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Leighton Buzzard
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Leighton Buzzard is a town near the Chiltern Hills in Bedfordshire, and is between Luton and Milton Keynes. It adjoins Linslade and the name Leighton Buzzard is sometimes used to refer to the combination of the two towns; parts of this article also apply to Linslade.
For local government purposes, the town is part of the South Bedfordshire district and is administered jointly with Linslade as the civil parish of Leighton-Linslade.
e are a number of theories about its name, but the most likely is that "Leighton" is an Old English language term meaning a clearing in the woods.
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Leighton Buzzard is a town near the Chiltern Hills in Bedfordshire, and is between Luton and Milton Keynes. It adjoins Linslade and the name Leighton Buzzard is sometimes used to refer to the combination of the two towns; parts of this article also apply to Linslade.
For local government purposes, the town is part of the South Bedfordshire district and is administered jointly with Linslade as the civil parish of Leighton-Linslade.
History
There are a number of theories about its name, but the most likely is that "Leighton" is an Old English language term meaning a clearing in the woods. The "Buzzard" was added by the Dean of Lincoln in whose diocese the town was in the 12th century. He had two communities called "Leighton" and to differentiate them he added the name of his local Prebendary or representative to that of the town. At that time it was a Theobald de Busar and so over the years the town became known as Leighton Buzzard. The other Leighton became Leighton Bromswold. Leighton Buzzard is also famous as the Grand Union Canal was opened there. More recently, Leighton Buzzard station was the location for part of the film "The Great Train Robbery" (1963), while the actual robbery took place just outside of the town. In the Domesday Book, Leighton Buzzard and Linslade were both called Leestone.
Amenities
Leighton Buzzard contains All Saints Church, an Early English parish church dating from 1277. The church has a 190ft spire and has been described as the cathedral of South Bedfordshire. The church was damaged by fire in the 1980s, but has since undergone restoration.
The town is also known for the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway, a narrow gauge heritage railway.
The town has a combined library and theatre (called the Library Theatre) where both live events and film screenings are regularly held.
Leighton Buzzard is represented in terms of sporting teams by Leighton Town F.C. who play football in the Southern League Division One Midlands and Leighton Buzzard R.F.C. who play Rugby Union in Midlands Division 2 East. There are also both men's and women's hockey teams at Leighton Buzzard Hockey Club, the Ladies playing in Midlands Division 1.
Stockgrove Country Park is in nearby Heath and Reach.
After the Poor Law Act of 1834 Leighton Buzzard became the centre of a poor law union that consisted of 15 surrounding parishes with the union workhouse (still standing) being sited in Grovebury Road.
A network of historic tunnels exists under the High Street, these are believed to date from Medieval times. The tunnels have not been investigated, but one is easily accessible from the cellarage of Wilkinson Estate Agents at the top of Market Square. The cellar, probably an Ice House extends under the road by some 16 feet and is in very good condition. The tunnel is sealed for safety reasons. It goes in a southerly direction towards the former Market Tavern ( now Bell) Public House some 100 yards and legend has it that other tunnels from the Church and other Public Houses link up under the street in network that covers some 500 yards. These were probably built in Medieval times for people worried about religious persecution or during the Civil War.
Schools
- Beaudesert Lower School - Appenine Way
- St. Martin Dunne School of excellence for specials in the field of hockey and bat sports - Bent Rd
- Clipstone Brook Lower - Brooklands Dr
- Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Rd
- Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Rd
- Heathwood Lower School - Heath Rd
- Leedon Lower School - Highfield Rd
- Linslade Lower School
- Mary Basset Lower School - Bassett Rd
- Pulford VA C Of E Lower School - Pulford Rd
- St Georges Lower School - East St
- St Leonards (Heath & Reach) V A Lower School
- Stanbridge Lower School
- Southcott Lower School - Bideford Green
- Oak Bank Special School - Sandy Lane
- Overstone Combined School - Tilsworth Rd
- Brooklands Middle School - A school near the south east edge of the town. The school has recently won the "save our school" campaign and is rapidly growing in numbers.
- Gilbert Inglefield Middle School - Next door to Vandyke Upper School.
- Leighton Middle School - Is in the centre of the town, Mary Norton, who wrote the 'Borrowers' books, lived there in her childhood.
- Linslade Middle School - Situated over the road from Cedars.
- The Cedars Upper School - Located on the west edge of town, was once a grammar school.
- Vandyke Upper School - Situated on the east edge of town. As of late 2006, the school has been undergoing a £2.5 million refurbishment.
Infrastructure
Leighton Buzzard is close to the M1 motorway and A5 road, and is served by the West Coast Main Line railway at Leighton Buzzard railway station (in Linslade). The Grand Union Canal runs through the town, alongside the River Ouzel.
In popular culture
The town was where the 1960s band The Barron Knights first formed, and also the 1980s pop group Kajagoogoo, who had an international hit with 'Too Shy'. Pop group Modern Romance started life as punk band The Leyton Buzzards, though they originated from London E10 rather than Bedfordshire.
Other famous residents of, or the villages close to, Leighton Buzzard include the late Bob Monkhouse, Kriss Akabusi, Dave Lee Travis,Steve Askew and Darren Gough.
Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild lived at Leighton Buzzard in Leighton House before building and moving to Waddesdon Manor.
The town is also infamous for being dumped into Room 101 by comedy duo Mel Giedroyc & Sue Perkins.
One of the local quarries was used in the Hamunaptra scene in The Mummy Returns and more recently a scene for The Da Vinci Code.
In addition, the town and surrounding area is referenced in Mary Norton's popular series, The Borrowers.
Industry
The town is, or has at one time, been the home to various industries including B/E Aerospace (Aircraft Interiors), Lipton Tea which has now closed down, Gossard clothing, Lancer Boss (forklifts, etc.).
The town has a sizeable sand quarrying industry.
The first and only TXE1 telephone exchange was developed by the General Post Office and went into service in 1968. To meet the growing demand it was added to by two TXE2 exchanges and a TXE6 exchange on the night of 18 August 1971. A third TXE2 was added latter but everything was all replaced by a TXE4 exchange around 1977, some of the TXE2 equipment was used to provide a new TXE2 at West Mersea Island in Essex. The large building, built on the site of the former Lake House, that housed all these TXE exchanges and the current digital exchange can be found in Lake Street.
Countrywide and Connells/Sequence, the UK's two largest estate agents' chains, both have their head offices in the town, as does the UK branch of Tupperware.
Culture
There are numerous amateur dramatic organisations in the town, including , Leighton Musical Theatre Company (formerly Leighton Linslade Amateur Operatic Society), Leighton Masqueraders and Leighton Buzzard Children’s Theatre. For those interested in creative writing, there is Leighton Buzzard Writers.
In addition many amateur music groups and organisations exist in the town, including the Leighton Buzzard Music Centre (at Vandyke Upper School), the Leighton Buzzard Festival Singers and the Linsdale Singers.
Expansion
In the west, Linslade has merged with Southcott. Leighton Buzzard is expanding eastwards, and it now encompasses RAF Stanbridge and the former hamlet of Leedon.
The population of Leighton-Linslade was originally recorded in the 2001 census as 32,417. Part of Billington parish was transferred in 2003 to Leighton-Linslade, and the revised census result including this area was 32,753. The population is estimated to have reached 36,540 in 2007 and is forecast to rise to 39,900 by 2012.
Twin Towns
Leighton Buzzard was twinned with Coulommiers in 1958. The twinning was renewed in 1982.
It was also twinned with Titisee-Neustadt in 1991.
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