95-580: The Cheddington to Aylesbury Line was an early railway branch line, opening in 1839. It was promoted by local people who formed the Aylesbury Railway to construct it, and it made a junction with the London and Birmingham Railway at Cheddington . That company worked the branch line, and when the L&;BR merged with others in 1846 to form the London and North Western Railway , the line was in effect
190-421: A stagecoach shuttle service linking the two parts to allow through journeys to London. The line was officially fully opened on 17 September 1838, with the first passenger train from London to Birmingham arriving that day. The first London-to-Birmingham trains took 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours to complete the 112 + 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (181.1 km) journey. It has often been claimed that initially, owing to
285-723: A celebratory dinner later that "Prior to the railway opening the only means of travelling to London had been by coach which left Aylesbury at 6 o'clock in the morning arriving in London at 10 o'clock in the evening, 14 hours travelling. By use of the Aylesbury Railway this will now be two hours." An ordinary train service started the following day, 1 June; there were three trains on each weekday and two on Sundays, connecting with London trains at Cheddington. Goods trains began regular operation in November 1839. On 15 January 1845
380-707: A decline in town centre trade; Sainsbury's, Tesco, Halfords, and Next moved to newer larger premises out-of-town. More recently, major grocery retailers Asda and Aldi have opened stores within the town centre. Whitbread PLC, which manages Premier Inn , Beefeater , Brewers Fayre and Table Table , is headquartered on the Houghton Regis/Dunstable industrial estate. There are two tiers of local government covering Dunstable, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Dunstable Town Council and Central Bedfordshire Council . The town council has its offices at Grove House , 76 High Street North. Dunstable
475-455: A fixed engine and endless rope are used, for they can and have done so, but because the Company are restricted, by their Act of Parliament, from running locomotive engines nearer London than Camden Town." The railway opened from Euston on 20 July 1837; the stationary engines and rope haulage did not commence until 27 September, and handled all trains from 14 October 1837. Until then, and whenever
570-404: A line to Oxford, and to the problem in negotiating a working arrangement with the London and Birmingham Railway. It was not until 14 December 1837 that the working agreement was finalised. Construction was easy, as the line was almost entirely straight and level, with no road or river bridges. Space was made for double track, but only a single line was laid. The work had been estimated at £50,000 and
665-568: A local board. One of the new board's first acts was to petition for the town to be made a borough again. The petition was successful and in 1864 the parish became the Municipal Borough of Dunstable . The municipal borough was abolished in 1974, becoming part of South Bedfordshire , which was in turn replaced by Central Bedfordshire in 2009. Between 1974 and 1985 Dunstable was an unparished area , directly administered by South Bedfordshire District Council. A new civil parish of Dunstable
760-793: A modern memorial remains. During the Invasion of England of 1326 , Queen Isabella of France and her army, having landed in Suffolk, captured Dunstable on 7 October without a fight. Bedfordshire was one of the counties that largely supported the Roundheads during the English Civil War . Nearby St Albans in Hertfordshire was the headquarters of the Roundheads, and troops were occasionally stationed at Dunstable. The town
855-606: A more direct line from London to Liverpool and Manchester by avoiding the original route through Birmingham. The Rugby and Stamford Railway , a further branch into the Eastern Counties was approved in 1846. In July 1846 the L&BR merged with the Grand Junction Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway to form the London and North Western Railway , which in turn was later absorbed into
950-407: A posting station and probably named the settlement Durocobrivae, but over time this may have shifted to Durocobrivis. The area was occupied by Saxons around AD 571. Dunstable's modern structure dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, as do many of the nearby towns/villages. The etymology of Dunstable, akin to Luton, Houghton Regis, Totternhoe, Kensworth, Caddington, Toddington, Leighton Buzzard, etc.
1045-404: A railway connection might be made between their town and the new railway. In 1815 the town had ensured its connection to the canal network for the transport to market of its agricultural produce, and now wished to do the same with a railway. In these early times, goods traffic was the dominant commercial force. Serious discussions took place over the construction of a branch line and a scheme went to
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#17327839429661140-476: A retail town centre larger than would be supportable by Dunstable residents alone, so much so that in 1985 the Eleanor's Cross retail area was developed to cater mainly for smaller shops. The Cottage Garden Flower Shop of Chiltern Road, established in 1898, is believed to be the oldest independent retail business still trading. As with many other market towns, the rise of out-of-town retail parks contributed to
1235-576: A secondary shopping community, the Eleanor's Cross Shopping Precinct, hosts a modern statue commemorating the original cross . Nearby Luton has the Waulud's Bank prehistoric henge and Luton Museum and Art Gallery . Dunstable Downs , a chalky escarpment outside the town, is a popular site for kite flying , paragliding and hang gliding , while the London Gliding Club provides a base for conventional gliding and other air activities at
1330-412: A short line of railway that we have any where met with. There is a locomotive engine-house at each end of the line; that at Aylesbury is about 100 feet in length, and 16 feet in clear width. On the top of this building is a capacious tank for water, for the supply of the locomotives. The London and Birmingham Railway undertook to lease the line from 15 January 1840 for £2,500 per annum, that is to say 5% on
1425-533: A station proper and included in local timetables. Quick adds detail about the early days of Cheddington: it was referred to in company timetables of 20 June 1839 as "the Aylesbury Junction"; then as Cheddington Junction in 1850. It was not shown in Bradshaw until 1844, when only southbound main line trains were shown. Some Aylesbury trains operated to and from Tring. A form of absolute block working
1520-466: A £20.1 million redevelopment incorporating a new town library. The Centre, re-opened in June 2019 and includes leisure facilities, a gym, swimming pools and a flexible community space for other public and community services, such as Citizens Advice and adult day care/disabled sports. Stevenage Leisure Limited will manage and operate the leisure centre on behalf on Central Bedfordshire Council. It neighbours
1615-404: Is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and believed to mean "Dun's market", "Downs' market" (i.e. market near the downs or hills), or "Dun's post/pole". There is no firm date as to the founding of Dunstable. However, it's possible that once the early Anglo-Saxon settled in the area, and had subdued local Romano-Britons, Dunstable along with its adjacent communities was founded between the 6th-8th centuries. During
1710-589: Is a two-lane dual carriageway running east from the A5 north of Dunstable to join the M1 at a new Junction 11a south of Chalton . Here, it is intended to join with a proposed Luton Northern Bypass to form a northern bypass for the wider conurbation. The A5-M1 Link aims to alleviate traffic congestion in Houghton Regis and Dunstable, reduce journey times for long-distance traffic travelling through Dunstable and improve
1805-414: Is about 10 feet in width. There is a carriage-dock 10 feet 8 inches in length, and 8 feet 10 inches wide, furnished at its entrance with a proper turn-table, and abutting on the yard, conveniently situate for the arrival of common-road vehicles... The booking-office and general waiting-room are in one; there is, however, a separate room for ladies. This is, upon the whole, one of the best-arranged stations for
1900-606: Is an estate originally marketed as French's Gate Estate , and at the west of the town there is an area of houses on Lancot Hill. The southwest quadrant has largely been developed since the Second World War. There are three main estates. In the Lake District Estate all the streets are named after places in the Lake District and Cumbria ; the estate includes a parade of shops on Langdale Road. It
1995-738: Is based in Winfield Street, Dunstable. Dunstable is on the route of the Icknield Way , claimed to be 'the oldest road in Britain'. A settlement was established by the AD ;40s and 50s, when the Romans arrived and paved the road now known as Watling Street and its crossroad, the Icknield Way . Traces of Neolithic activity are not in doubt but much of their mystery may be lost under the surrounding Chiltern Hills . The Romans built
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#17327839429662090-408: Is located one mile (1.6 km) outside the town centre, at Boxmoor . Peter Lecount, an assistant engineer of the London and Birmingham railway, produced a number of – possibly hyperbolic – comparisons in an effort to demonstrate that the London and Birmingham Railway was "the greatest public work ever executed either in ancient or modern times". In particular, he suggested that the effort to build
2185-594: Is served by the Bedfordshire Police force where the Police and Crime Commissioner is Festus Akinbusoye . He is the first black Briton to be elected to this position. Dunstable had been an ancient borough between the 12th and 16th centuries, but lost its borough status following the English Reformation . In 1863 the parish of Dunstable was made a local government district , governed by
2280-472: Is that the form Durocobrivis , which occurs in the Antonine Itinerary , is a fossilised locative that was used all the time and Ordnance Survey now uses this form. There are several theories concerning its modern name: Relics of Palæolithic humans, including such relics as flint implements and the bones of contemporary wild animals, suggest the settlement is prehistoric. At Maiden Bower in
2375-566: Is the fourth largest town in Bedfordshire and along with Houghton Regis forms the westernmost part of the Luton/Dunstable urban area . In Roman times there was a minor settlement called Durocobrivis in the area now occupied by modern-day Dunstable. There was a general assumption that the nominative form of the name had been Durocobrivae , so that is what appears on the map of 1944 illustrated below . But current thinking
2470-573: The Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway at Hampton-in-Arden between Coventry and Birmingham. In 1845, the Northampton and Peterborough Railway , a 47-mile (76 km) branch from the main line, was opened from Blisworth . Also in 1845 branch lines, from Bletchley to Bedford and from Leighton to Dunstable , were leased; they opened in 1846 and 1848. The ' London and Birmingham Railway Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. clvi) authorised
2565-399: The Grand Junction Railway (GJR), whose adjacent platforms gave an interchange with full connectivity (with through carriages) between Liverpool , Manchester and London. As early as 1823, a company was formed with the objective of building a railway between London and Birmingham, and in 1826, the engineer John Rennie surveyed a route through Oxford and Banbury , a route later taken by
2660-653: The Great Pyramid of Giza amounted to the lifting of 15,733,000,000 cu ft (445,500,000 m ) of stone by 1 foot (0.305 m). The railway, excluding a long string of tasks (drainage, ballasting, and so on) involved the lifting of 25,000,000,000 cu ft (710,000,000 m ) of material reduced to the weight of stone used in the pyramid. The pyramid involved, he says, the effort of 300,000 men (according to Diodorus Siculus ) or 100,000 (according to Herodotus ) for twenty years. The railway involved 20,000 men for five years. In passing, he also noted that
2755-507: The Great Western Railway . In 1829 a rival company was formed by Francis Giles who proposed building a line through Watford Gap and Coventry . Neither company obtained backing for its scheme, and in late 1830 the two companies decided to merge. The new company appointed Robert Stephenson chief engineer, and after preparing a detailed survey, he chose the route through Watford Gap, largely to avoid possible flooding from
2850-464: The House of Lords to "the forcing of the proposed railway through the land and property of so great a proportion of dissentient landowners." The L&BR company's first application for an act of Parliament to construct the line was rejected in 1832, due to pressure from landowners and road and canal interests. The railway route proposals through Hertfordshire were modified; a second parliamentary bill
2945-536: The Kilsby Tunnel in Northamptonshire delayed the opening. The first part of the line between Euston Station and Boxmoor ( Hemel Hempstead ) opened on 20 July 1837. Services were extended to Tring on 16 October 1837. On 9 April 1838 the company opened the north end of the line, between Birmingham and Rugby, and the south end from London to a temporary station at Denbigh Hall near Bletchley with
Cheddington to Aylesbury Line - Misplaced Pages Continue
3040-660: The LNWR in 1846. The Warwick and Leamington Union Railway , a branch of almost nine miles (14 km) between Coventry and Leamington, was purchased by the L&BR in 1843 and opened in 1844. From 1840, when the Midland Counties Railway made a junction to its line at Rugby, the L&BR also provided through connections from London to the East Midlands and the North East. It also made connections to
3135-773: The London Midland and Scottish Railway , before finally passing into the hands of the nationalised British Railways in 1948 to become part of the West Coast Main Line as it is known today. The major change to the line during this period was electrification, which was carried out during the mid-1960s as part of BR's Modernisation Plan. Neither of the L&BR's original termini, both designed by Philip Hardwick , has survived in its original form. Curzon Street station in Birmingham closed to passenger traffic in 1854 (the original entrance building remains) when it
3230-481: The River Thames at Oxford. The prospectus for the London and Birmingham Railway offered the following inducements to potential investors: First, the opening of new and distant sources of supply of provisions to the metropolis; Second, Easy, cheap and expeditious travelling; Third; The rapid and economical interchange of the great articles of consumption and of commerce, both internal and external; and Lastly,
3325-519: The Sandy Heath TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio on 103.8 FM, Heart Dunstable on 97.6 FM and Luton and Dunstable Hospital Radio that broadcast from the Luton & Dunstable Hospital in Luton on 1134 AM. Several parks and open spaces are kept by Central Bedfordshire Council along with Dunstable Leisure Centre. The centre was closed on 4 June 2017 to undergo
3420-541: The 1836 session of Parliament. The Aylesbury Railway Act 1836 ( 6 & 7 Will. 4 . c. xxxvii) obtained royal assent on 19 May 1836, without opposition in Parliament. All seemed to be going well, until a local bank, William Medley, Son and Company, of Aylesbury, failed in January 1837. The bank had been strong supporters of the line, and many local businesspeople were embarrassed, causing a local financial panic, and
3515-577: The Aylesbury branch of the LNWR. It was important to Aylesbury , securing it a cheaper way of bringing in essentials and sending out its agricultural produce, as well as greatly improving passenger communication. The early terminus at Aylesbury was relocated and expanded in 1889. However other railways were built serving Aylesbury, and in time these offered easier communication: the inconvenience of passenger travel involving changing trains at Cheddington made
3610-603: The Beecroft area began with the houses around Worthington Road; after the Second World War the borough council extended the estate up to Westfield Road with its shops, and then up to Aldbanks. The war-time site of the Meteorological Office , was then in Houghton Regis, where Cookfield Close and Weatherby stand. The site was redeveloped by George Wimpey Homes and others. At the north of the town there
3705-652: The Great Central Railway. In the winter of 1952-3 only four passenger trains ran each way on the branch, supplemented by one on Wednesdays and two on Saturdays. Except on Wednesdays and Saturdays the last train for Cheddington left Aylesbury at the early hour of 13:25 and made no London connection, for the branch had long ceased to be a useful route from Aylesbury to London. The line closed 2 February 1953 to passengers. It continued in use for goods traffic until 2 December 1963. London and Birmingham Railway The London and Birmingham Railway ( L&BR )
3800-880: The Grove Theatre (also managed by SLL), a modern 32-lane ten-pin bowling centre, and the main campus of Central Bedfordshire College . The town is home to two football clubs, Dunstable Town F.C. and AFC Dunstable , who both play at the Creasey Park Stadium. Dunstable Town F.C. play in the Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division and AFC Dunstable play in the Southern League Division One Central. Dunstable Town once famously recruited George Best and subsequently defeated Manchester United 3–2 in
3895-804: The Heptarchy period, what was to become Bedfordshire was part of the Kingdom of Mercia . This area of southern Bedfordshire was near the Danelaw boundary (the river Lea running through Luton), though within the territory ruled by King Alfred the Great in his treaty with the Norse Lord Guthrum . There were raids by Norsemen, who had settled in Bedford and further north in Northampton and up to
Cheddington to Aylesbury Line - Misplaced Pages Continue
3990-610: The L&BR to lease the West London Railway , and this took effect from 1846 (jointly with the GWR ). The West London Railway has opened in 1844 between Willesden Junction and the canal basin at Kensington. The L&BR purchased the Trent Valley Railway in 1846 on behalf of the LNWR ; this fifty-mile (80 km) line connected Rugby on the L&BR with Stafford on the Grand Junction Railway thus creating
4085-691: The Langdale Road estate. Many bus services are financially supported by Central Bedfordshire Council. Construction of the Luton Dunstable Busway between Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Luton and Luton Airport was completed in September 2013 at the cost of £91m. Much of the busway runs along the lines of the old railway which has been converted into a guided busway running alongside Blow's Down and dedicated roadway. Buses travel on ordinary roads around Dunstable, Houghton Regis and at
4180-680: The Leicester/Rutland regions, for cattle, crops, slaves, and other items, which were often repelled by local Anglo-Saxon forces. One such raid occurred in 912, where Norse jarls from the East Midlands arranged raids of what is now southern Bedfordshire, including the Luton and Dunstable areas. However, Norse activity in the area was subdued after the Anglo-Saxon victory at the Battle of Tempsford, believed to have been fought further north in
4275-650: The Luton to Dunstable Busway, which uses the former rail route (see Bus Transport above). Dunstable is one of the largest towns south of the Midlands conurbations without its own rail service. But as part of the large Luton conurbation it is 3 mi (5 km) from north Luton's Leagrave station , 5 mi (8 km) from the central Luton station , and 8 miles from south Luton's Airport Parkway station , which all provide fast rail links to central London. The A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass), which opened in May 2017,
4370-708: The Luton-Dunstable busway lies Blow's Down , a site of special scientific interest. Dunstable Downs Golf Club , founded in 1906 and designed by James Braid, is on the top of the Downs. Within the town centre is the Grove Theatre, Priory House Heritage Centre and the Priory Church , where Henry VIII formalised his divorce from Catherine of Aragon . At the heart of the town sits the Quadrant Shopping Centre, while across High Street North
4465-624: The Square Drama Circle and Dunstable Amateur Operatics Society. A Wetherspoons called The Gary Cooper (named after the famous actor who attended the town's grammar school), and a nightclub called BOX3 are located in the Grove Park complex. The complex is also home to Central Bedfordshire College, the Performing Arts Depot (PAD), and BBC Three Counties Radio . The town receives its television signals from
4560-408: The actual cost was £59,000. This included land acquisition and Parliamentary expenses. The construction was under the general direction of Robert Stephenson . Whishaw described the line further: The rails are chiefly of the parallel form [as opposed to fish-bellied]... they are in 16 feet lengths, and fixed in chairs by means of wooden keys; the chairs are placed 4 feet from centre to centre along
4655-517: The airport, but benefit from fast transit (up to 50 mph) with few stops on the busway itself between these centres. Multiple companies operate different routes which run on the busway. Dunstable was once served by the Dunstable Branch Lines to Leighton Buzzard and to Luton from Dunstable Town railway station . There have been a number of campaigns for the re-establishment of a passenger railway, but these have been superseded by
4750-613: The bottom of the Downs. Further into the countryside are the open-range Whipsnade Zoo , a garden laid out in the form of a cathedral at Whipsnade Tree Cathedral and the Totternhoe Knolls motte-and-bailey castle. The Icknield Way Path passes through the town on its 110-mile journey from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Suffolk. The Icknield Way Trail , a multi-user route for walkers, horse riders and off-road cyclists also passes through
4845-570: The boundary with Luton, there is another area that has largely been developed since the Second World War. To the south of Luton Road, Jeans Way was completed after the war; to the north, Poynters Estate and Hadrian Estate were built on either side of Katherine Drive, where there is a parade of shops. The area also includes the Woodside Estate which contains most of the factories and warehouses that still exist in Dunstable. The town lies in
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#17327839429664940-459: The branch line unattractive. The passenger service was discontinued in 1953 and the line was closed completely in 1963. The London and Birmingham Railway opened in stages, through Cheddington on 9 April 1838, and throughout on 17 September 1838. It formed, with the Grand Junction Railway , the backbone of early railways in Great Britain. As the London and Birmingham line was being built, business interests in Aylesbury were already thinking of how
5035-617: The company would provide locomotives to Bury's specification, while he would maintain them in good repair and convey each passenger and each ton of goods for a fixed sum at a speed not to exceed 22 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles per hour (36.2 km/h). Bury provided specifications and drawings for a passenger and a goods engine, and by mid-1841 the L&BR was equipped with sixty 2-2-0 passenger engines and thirty 0-4-0 goods engines. They all had inside cylinders and dome-topped fireboxes, and were mounted on inside bar-frames; they were manufactured by seven different firms, including Bury's own. Working
5130-407: The completion of the northern A5-M1 bypass has meant the de-trunking of the road, relabelled now as the A5183 with a 7.5 tonne weight limit. Movement is complemented by the M1 motorway east of the town in Luton . The nearest motorway junction is J11, which is about 2 mi (3 km) to the east of the town centre via the A505 . Although congested, the town's roads provide the means to connect to
5225-440: The connexion by railways, of London with Liverpool, the rich pastures of the centre of England, and the greatest manufacturing districts; and, through the port of Liverpool, to afford a most expeditious communication with Ireland. The company was created with an initial capitalisation of £5,500,000. Much of the subscribed funds came from Lancashire, where great profits were being made in the cotton industries. The construction of
5320-425: The cost of the railway in penny pieces, was enough to more than form a belt of pennies around the equator; and the amount of material moved would be enough to build a wall 1 foot (305 mm) high by one foot wide, more than three times around the equator. The line had been planned to open at the same time as the Grand Junction Railway which entered Birmingham from the north. However great difficulty in constructing
5415-537: The country's motorways systems. Dunstable is served by two main operators, Arriva and Centrebus . Arriva runs the interurban services to Luton (direct and via Houghton Regis ), Leighton Buzzard and Aylesbury , but other routes have been steadily taken over from Arriva by Centrebus in recent years, which now provides services to St Albans , Harpenden , Luton (direct and via Caddington ), Toddington and Milton Keynes . Centrebus also operates three local services within Dunstable to Beecroft/Weatherby, Downside and
5510-420: The county. Bedfordshire and by extension the Dunstable area was affected by later Norse raids, under Kings Sweyn Forkbeard and Cnut of Denmark, in response to the St. Bride's Massacre executed by King Athelred the Unready of England. From 1002, (the date of the Massacre) to 1016 (the ascension of Cnut as King of England), the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that Bedfordshire was heavily affected by Norse harrying. At
5605-411: The development of greenbelt land north of Houghton Regis for 5,150 new homes and 30 hectares of employment land by 2031. Central Bedfordshire Council delivered the £38.3m scheme with contributions of £20m from SEMLEP's Local Growth Deal, £5m from the UK government's Local Pinch Point Fund and £1m from developers. Since opening in April 2007, the 780-seat Grove Theatre has replaced the Queensway Hall as
5700-406: The estimated construction cost. At the outset the L&BR had intended simply to own the track, and permit independent hauliers to operate on the line on a toll basis; however on reflection it was realised that this arrangement would hardly work for an intercity line like the L&BR, and the company decided to operate its own trains. The Aylesbury Railway opened on 10 June 1839. It was stated at
5795-443: The goods yard points to release the engine, and gravitating the coaches back to the platform under the control of the guard. In 1950 this procedure was rendered unnecessary with the introduction of push-and-pull trains, which did not require the engine to run round the train. Bletchley depot had three LMS push-and-pull sets, one for the Aylesbury line and one each for the Dunstable and Newport Pagnell lines. After nationalisation of
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#17327839429665890-435: The industrial areas of Dunstable and Houghton Regis to the new junction 11a of the M1 motorway. This road aimed to take traffic out of the town centre, reduce congestion and improve air quality. It formed part of Central Bedfordshire Council's Dunstable Town Centre Masterplan, to improve job opportunities and quality of life for people living and working in Dunstable and neighbouring towns and villages. It also allowed access to
5985-416: The lack of power available to early locomotives, trains from Euston were cable-hauled up the relatively steep incline to Camden by a stationary steam engine . However, this was denied by Peter Lecount , one of the L&BR engineers, who wrote in his 'History of the Railway connecting London and Birmingham' (1839), page 48: "It is not because locomotives cannot draw a train of carriages up this incline that
6080-414: The lease of the Aylesbury Railway expired, and on 16 July 1846 the London and Birmingham Railway became part of the new London and North Western Railway; the new company purchased the Aylesbury company for £60,000. When the line was opened there were no intermediate stations, but a new stopping place at Marston Crossing was in use as early as 1857; nevertheless it was not until 1860 that it was recognised as
6175-492: The line by contract never worked in practice, because of the unforeseen ever-increasing traffic and the demand for higher speeds, so in July 1839 the contract was annulled, and thereafter Bury was engaged as manager of the Locomotive Department in the normal way, on a fixed salary with a profits bonus. By the end of the L&BR's separate existence in July 1846, the total stock was about 120 locomotives; some six-wheeled engines had been acquired, but some of these proved inferior to
6270-432: The line of railway; the sleepers are from 9 to 10 feet in length, and of full scantling... The station at Aylesbury is conveniently laid out: a triple way, connected, at a convenient distance from the offices, with the main line, runs into a railway-dock 33 feet wide at its entrance, and 12 feet at its connexion with the terminal turn-table, the side space of which is 4 feet 10 inches;... the quay [loading dock] on either side
6365-422: The line was the subject of much opposition by landowners, who organised a campaign in the early 1830s to prevent the L&BR from driving a line across their estates. Turbulent public meetings were held in towns in west Hertfordshire to protest against the project, including one held at the King's Arms public house in Berkhamsted . Another was held in Watford which was attended by wealthy and influential peers of
6460-402: The loss of promised subscriptions to the railway. After urgent reflection, the Aylesbury Railway Company decided to proceed with its branch line, but any ideas it may have harboured regarding an extension on to Oxford , were now dismissed. The first sod was cut in July 1838. The delay in starting was due to the banking crisis, but also to reconsideration as to the advisability of proceeding with
6555-613: The main factories and the decline of manufacturing in the area has led to this distinctiveness being lost. Shops were concentrated along High Street North/South (Watling Street) and in 1966 the Quadrant Shopping Centre opened. During the 1980s, Dunstable town centre was a successful shopping centre featuring major retailers including Sainsbury's , Tesco , Waitrose , Bejam / Iceland , Boots , Halfords , Co-op department store, Argos , Woolworths , Burton , Next and many independent specialist shops including Moore's of Dunstable. These attracted shoppers from outlying villages resulting in
6650-414: The old passenger station received listed building status in 1952. Dunstable Dunstable ( / ˈ d ʌ n s t ə b əl / DUN -stə-bəl ) is a market town and civil parish in Bedfordshire , England , east of the Chiltern Hills , 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of London . There are several steep chalk escarpments , most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north. Dunstable
6745-485: The original four-wheelers. The locomotive workshops were established in 1838 at Wolverton , roughly halfway between the two termini at London and Birmingham. These workshops remained in use for locomotive repairs until 1877, but had been gradually taken over by the Carriage Dept from 1864, and remained as a manufacturing facility up until the 1980s; today just a few parts of the original Wolverton railway works are used solely for rolling stock maintenance and repair. When
6840-544: The parish of Houghton Regis to the north, there is an Iron Age hill fort , which is clearly marked on the Ordnance survey maps. Maiden Bower has some of the ramparts showing through the edge of an old chalk quarry at Sewell where remains of an older Bronze Age fort exist. There are many prehistoric sites in the area and details can be found with the Manshead Archaeological Society, which
6935-470: The parliamentary constituency of South West Bedfordshire . Since June 2001 Leighton Buzzard based lawyer Andrew Selous of the Conservative Party has represented the constituency. The previous incumbent for several parliaments was Conservative backbencher David Madel . Formerly, the A5 trunk road lay at the heart of Dunstable's transport infrastructure, running north to south. However,
7030-467: The process. Dunstablians rugby union club play their matches in nearby Houghton Regis at Bidwell Hill. The club currently plays in the RFU Midlands division (level 6). Lancot Meadow ( 51°53′07″N 0°32′36″W / 51.8853°N 0.5434°W / 51.8853; -0.5434 ( Lancot Meadow ) ) is a small nature reserve managed by the local Wildlife Trust . Alongside
7125-451: The railway was fully opened, it had sixteen intermediate stations between London and Birmingham. The "first-class" stations (served by all trains) were at Watford , Tring , Leighton , Wolverton , Blisworth , Weedon , Rugby and Coventry . Additionally, "second-class" intermediate stations (served by slower second-class trains only) were at Harrow , Boxmoor , Berkhamsted , Bletchley , Roade , Crick , Brandon and Hampton . Roade
7220-609: The railways in 1948, the other stations at Aylesbury came under British Railways management as well as the Cheddington line station, and a distinction in names was considered necessary. The goods station was renamed Aylesbury High Street from 1 July 1950, and the passenger station was similarly renamed from 25 September the same year. Throughout the twentieth century, the line had gradually lost business to more convenient railway routes; London could be reached direct by either of two other routes, and northward journeys were convenient by
7315-494: The realm who had property interests on the planned route of the line: the Earl of Essex was keen to protect his Cassiobury Estate from invasion by the " iron horse ", as was the Earl of Clarendon , who owned The Grove Estate . The anatomist Sir Astley Cooper was also in attendance, intent on preventing the new railway from cutting across his Gadebridge Estate. On 22 June 1832, Lord Brownlow of Ashridge voiced his opposition in
7410-507: The regional economy. Highways England detrunked the A5 through Dunstable, renumbering it A5183, when the A5-M1 Link opened to the public in May 2017. As a direct result of the detrunking, Central Bedfordshire Council introduced a 7.5 tonne weight limit on most roads in Dunstable town centre in 2017 with the aim of easing congestion. The 1.8 mi (2.9 km) A5505 Woodside Link connects
7505-577: The residence as a base to hunt on nearby lands. The Dunstable Priory was founded in 1131 by Henry I who transferred land from the Parish of Houghton Regis, and it was here that the annulment of Henry VIII 's and Catherine of Aragon 's marriage would be confirmed years later, which led to the establishment of the Church of England in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church . The same year
7600-407: The rope system was stopped for repairs, locomotives hauled the trains up the incline. From November 1843 some expresses were worked without recourse to the rope, and from 15 July 1844 the rope working ceased permanently. Initially, it was decided that it would be cheaper to work the railway by a contractor, and Edward Bury was chosen and awarded the contract in May 1836. The contract stipulated that
7695-403: The shops on Mayfield Road was planned by the borough council in 1951. The northeast quadrant is a mainly commercial and civic area, the result of redevelopment in the early 1960s. The site of Waterlow's printing works around Printers Way is now occupied by houses built in the 1990s. The Northfields Estate at the north of the town was completed by the borough council in 1935. Further east, near
7790-681: The side: the Sugar Loaf in High Street North, and the Saracen 's Head in High Street South. The Saracen's Head is a name often given to pubs frequented by knights of the crusades . It is positioned considerably lower than the road to its front, witness to the fact that the road has been resurfaced a number of times during the lifetime of the pub. Dunstable's first railway opened in 1848, originally in Houghton Regis. It
7885-507: The straw hat making industry come to Luton and a subsequent decline in Dunstable, to be replaced in the early 20th century by the printing and motor vehicle industries, with companies such as Waterlow's and Vauxhall Motors respectively. The new Bedford Dunstable plant came into production in 1942 to support the British Army in the Second World War . It continued manufacturing commercial trucks and buses until 1992. The closure of
7980-561: The time of the Norman Conquest, this area of the county is known to have been uncultivated tract covered by woodlands. In 1109, Henry I started a period of activity by responding to this danger to travellers. He instructed areas to be cleared and encouraged settlers with offers of royal favour. In 1123, a royal residence was built at what is now called the Royal Palace Lodge Hotel on Church Street. The king used
8075-443: The town granted a town charter to the power of the priors. In 1290, Dunstable was one of twelve sites to erect an Eleanor cross recognising Eleanor of Castile , wife of Edward I , whose coffin was laid close to the crossroads for the local people to mourn the dead Queen. The coffin was then guarded inside the priory by the canons overnight before continuing on to St. Albans . The original wooden cross has long since perished but
8170-542: The town's premier arts centre. The Little Theatre, home of the Dunstable Rep Theatre Group, also hosts dramatic performances throughout the year. The auditorium, once part of the Chews Trust, was opened in 1964 by Bernard Bresslaw . It stands next to the historic Chews House on High Street South. The town also has numerous amateur dramatics societies that perform several shows a year, including
8265-433: Was a branch joining the West Coast Main Line at Leighton Buzzard . A second line linking Dunstable with Hatfield via Luton opened in 1858. Passenger services to Dunstable were withdrawn in 1965, but the line between Dunstable and Luton remained open for freight traffic for many years. Dunstable was a significant market town , but its importance diminished as the neighbouring town of Luton grew. The 19th century saw
8360-681: Was a railway company in the United Kingdom , in operation from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR). The 112-mile (180 km) railway line which the company opened in 1838, between London and Birmingham , was the first intercity line to be built into London. It is now the southern section of the West Coast Main Line . The line was engineered by Robert Stephenson . It started at Euston Station in London, went north-west to Rugby , where it turned west to Coventry and on to Birmingham. It terminated at Curzon Street Station , which it shared with
8455-573: Was approved in May 1833 as the London and Birmingham Railway Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4 . c. xxxvi), and the line received royal assent . Construction began in November of that year. The line would follow the River Bulbourne instead of the River Gade , skirting around the edge of Hemel Hempstead to protect Sir Astley Cooper's interests; for this reason, Hemel Hempstead railway station
8550-452: Was brought into use on the branch on 18 November 1880. The original terminus at Aylesbury was cramped and unsuitable for the growing volume of traffic; a new station fronting High Street at Aylesbury was opened on Sunday 16 June 1889; the old station (at Station Street) was transferred to use as a goods station. The new passenger station did not have a run-round loop, and arriving passenger trains were generally run round by propelling them to
8645-568: Was created in 1985, with its council taking the name Dunstable Town Council. The oldest part of the town is along the Icknield Way and Watling Street where they cross. These roads split the rest of the town into four quadrants which have each been developed in stages. The northwest quadrant started to be developed in the 19th century when the British Land Company laid out the roads around Victoria Street. The development of
8740-431: Was later redesignated as first-class due to its stagecoach connections. From about 1844 platforms were opened at Camden for tickets to be collected on southbound trains. This became a public station in 1851. The first branch from the main line was the Aylesbury Railway at Aylesbury Railway Junction , seven miles (11 km) of single track, which opened in 1839 and was leased to the L&BR until purchased outright by
8835-757: Was originally called the Croft Golf Course Estate and was built by Laing Homes . Oldhill Down Estate around the Lowther Road shops was developed by William Old Ltd., and the Stipers Hill Estate around Seamons Close was initially created by the Land Settlement Association . In the southeast quadrant, the area around Great Northern Road was developed at the end of the 19th century as Englands Close Estate and Borough Farm Estate. The Downside Estate including
8930-409: Was plundered by King Charles I's soldiers when passing through in June 1644, and Essex 's men destroyed the Eleanor cross. The town's prosperity, and the large number of inns or public houses in the town, is partly because it is only one or two days' ride by horse from London (32 miles (51 km)), and therefore a place to rest overnight. There are two pubs which still have coaching gates to
9025-445: Was replaced by New Street station and the original Euston station in London was demolished in 1962 to make way for the present structure which opened in 1968. On the closure of Curzon Street as a passenger station, the site became the London and North Western Railway goods depot (Birmingham) and became fully operational in 1865. The Curzon Street goods site continued railway operations as a parcel depot until 1966. The remaining parts of
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