British new towns...
. The new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
is being developed in phases, and is expected to eventually become a civil parish in its own right. However, for now, Wixams is part of the Wilshamstead parish.