Great Denham
Encyclopedia
Great Denham is a village
and civil parish located in Bedfordshire
, England
, on the western outskirts of Bedford
. The village is the location of Bedford Golf Course
, as well as the new Biddenham Vale housing estate.
, in a loop carved out by the river flow. It has evidence of Neolithic
settlement as well as Roman
and Saxon
presence in the form of coins, pottery and other implements.
By the 7th century, the Great Denham area had been absorbed into the Saxon kingdom of Mercia
. In 886 the Saxons and Vikings fixed a formal boundary between them, along the rivers Thames, Lea and Great Ouse. Great Denham was thus on the border between the Danelaw
and Saxon England, which remained hostile adversaries. England was eventually united as one kingdom. St James Church, just over the border of Great Denham in the neighbouring village of Biddenham, was first constructed in the Norman
period.
The Great Denham loop of the river remained undeveloped farmland until the Bedford Golf Course was built in the 1990s, together with a 'golf village', with all roads named after golf courses. It was part of Biddenham
parish until April 2007, when the new Parish of Great Denham was created. It covers around 3 km².
. Great Denham Parish Council was created in April 2007 and currently has 5 members elected every four years.
The Ouse Valley Way
footpath runs through the village. A new bridge across the Great Ouse is due to open in 2010 which will connect the village with Kempston
.
Biddenham Vale is a new housing estate
currently being constructed directly to the south of Great Denham. The new development is expected to ultimately include 1,500 new homes, as well as a new primary school, community centre
, library
, country park
, shops, offices and a community pub. Despite its name, the Biddenham Vale estate is within the boundaries of the Great Denham parish, rather than in neighbouring Biddenham.
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 located 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...
, on the western outskirts 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 the location of Bedford Golf Course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
, as well as the new Biddenham Vale housing estate.
History
Great Denham is on the banks of River Great OuseRiver 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...
, in a loop carved out by the river flow. It has evidence of Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
settlement as well as Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and Saxon
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
presence in the form of coins, pottery and other implements.
By the 7th century, the Great Denham area had been absorbed into the Saxon kingdom of Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
. In 886 the Saxons and Vikings fixed a formal boundary between them, along the rivers Thames, Lea and Great Ouse. Great Denham was thus on the border between the Danelaw
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
and Saxon England, which remained hostile adversaries. England was eventually united as one kingdom. St James Church, just over the border of Great Denham in the neighbouring village of Biddenham, was first constructed in the Norman
Norman dynasty
Norman dynasty is the usual designation for the family that were the Dukes of Normandy and the English monarchs which immediately followed the Norman conquest and lasted until the Plantagenet dynasty came to power in 1154. It included Rollo and his descendants, and from William the Conqueror and...
period.
The Great Denham loop of the river remained undeveloped farmland until the Bedford Golf Course was built in the 1990s, together with a 'golf village', with all roads named after golf courses. It was part of Biddenham
Biddenham
Biddenham is a large village and a civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, located to the west of Bedford near the A428 road.The village largely serves as a dormitory settlement for Bedford, and also for commuters to London, being on the same side of the town centre as Bedford railway station...
parish until April 2007, when the new Parish of Great Denham was created. It covers around 3 km².
Great Denham today
Most houses in Great Denham are large detached privately-owned dwellings. There is no shop, pub or community centre in the village, but many residents are members of the golf club, which has facilities such as a bar and meeting rooms. There is a GP surgeryGeneral practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
. Great Denham Parish Council was created in April 2007 and currently has 5 members elected every four years.
The Ouse Valley Way
Ouse Valley Way
The Ouse Valley Way is a 150-mile footpath in England, following the River Great Ouse from its source near Brackley in Northamptonshire to its mouth in The Wash near King's Lynn...
footpath runs through the village. A new bridge across the Great Ouse is due to open in 2010 which will connect the village with Kempston
Kempston
Kempston is a town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. Once known as the largest village in England, Kempston is now a town with its own town council. It has a population of about 20,000, and together with Bedford, it forms an urban area with around 100,000 inhabitants, which is the...
.
Biddenham Vale is a new housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
currently being constructed directly to the south of Great Denham. The new development is expected to ultimately include 1,500 new homes, as well as a new primary school, community centre
Community centre
Community centres or community centers or jumping recreation centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole community or for a specialised group within...
, library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, country park
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
, shops, offices and a community pub. Despite its name, the Biddenham Vale estate is within the boundaries of the Great Denham parish, rather than in neighbouring Biddenham.