- See also: Biggleswade (hundred)
| Biggleswade | |
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  Biggleswade shown within Bedfordshire |
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| Population | 15,383 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | Mid Bedfordshire |
| Shire county | Bedfordshire |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BIGGLESWADE |
| Postcode district | SG18 |
| Dialling code | 01767 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | NE Bedfordshire |
| List of places: UK • England • Bedfordshire | |
Biggleswade is a market town on the River Ivel in Bedfordshire, England. Biggleswade was a historic ' hundred ' of English county of Bedfordshire. Bedfordshire (abbreviated Beds) is a County in England that forms part of the East of England region. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government Mid Bedfordshire is a local government district in Bedfordshire, England. Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London Bedfordshire (abbreviated Beds) is a County in England that forms part of the East of England region. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one The East of England is one of the nine official Regions of England. Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system UK Postal codes are known as postcodes. UK postcodes are Alphanumeric. The, also known as the Stevenage postcode area, is a group of postal districts around Arlesey, Baldock, Biggleswade, Buntingford, The UK Telephone numbering plan, also known as the National Telephone Numbering Plan, is the system used for assigning Telephone numbers in the United There are a number of law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom. Bedfordshire Police, is the Home Office Police force responsible for policing the Ceremonial county of Bedfordshire in England, which The fire service in the United Kingdom operates under separate legislative and administrative arrangements in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service is the statutory Fire and Rescue Service or FRS for the county of Bedfordshire The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust is the authority responsible for providing NHS Ambulance services in Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, East of England is a Constituency of the European Parliament. This is a list of the 646 constituencies currently represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, as at the 2005 general election North East Bedfordshire is a County constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. A Gazetteer of place names in the United Kingdom showing each place's County, Unitary authority or council area and its geographical coordinates List of places --> List of cities in the United Kingdom List of towns in England Lists of places This is a list of all the Towns and Villages in the County of Bedfordshire. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. The River Ivel is a River in the east of England. It is a Tributary of the River Great Ouse. Bedfordshire (abbreviated Beds) is a County in England that forms part of the East of England region. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London and the North, as well as the main rail link North from London (the East Coast Main Line). London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. The East Coast Main Line ( ECML) is the electrified high-speed railway link between London and Edinburgh connecting Yorkshire, North East
Located about 40 miles (60 km) north of Central London and 20 miles (30 km) west-south-west of Cambridge, the fastest train to London, King's Cross, takes about 37 minutes, while a car journey to central Cambridge takes about 35 minutes. The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. King's Cross station is a major railway terminus opened in 1852 The city of Cambridge (ˈkeɪmbrɪdʒ is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England In 2001 the population of the town was about 15,383. [1]
Contents |
History
The area around Biggleswade is thought to have been inhabited from around 10,000 BC, with arrowheads dating from this period found in the region. An arrowhead is point of an Arrow, or a shape resembling such a point as Archaeological artifacts arrowheads are a subclass of Projectile points In Roman times, a loop road known as the White Way passed through Biggleswade (possibly along the course of the present-day Drove Road), linking up with the Ermine Way at Godmanchester. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 Ermine Street should not be confused with Ermin Street, the road from Silchester to Gloucester. Godmanchester is a small town in England, immediately south of the larger town of Huntingdon on the southern bank of the River Great Ouse. In the Fifth century AD, Saxon invaders settled here - the name Biggleswade is thought to be derived from Biceil, an Anglo-Saxon personal name and Waed, the Saxon word for ford. The 5th century is the period from 401 to 500 in accordance with the Julian calendar in Anno Domini / Common Era. The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. Ford Motor Company is an American Multinational corporation and the world's fourth largest automaker based on Worldwide vehicle sales, following
In 1132, Henry I granted the manor of Biggleswade to Bishop Alexander - Alexander the Magnificent - of Lincoln to help endow Lincoln Cathedral. Henry I (c 1068/1069 – 1 December 1135) was the fourth son of William I the Conqueror, the first King of England after the Norman Lincoln (ˈlɪŋkən is a Cathedral city and County town of Lincolnshire, England. Lincoln Cathedral (in full The Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, or sometimes St The town was granted a charter to hold a market during the reign of King John (1196-1216) - a market is still held in the market place in the centre of the town every Saturday. John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death The dedication of the church is to St. Andrew.
The town is mentioned twice in the diaries of Samuel Pepys. Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703 was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for On 22 July 1661, Pepys stopped off in Biggleswade (called 'Bigglesworth' by Pepys) to buy a pair of warm woollen stockings. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Godfrey of Bouillon is elected the first Defender of the Holy Sepulchre of The Kingdom of
In 1785, there was a large fire in the town. The fire started at the 'The Crown' inn and spread rapidly through the neighbouring streets. By the time the fire had been brought under control, nearly one-third of the town had been destroyed. A national appeal was launched to raise funds for the many people who had lost their homes and their livelihoods.
The Great Northern Railway opened in 1850, and Biggleswade was the first town in Bedfordshire to have a mainline station. The Great Northern Railway (GNR was a British railway company established by the London & York Railway Act of 1846 Biggleswade railway station serves the town of Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, England.
Traditionally, Biggleswade has been a vegetable- and produce-growing area with trains often taking daily loads of vegetables to London's produce markets. Even though much of this has now stopped, Bedfordshire Growers, based on the outskirts of the town, still supplies major supermarkets with UK-grown potatoes and onions. [2]
Biggleswade is also the base of the Jordans cereals business [3] who produce their own brand of breakfast muesli and cereal bars which are sold across Europe as well as in the USA and Canada. Muesli is a popular Breakfast cereal based on uncooked Rolled oats, fruit and nuts There used to be a Felix cat food factory located on Potton Road. Cat food is formulated to address the specific nutritional requirements of Cats Although cats are obligate carnivores, most commercial cat food contains both animal However, this moved away in 1970.
Other goods which have been made in Biggleswade include Berkeley Caravans and Sportscars, who had a factory in the town, which was later used by Kayser Bondor who made ladies' underwear and stockings in the town until the mid-1990s. The factory was demolished and is now a housing estate, with roads named Berkeley Close and Kayser Court after the businesses that used the factory.
The town had a large brewery in the town centre for many decades; its last owners were Greene King but it closed down in October 1997 and the site is now occupied by an ASDA supermarket.
Biggleswade Swimming Club celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2006. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It is now running in the new indoor Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre. [4]
Education
Biggleswade, as part of Bedfordshire, has a three-tier schooling system with lower schools catering for ages between 5 to 9, middle schools from 9 to 13 and Stratton Upper School continuing education up and until Sixth Form.
List of Schools:
- Stratton Upper School and Community College
- Holmemead Middle School
- Edward Peake Middle School
- St Andrew's Lower School
- Lawnside Lower School
- Southlands Lower School
- Holme Court School, a private school for dyslexic children, which was opened in 2005 just off the A1 to the west of Biggleswade.
Twinned towns
Erlensee, (Germany) since 2000. Erlensee is a municipality in the Main-Kinzig district in Hesse, Germany. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.
Notable residents
- Dan Albone, inventor, manufacturer and cyclist, credited with making the first practical farm tractor, 'The Ivel Agricultural Motor'. Daniel Albone ( 12 September 1860 – 30 October 1906) was an English inventor manufacturer and cyclist
- Charles Penrose, radio comedian and singer of The Laughing Policeman. Charles Penrose ( 11 November 1873 – 17 November 1952) was a Music hall and theatre performer and later radio comedian who is best
- Mary Tealby, one of the founders of the Battersea Dogs Home, is buried in St. Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is the UK's oldest and most famous home for dogs and cats and is situated in the Battersea area of London England Andrew's Churchyard.
- Henry Ryland, Pre-Raphaelite painter born in Biggleswade in 1856. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (also known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters Poets, and critics founded in 1848 by
- Stevie V, dance act famous for the song Dirty Cash (Money Talks), that reached #2 in the UK Top 40 in 1990. The Adventures Of Stevie V is a Dance music act from Bedfordshire, England who scored several hits on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play
- Richard Walker, angling journalist, author and photographer, described as having the greatest influence on the sport since Isaac Walton. Richard Walker has an angling shop dedicated to him in the local town centre.
References
- ^ National Statistics Online
- ^ Bedfordshire Growers website
- ^ Jordans: Our story
- ^ Biggleswade Swimming Club website
External links
- myBUFC - Biggleswade United Football Club
- Biggleswade History Society
- Community Web site
- St Andrews Lower School
- Stratton Upper School & Community College
- New Life Church
- Biggleswade Pentecostal Church
- St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church
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