Blunham
Encyclopedia
Blunham is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire
district of Bedfordshire
, England
, about eight miles east of Bedford
. The village is just off the A1 road, near Great Barford
and Sandy
, and is near the confluence of the River Ivel
with the River Great Ouse
. The village also lies on Route 51
of the National Cycle Network
.
At the north of village is an unusual double humpback bridge
across the River Ivel and the Mill Stream which must be crossed to enter the village from the A1 road or Tempsford
.
.
The first mention of a post office
in the village is in 1839, when the village had a Penny Post
service under St Neots
. The post office national archives record the issue to Blunham in August 1886 of a type of postmark
known as a rubber datestamp. The village post office closed in October 2008. It was one of about 2,500 compulsory compensated closures of UK
post office branches announced by the Government in 2007.
Blunham had a railway station
which opened in 1862 on the Oxford to Cambridge railway line
. The station shut when this line was closed in 1961, although the station buildings still exist and have been converted into two homes. The old railway is now used as part of Route 51 of the National Cycle Network. The route heads east towards Sandy and west towards Willington
and Bedford.
From 10:00 am Thursday 26th August to 7:00 pm Monday 30th August 2010, two teams of Cricket mad players played in all weathers to set a new record for a continuous game of Cricket.
At the end 105 hours were played continuously, going through four consecutive nights.
Central Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It was created from the merger of Bedfordshire County Council, Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire on 1 April 2009...
district of 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...
, about eight miles east 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...
. The village is just off the A1 road, near Great Barford
Great Barford
Great Barford is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, a few miles north-east of Bedford. It lies on the River Great Ouse at . It is twinned with Wöllstein, Germany...
and Sandy
Sandy, Bedfordshire
Sandy is a small market town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is between Cambridge and Bedford, and on the A1 road from London to Edinburgh. The area is dominated by a range of hills known as the Sand Hills. The River Ivel runs through Sandy. The dedication of the Anglican church is to...
, and is near the confluence of the River Ivel
River Ivel
The River Ivel is a river in the east of England. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse.-Course of the Ivel:The river Ivel rises just north of Baldock in Hertfordshire, but most of its course lies within Bedfordshire. It flows through Stotfold, Arlesey, Henlow, Langford, Biggleswade, Sandy and...
with the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
. The village also lies on Route 51
NCR 51
National Cycle Route 51 is an English long distance cycle route running broadly east-west connecting Colchester and the port of Harwich to Oxford via Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge.Links to:* National Cycle Route 1 at Colchester and Ipswich...
of the National Cycle Network
National Cycle Network
The National Cycle Network is a network of cycle routes in the United Kingdom.The National Cycle Network was created by the charity Sustrans , and aided by a £42.5 million National Lottery grant. In 2005 it was used for over 230 million trips.Many routes hope to minimise contact with motor...
.
At the north of village is an unusual double humpback bridge
Humpback bridge
A humpback bridge is a name for a type of bridge, specifically an arch bridge, where the span is higher than the ramps on either side, forming a hump-like arrangement. Examples include Chinese and Japanese moon bridges and the Humpback Covered Bridge in the United States....
across the River Ivel and the Mill Stream which must be crossed to enter the village from the A1 road or Tempsford
Tempsford
Tempsford is a village and civil parish in the English county of Bedfordshire.The village is split by the A1 Great North Road and is located just before the junction with the A428 at the Black Cat Roundabout...
.
History
Blunham 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 1839, when the village had a Penny Post
Penny Post
The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny.-London Penny Post:In England, the Post Office had a monopoly on the collection and carriage of letters between post towns but there was no delivery system until the London Penny Post was...
service under St Neots
St Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
. The post office national archives record the issue to Blunham in August 1886 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 in 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.
Blunham had a railway station
Blunham railway station
Blunham was a railway station on the Varsity Line which served the small village of the same name in Bedfordshire. Opened in 1862, the station was located in a rural area and saw little passenger traffic; it closed together with the line in 1968.- History :...
which opened in 1862 on the Oxford to Cambridge railway line
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
. The station shut when this line was closed in 1961, although the station buildings still exist and have been converted into two homes. The old railway is now used as part of Route 51 of the National Cycle Network. The route heads east towards Sandy and west towards Willington
Willington, Bedfordshire
Willington is a village and civil parish located in the English county of Bedfordshire. It is west of Moggerhanger on the road from Sandy to Bedford...
and Bedford.
From 10:00 am Thursday 26th August to 7:00 pm Monday 30th August 2010, two teams of Cricket mad players played in all weathers to set a new record for a continuous game of Cricket.
At the end 105 hours were played continuously, going through four consecutive nights.
Famous people from Blunham
- George JoyeGeorge JoyeGeorge Joye was a 16th-century Bible translator who produced the first printed translation of several books of the Old Testament into English , as well as the first English Primer .-Education:...
was given the Rectory of Blunham In September 1549 by Sir Henry GreyHenry Grey, 4th Earl of KentHenry Grey, 4th Earl of Kent was Earl of Kent from 1524 to his death.He was a son of George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent and his second wife Catherine Herbert...
of Flitton - John DonneJohn DonneJohn Donne 31 March 1631), English poet, satirist, lawyer, and priest, is now considered the preeminent representative of the metaphysical poets. His works are notable for their strong and sensual style and include sonnets, love poetry, religious poems, Latin translations, epigrams, elegies, songs,...
, poet and preacher, was rector of the church from 1621 until his death in 1631 - Andy Holden (artist)Andy Holden (artist)Andy Holden is a British Artist.Holden is the son of leading ornithologist Peter Holden Holden trained at Cambridge Regional College as well as Goldsmiths, University of London and worked as an assistant to Jason Rhoades...
(born 1982) lived in Blunham as a child, and studied at Goldsmiths, University of London and has exhibited at Tate BritainTate BritainTate Britain is an art gallery situated on Millbank in London, and part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is the oldest gallery in the network, opening in 1897. It houses a substantial collection of the works of J. M. W. Turner.-History:It...
External links
- A Blunham page
- Blunham 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...
- Another Blunham page
- Blunham Station Disused stations site record