87-512: Bushmead is a suburb of Luton , Bedfordshire , England, situated in the north of the town. The area is roughly bounded by Weybourne Drive to the north, Bradgers Hill Road to the south, Old Bedford Road to the west, and Bradgers Hill and Stopsley Common to the east. Much of the area was once land belonging to Stopsley Common Farm. The farmhouse was built by the Putteridge Estate around 1870, and still stands on Bushmead Road. The area
174-534: A 22.2% increase compared with 2001. In 2021, 52,566 residents (23% of the total) were aged under 16, 146,330 (65%) were aged 16 to 64, and 26,363 (12%) were aged 65 or over. Local inhabitants are known as Lutonians . Luton has seen several waves of immigration. In the early part of the 20th century, migrants from Ireland and Scotland came to the town. These were followed by South Asian and Afro-Caribbean immigrants. More recently immigrants from European countries such as Albania have made Luton their home. As
261-428: A Saturday morning and were often late for a game, which annoyed the crowd. It also meant shortened games in the dark winter months. On 15 December 1890, a salary of five shillings per week was offered to three players – Frank Whitby, Harry Whitby and Tom Read – to replace their lost earnings for Saturday morning, to ensure they arrived at the game on time. Harry Whitby and Thomas Read were the first to sign and thus became
348-515: A crowd favourite before injury forced him to return home, and home-grown talent such as Bob Morton and Gordon Turner saw a new Luton line-up start to emerge. After a large financial loss and declining attendances, optimism was not high at the start of the 1951–52 season. However, performances were boosted by the debut of Gordon Turner and by the growing maturity of players like Syd Owen , Charlie Watkins and Bob Morton. Luton Town challenged for promotion before finishing eighth and again reached
435-399: A cup run which was finally ended by the eventual winners, Everton , in the sixth round. Charles Jeyes, who had served on the board for six years, became chairman in the 1933 off-season and secured the purchase of the club's Kenilworth Road ground. The Bobbers Stand was constructed that same year, and 18,641 spectators saw Luton beaten in the cup by Arsenal . Promotion still eluded Luton, and
522-552: A former player, was appointed manager in July 1960. The club had a long list of injured or unsettled players on its books and many old favourites from the First Division years were sold. The abolition of the maximum wage in football hit the club's finances hard. Attendances dwindled, and the club finished 13th in 1960–61 . The following season saw a remodelled team again finish 13th. Attendances had dropped to dangerous levels and
609-400: A large Vauxhall Motors factory. Car production at the plant began in 1905 and continued until its closure in 2002. Production of commercial vehicles continues and the head office of Vauxhall Motors is in the village of Chalton on the northern border of the borough . London Luton Airport opened in 1938 and is now one of Britain's major airports, with three railway stations also in
696-487: A lot of support which goes to London at the moment". The backbone of the 1954–55 promotion team was retained for the club's first top-flight season and many fine performances contributed to a 10th-place finish in 1955–56 . Captain Syd Owen replaced Tom Kelly as coach, but lost three months of the season as a player after a thigh injury. Other injuries and spells of bad luck put paid to the possibility of challenging for
783-516: A result of this Luton has a diverse ethnic mix, with a significant population of Asian descent, mainly Pakistani (41,143 residents, 18.3%) and Bangladeshi (20,630, 9.2%). People in Asian ethnic groups accounted for 86% of Luton's Muslim population in 2021. As of the 2021 census, the White British (White English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish) population of Luton comprised less than
870-619: A school on the site of the Dallow Lane ground caused the club to relocate to Dunstable Road in 1897 and to become a limited company . The following summer, Luton Town applied once again to the Football League, and this time were elected to the Football League Second Division for the 1897–98 season. During the club's first Football League campaign, moderate success was enjoyed, and the team also won
957-400: A separate parish, now forming part of Central Bedfordshire . Luton was made a county borough in 1964, making it independent from Bedfordshire County Council . It was redesignated as a non-metropolitan district in 1974, making it once more subordinate to the county council. In 1997 the borough council was made a unitary authority, regaining its independence from the county council (which
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#17327942868551044-400: A side boasting the talents of Owen, Ron Baynham and Morton as well as Turner's own marched to promotion. On 30 April 1955, the side won 3–0 at Doncaster Rovers and thus secured promotion in second place, behind Birmingham City on goal average. Mitchell boasted that the club would be able stay in the top flight, and planned to build a new ground that would "hold 35,000 in comfort … [and] get
1131-588: A similar elevation range from −17.0 °C (1.4 °F) in December 1981 and −16.7 °C (1.9 °F) in January 1963 to 36.6 °C (97.9 °F) in July 2019 and 33.8 °C (92.8 °F) in August 1990 and July 2006. Records for Rothamsted date back to 1901. The 2021 United Kingdom census showed that the borough had a population of 225,262, a 10.9% increase from the previous census in 2011 and
1218-442: A single chimney and two reinforced concrete cooling towers. The power station closed in 1968; in its final year of operation it delivered 3,192 MWh of electricity to the borough. Luton Airport opened in 1938, owned and operated by the council. It is now one of the largest employers in the area. The pre-war years, were something of an economic boom for Luton, as new industries grew and prospered. New private and council housing
1305-627: A team of strong new players the team could only finish fifth. The formation of the Luton Town Supporters Club, who raised £60 during the season, helped the club to stem the financial losses. In 1914 the side finished second and were promoted back to the First Division, just as the First World War was about to begin. The 1914–15 season was the last complete season before competitive sport was mostly abandoned. Most war-time games were friendlies, but while Luton competed in
1392-441: A team transformed. Luton notched up 66 points during 1967–68 to equal the division record, and scored 87 goals. Average attendances jumped from 5,364 to 12,400, which helped the club's directors to turn down offers from bigger clubs for free-scoring Bruce Rioch , who scored the only goal at Halifax Town on 20 April 1968 to clinch promotion. Four days later Luton beat Crewe Alexandra in front of 19,000 at Kenilworth Road to seal
1479-472: A third of the total (31.8%), the twelfth lowest proportion out of 318 local authorities in England and Wales and the second lowest (after Slough ) outside of London. Overall, 45.2% of Luton's population in 2021 was White (including non-British White people), down from 54.7% in 2011. In 2011 81% of the population of Luton defined themselves as British. At the 2021 census, the religious affiliation of Luton
1566-573: Is a large Irish community in Luton. The town also has a large Pakistani community which, along with the Irish, were attracted to employment at the Vauxhall car plant. Luton Hoo is an English country house , estate and Grade I listed building originally designed by Scottish architect Robert Adam but later transformed to the designs of Robert Smirke . Luton is believed to have been founded by
1653-577: Is just one tier of local government covering Luton: Luton Borough Council , which has been a unitary authority since 1997, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council . There are no civil parishes in the borough. The borough remains part of the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire . As of the 2024 UK general election , Luton is represented in Parliament by Sarah Owen who holds Luton North and Rachel Hopkins who holds Luton South , both for Labour . Luton
1740-496: Is mainly residential, with a few educational institutes including the Luton Sixth Form and Bushmead Primary school. There are some local shops located centrally. The area has countryside to its right and this has many walks and paths that lead to Warden Hill and Butterfield green. These areas are popular with dog-walkers and horse riders. The area can also access the local sports centre, Stopsley Recreational Centre, as it
1827-648: Is traditionally the emblem of industry and the hive represents the straw plaiting industry for which Luton was famous. The rose is from the arms of the Napier family, whereas the thistle is a symbol for Scotland . An alternative suggestion is that the rose was a national emblem, and the thistle represents the Marquess of Bute , who formerly owned the Manor of Luton Hoo. The Local Government Act 1894 directed that parishes could no longer straddle borough boundaries, and so
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#17327942868551914-466: Is within 15 minutes walking distance from the area. Bushmead Primary School (Ms Joanne Travi, Head Teacher) has recently been inspected by OFSTED school inspectors and was highly rated. Many people choose to live here for this reason. Bushmead is part of the Barnfield ward, which is represented by Cllr David Franks ( Liberal Democrats ) and Cllr Amjid Ali ( Liberal Democrats ). The ward forms part of
2001-507: The 1964–65 season. Harvey resigned as manager and was eventually replaced by George Martin , returning for his second spell as Luton manager. Luton finished 21st and were relegated to the Fourth Division for the first time in the club's history. 1965–66 saw Martin set out to improve discipline, and results improved dramatically – Luton finished sixth. The following season then marked the club's lowest ever league finish, but also
2088-524: The Anglo-Saxons sometime in the 6th century. Its name first appears in the 8th century as Lygetun , meaning "town on the River Lea". The Domesday Book records Luton as Loitone and as Lintone . Agriculture dominated the local economy at that time, and the town's population was around 700 to 800. In 1121 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester started work on St Mary's Church in the centre of
2175-546: The City and other parts of the country via rail and major roads such as the M1 (which serves the town from junctions 10 and 11) and the A6 . The town has three railway stations: Luton , Leagrave and Luton Airport Parkway that are served by East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services. Luton is also home to London Luton Airport , one of the major feeder airports for London and
2262-642: The English league as well as a Football League Cup triumph in 1988 . They play at Kenilworth Road , their home since 1905 ; planning permission for a new larger stadium was approved in 2019. Luton International Carnival , the largest one-day carnival in Europe, is held on the day before the last Monday in May; the Saint Patrick 's festival is held on the weekend nearest to Saint Patrick's Day as there
2349-463: The Fourth Division championship. The 1968–69 campaign was a frustrating season that saw Luton finish third, narrowly missing out on a second consecutive promotion. Brown resigned as manager in December 1968 under pressure from the board, and was replaced by Alec Stock , who brought Malcolm Macdonald to the club in the summer of 1969. Macdonald was moved from defence to centre-forward with marvellous success, scoring 25 goals as Luton stormed to
2436-570: The M1 and the A6 ) and a major rail-link being constructed through the town. Luton has a temperate marine climate , like much of the British Isles , with generally light precipitation throughout the year. The weather is very changeable from day to day and the warming influence of the Gulf Stream makes the region mild for its latitude . The average total annual rainfall is 698 mm (27.5 in) with rain falling on 117 days of
2523-559: The Second Division , and the first post-war seasons saw a strong Luton team begin to emerge. Record goalscorer Gordon Turner 's arrival into the first team in 1950 helped Luton to promotion to the First Division for the first time in 1954–55 , and the team remained there until relegation in the 1959–60 season. Luton also reached the 1959 FA Cup Final , where Turner's absence and the team's questionable preparation for
2610-514: The Southern Football League in 1894–95 – the club's first competitive league match was on 6 October 1894 – a 4–3 home defeat to Millwall Athletic , who went on to win the inaugural championship as Luton finished as runners-up. The next season, 1895–96 , saw Luton come second again as Millwall retained the championship. The sparse programme of league matches was still supplemented by numerous friendly matches at this time. After
2697-566: The Third Division . Mitchell was subsequently replaced as chairman by Tom Hodgson. The club was already in serious relegation trouble in December 1963 when the signing of a young goalscorer, John O'Rourke , helped improve performances. O'Rourke scored both goals in the last home game of the season against rivals Watford , preventing the Hertfordshire club's promotion and guaranteeing Luton's survival. Poor results continued in
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2784-605: The University of Bedfordshire . A large campus of the university is in Luton town centre, with a smaller campus based on the edge of town in Putteridge Bury , an old Victorian manor house. The other campuses of the university are located in Bedford , Milton Keynes and Aylesbury . History of Luton Town F.C. (1885%E2%80%931970) Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based in
2871-794: The parliamentary constituency of Luton North , and the MP is Sarah Owen ( Labour ). Two weekly newspapers cover Bushmead, although they are not specific to the area. They are the: Luton Luton ( / ˈ l uː t ən / ) is a town and borough in Bedfordshire , England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea , 32 miles (50 km) north-west of London , 18 miles (29 km) north-west of Hertford , 20 miles (32 km) south of Bedford and 23 miles (37 km) south-east of Milton Keynes . The town's foundation dates to
2958-636: The war effort . Despite heavy camouflage, the factory made Luton a target for the Luftwaffe and the town suffered a number of air raids . 107 died and there was extensive damage to the town (over 1,500 homes were damaged or destroyed). The original town hall was destroyed in 1919 during Peace Day celebrations at the end of the First World War . Dr. John G. Dony, author of The Flora of Bedfordshire told his history students (he taught at Luton Grammar, predecessor of Luton Sixth Form College ), during
3045-404: The 1950s, that he had broken the last intact window of the old town hall during the 1919 riots. Local people, including many ex-servicemen, were unhappy with unemployment and had been refused the use of a local park to hold celebratory events. They stormed the town hall, setting it alight ( see Luton Town Hall ). A replacement building was completed in 1936. Luton Borough Corporation had provided
3132-548: The London Combination , Ernie Simms , who had been wounded during the war, achieved the feat of scoring 40 goals during 1916–17 . In the first season following the conflict, 1919–20 , not even return of Ernie Simms could stop Luton finishing 20th in the Southern League. Fortunately for Luton, no clubs were relegated that season; instead, Luton joined the new Football League Third Division , and replaced
3219-535: The United League. The second season in the League was considered a failure, as Luton finished 15th – the 17th-place finish in the third was considered so disastrous that the club did not even apply for re-election. With wages rising beyond the club's financial means, attendances falling and most of the club's turnover being spent on accommodation and transport to away matches in the north , it was decided that for
3306-414: The airport, Dunstable and Houghton Regis . Hertfordshire-based bus operator Uno also run buses on their 'Dragonfly' 610 route to Hatfield, Potters Bar and Cockforsters Luton is also served by a large taxi network. As a unitary authority , Luton Borough Council is responsible for the local highways and public transport in the borough and licensing of taxis. Luton is one of the main locations of
3393-496: The ancient parish was split into a Luton parish covering the same area as the borough and a Luton Rural parish covering the area outside the borough. Luton Rural was abolished in 1896 and its area divided into the four parishes of Hyde, Leagrave, Limbury and Stopsley. In 1928 the Leagrave and Limbury parishes were both abolished and their areas absorbed into the borough of Luton; Stopsley was similarly absorbed in 1933. Hyde remains
3480-455: The appointment of Luton's first manager , George Thompson . The club finished eighth, while Thompson departed after just eight months in charge, "scalded by the experience". He was not replaced until 1927. The following season saw another eighth-place finish and following a shareholder revolt, there was a boardroom clear-out. Only the club's long-serving chairman, Harry Arnold, survived. The boardroom changes created optimism in 1927–28 that
3567-556: The beginning of a recovery. Results were initially poor; Allan Brown took over as manager in November as Martin moved on for a second time. The club was second from bottom of the Football League when Luton lost 8–1 to Lincoln in December, but the team steadily improved in the new year. Luton finished 17th and attendances doubled in just a few months. By the end of 1967 Luton, led by ever-present captain Terry Branston , were
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3654-452: The blue, white and navy kit with a new colour scheme – white shirts, black shorts and black socks. Feeling confident of promotion from the new division, Luton finished ninth in 1920–21 and enjoyed a good cup run. 17,754 fans saw the FA Cup defeat by Preston North End , setting a club attendance record in doing so. Simms scored 34 goals during the season to top-score for the club. Such was
3741-659: The board saw the Scotsman leave after just one season. George Martin was appointed as coach; his Luton team was unbeaten over the first three games of the 1939–40 season and thus top of the Second Division on the day that the Second World War broke out. The Football League resumed in 1946–47 – Martin, who had been promoted to manager in 1944, brought in Dally Duncan , a former Scottish international , as player-coach. Martin moved to Newcastle United at
3828-618: The borough with electricity since the early twentieth century from Luton power station , located adjacent to the railway. Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership passed to the British Electricity Authority and later to the Central Electricity Generating Board . Electricity connections to the national grid rendered the 23 megawatt (MW) coal and latterly oil-fired power station redundant. The station had
3915-524: The clay deposits in the east of the town. The source of the River Lea , part of the Thames Valley drainage basin , is in the Leagrave area of the town. The Great Bramingham Wood surrounds this area. It is classified as ancient woodland ; records mention the wood at least 400 years ago. There are few routes through the hilly area for some miles, this has led to several major roads (including
4002-402: The club Luton Town – which was not well received by the wider community. The local newspapers referred to the club as "Luton Town (late Wanderers)". When George Deacon and John Charles Lomax then arranged a public meeting with the purpose of forming a "Luton Town Football Club", Spratley protested, saying there was already a Luton Town club; and the atmosphere was tense when the meeting convened in
4089-411: The club finished sixth. After 21 years as chairman, chairman Charles Jeyes stepped down in 1954. In 1954–55 , during replacement Percy Mitchell's first season as chairman, promotion to the top flight finally came. Jesse Pye had moved to Derby County after just eight games, but Turner had by then matured enough to fill Pye's boots. Turner scored a new club record of 32 league goals in 42 appearances as
4176-479: The club to continue, it would be necessary to return to the Southern League . The 1900–01 season was winger Bob Hawkes 's first. In the 1900–01, 1901–02 and 1902–03 seasons Luton Town finished 10th, seventh and 11th respectively, finally making a profit for the first time since turning professional in 1903. The 1904–05 season saw Luton finish 17th – second from bottom – and to make matters worse,
4263-508: The club was also denied promotion in 1934–35 . The club finished fourth, largely due to the sale of two vital players, Bill Brown and Sam Bell , and a terrible injury to Fraser. The 1935–36 season started poorly, Harold Wightman resigned in October 1935. With team affairs controlled by the directors, the club went unbeaten for five months before being knocked out of the cup by Manchester City in January. On 13 April 1936, young Joe Payne
4350-409: The club was losing £400 a week. Bartram left at the end of the season; Jack Crompton was appointed manager on 29 June 1962 but resigned six days later citing his doctor's instructions. An increasingly desperate search for a manager ended with the appointment of Bill Harvey late in July. Harvey could do nothing to stop the club's decline – Luton finished with just 29 points as the team was relegated to
4437-508: The club was told to leave the Dunstable Road ground at short notice. The club's directors quickly found a new site and the 1905–06 season kicked off at a new ground at Kenilworth Road . The side was re-elected unanimously to the Southern League, and Luton's first season at the club's new home was a success, seeing the team finish fourth, a feat that was repeated the following season. Meanwhile, Hawkes, in his second season as captain ,
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#17327942868554524-628: The eastern part of the Chiltern Hills . The Chilterns are a mixture of chalk from the Cretaceous period (about 66 – 145 million years ago) and deposits laid at the southernmost points of the ice sheet during the last ice age (the Warden Hill area can be seen from much of the town). Bedfordshire had a reputation for brick making but the industry is now significantly reduced. The brickworks at Stopsley took advantage of
4611-458: The end of an inconsistent season, and in his place Duncan was promoted to manager. The next four seasons were a transitional period in which ageing pre-war players were gradually replaced by a younger generation, often by means of unpopular sales of the best talents: Hugh Billington , Frank Soo , Billy Hughes and Bob Brennan were all sold for big fees. In their place came the new breed of Luton player – South African forward Billy Arnison became
4698-429: The financial situation worsened. The forwards finally found the goal in 1909–10 , but too many goals were let in at the other end and the club finished 15th. The continuing financial problems caused the sale of forward pair John Smith and Thomas Quinn to Millwall . By 1910–11 gates were up, finances were being brought under control and the club challenged for the title before eventually finishing in ninth place. Optimism
4785-419: The first professional footballers in the south. Frank Whitby held out for a shilling a week more than his brother, but did not get it and eventually signed a month after his brother. In August 1891 it was decided to pay the whole team two shillings and sixpence per week, plus expenses. Woolwich Arsenal became the second professional club in southern England a few weeks later. Luton Town were founder members of
4872-487: The following Easter. Most of these were friendlies arranged by the club's secretary, but Luton also competed in the FA Cup. The team had little success – it was not until the 1891–92 season that Luton reached the first round proper. Luton's first achievement was perhaps to become the first professional club in the south of England, at a time when professionalism was mainly restricted to the north. Most players had to work on
4959-480: The game meant that Luton lost 2–1 to Nottingham Forest . The club was subsequently relegated three times in six seasons, reaching the Fourth Division by 1965–66 . However, players such as Malcolm Macdonald ensured that the club was then promoted twice in three years and was back in the Second Division by 1970 . Luton Town Football Club was formed on 11 April 1885. Before this there were many clubs in
5046-457: The overspill population from London . However, the estate gained a reputation for high levels of crime, poverty and unemployment, which culminated in a riot on the estate in July 1992 and another more serious riot three years later. The closure of the Vauxhall manufacturing plant in 2002 had negative effects for Luton, leading to increased unemployment and deprivation. In 2024, Stellantis announced plans to close its truck plant in Luton. There
5133-419: The parish vestry . The town was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1876. Later in 1876 the new borough council was granted a coat of arms . The wheatsheaf was used on the crest to represent agriculture and the supply of straw used in the local hatmaking industry (the straw plaiting industry was brought to Luton by a group of Scots under the protection of Sir John Napier of Luton Hoo ). The bee
5220-493: The quality of Luton's squad that three Luton players played in a single international at Windsor Park on 22 October 1922 – Louis Bookman and Allan Mathieson for Ireland, and Ernie Simms for England. Despite Luton's playing resources, the side disappointingly finished only fourth. The main stand was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt before the start of the 1922–23 . As the club finished fifth, seventh and then 17th, hopes of quick promotion disappeared. The 1925–26 season saw
5307-474: The same team of eleven players all the way through to the FA Cup Final . Gordon Turner had lost his place through injury problems earlier on in the season, and when the choice was made by the directors to name an unchanged team for the final, thus leaving Turner out, there was much controversy. Luton had beaten Forest 5–1 just weeks before, but on cup final day, the Luton team was beaten 2–1. The Cup Final
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#17327942868555394-472: The season as Luton Town won the Third Division South for the first time. The club also beat its traditional rival Watford , both at home and away. The clubs would not meet again in the league until 1963–64 . The 1937–38 season was tough for the club: Luton's opening home matches were against Aston Villa , Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur . Luton battled relegation for much of
5481-517: The season but finished 12th and reached the fifth round of the FA Cup, losing 3–1 to Manchester City. Late in the season, manager Ned Liddle left to join Chelsea (as a scout), as did star forward Joe Payne days later. Payne's replacement was local boy Hugh Billington , who scored 28 goals during the final season before the outbreak of war, 1938–39 . The club finished in seventh place under new manager Neil McBain , but disagreements between McBain and
5568-587: The sixth century as a Saxon settlement on the river, from which Luton derives its name. Luton is recorded in the Domesday Book as Loitone and Lintone . One of the largest churches in Bedfordshire, St Mary's Church , was built in the 12th century. There are local museums which explore Luton's history in Wardown Park and Stockwood Park . Luton was once known for hatmaking and also had
5655-399: The sixth round of the FA Cup . 1952–53 marked the signing of Jesse Pye . Luton made a poor start in the league but then went on a run of excellent results. It was enough to finish third, the club's highest league finish at that time. Pye fractured his ankle in December 1953 and sat out the rest of the season; many fans believed the club would have won promotion had he stayed fit. As it was,
5742-450: The south-east. A light metro people mover track, Luton DART , opened in 2023, linking the airport and Luton Airport Parkway railway station. A network of bus services run by Arriva Shires & Essex , Grant Palmer and Centrebus serves the urban area of Luton and Dunstable . A bus rapid transit route opened in 2013, called the Luton to Dunstable Busway , connecting the town with
5829-502: The title. There was only one big signing during the following season, as the club relied on youth development to finish a respectable 16th; Allan Brown arrived in February from Blackpool for a fee of £8,000. Meanwhile, Turner scored 30 league goals and 33 over the following season as the club rose to eighth place in the First Division. Luton's cup exploits of 1958–59 disguised the beginnings of an era of decline. Dally Duncan's team
5916-478: The town hall on 11 April 1885. The meeting, attended by most football lovers in the town, heard about Spratley's secret January meeting and voted down his objections. The motion to form a "Luton Town Football Club", put forward by G H Small and seconded by E H Lomax, was carried. A club committee was elected by ballot and the team colours were agreed to be pink and dark blue shirts and caps. The club's early years saw around 35 matches played between October and
6003-544: The town in 1854. The first public cemetery was opened in the same year and Luton was made a borough in 1876. Luton's hat trade reached its peak in the 1930s, but severely declined after the Second World War and was replaced by other industries. In 1907, Vauxhall Motors opened the largest car plant in the United Kingdom in Luton, during the Second World War , it built Churchill tanks as part of
6090-530: The town of Luton , Bedfordshire . Founded in 1885, Luton Town were the first professional team in the south of England , fully professional by 1891. Luton were also one of the first southern Football League clubs, joining in 1897 before leaving again in 1900 due to financial instability. The club rejoined the League for the 1920–21 season. George Thompson became the club's first manager four years later, but only lasted eight months before leaving, and wasn't replaced until 1927. 1936–37 saw Luton promoted to
6177-464: The town's working population (classified 16–74 years of age by the Office for National Statistics ), 63% are employed. This figure includes students, the self-employed and those who are in part-time employment. 11% are retired, 8% look after the family or take care of the home and 5% are unemployed. Luton is situated less than 30 miles (50 km) north of the centre of London, giving it good links with
6264-523: The town, the most prominent of which were Luton Wanderers and Luton Excelsior. A Wanderers player, George Deacon, came up with the idea of a "Town" club which would include all the best players in Luton. Wanderers secretary Herbert Spratley seized upon Deacon's idea and arranged a secret meeting on 13 January 1885 at the St Matthews school rooms in High Town . The Wanderers committee resolved to rename
6351-515: The town. The University of Bedfordshire was created from a merger with the University of Luton; two of its campuses are in Luton. Since 1997, Luton Borough Council has been a unitary authority , performing all local government functions in the borough. Luton Town Football Club , nicknamed the Hatters , due to the town's connection to hatmaking, has had several spells in the top flight of
6438-404: The town. The work was completed by 1137. A motte-and-bailey castle which gives its name to the modern Castle Street was built in 1139 but demolished by 1154. The hat making industry began in the 17th century and became synonymous with the town. The town grew: in 1801 the population was 3,095, but by 1850 it was over 10,000 and by 1901 it was almost 39,000. Newspaper printing arrived in
6525-451: The two successive runners-up finishes, Luton applied to join the Football League 's Second Division in 1896. When the club was not elected, Luton Town instead helped to form the United League. With only eight members, the United League was a short-lived failure and produced a damaging financial loss for the club – in the league's inaugural season, Luton finished second behind Millwall for the third consecutive year. Council plans to build
6612-615: The year. The local climate around Luton is differentiated somewhat from much of South East England due to its position in the Chiltern Hills , meaning it tends to be 1–2 degrees Celsius cooler than the surrounding towns – often flights at Luton airport , lying 160 m (525 ft) above sea level, will be suspended when marginal snow events occur, while airports at lower elevations, such as Heathrow , at 25 m (82 ft) above sea level, continue to function. Absolute temperature extremes recorded at Rothamsted Research Station, 5 miles (8 km) south south east of Luton town centre and at
6699-535: Was Syd Owen's last match for Luton, as he was chosen to take over as manager for the 1959–60 season. His one season at the helm was a catastrophe for the club – Owen complained that the club's directors were denying him control over transfers while at the same time signing players behind his back, and resigned over the matter in April 1960. Meanwhile, Luton Town were relegated back to the Second Division , finishing bottom with just 30 points from 42 games. Sam Bartram ,
6786-497: Was again dashed with a 13th-place finish. Meanwhile, a former player from the 1890s, John McCartney , was appointed manager. It was a high-scoring season that saw the club scoring 94, but conceding 87 – on Boxing Day , Luton led 5–1 only to lose 5–6. The following year saw McCartney guide his team to seventh with help from young Scotsman Andy Rennie , who switched from centre-half to centre-forward and scored 43 goals in 41 matches. McCartney suffered from persistent ill-health, and
6873-501: Was an ancient parish in the Flitt hundred . The parish was the largest in Bedfordshire by area, and was subdivided into five hamlets or townships : Hyde , Leagrave , Limbury , Stopsley , and a Luton township covering the central part of the parish including the town itself. The Luton township was made a local board district in 1850. The local board was the town's first elected local authority; previously it had been administered by
6960-561: Was as follows: Luton's economy has traditionally been focused on several different areas of industry, including car manufacturing , engineering and millinery . However, today, Luton is moving towards a service based economy mainly in the retail and the airport sectors, although there is still a focus on light industry in the town. Notable firms with headquarters in Luton include: Notable firms with offices in Luton include: Luton's post-war and more recent industrial decline has been compared to that of similar towns in northern England. Of
7047-470: Was beginning to show its age – Syd Owen was already 37 and taking on coaching responsibilities. Duncan left for Blackburn Rovers in October 1958, and for the rest of the season team affairs were managed by a committee made up of club directors and coaching staff. The club struggled to a 17th-place finish, but in the FA Cup Luton enjoyed unprecedented success. Luton accomplished the rare feat of fielding
7134-442: Was built in the 1920s and 1930s, with Luton starting to incorporate nearby villages Leagrave , Limbury and Stopsley between 1928 and 1933. Post-war, a number of substantial estates of council housing were built, notably at Farley Hill , Stopsley , Limbury , Marsh Farm and Leagrave ( Hockwell Ring ). The Marsh Farm area of the town was developed in the mid to late 1960s as a large council housing estate, mostly to house
7221-403: Was chosen to play for England , and in doing so became Luton's first international player. For the 1907–08 season, a new set of forwards were signed but goals were still hard to come by. Despite possessing a strong half back line made up of Hawkes, Fred Hawkes and Fred White , the club slumped to 18th place and made a financial loss. The following year the team recovered to ninth place, but
7308-445: Was drafted into the first team due to injuries and scored ten goals during a 12–0 defeat of Bristol Rovers – as of 2013, Payne's achievement of ten goals in a match is still a Football League record. The directors recruited Ned Liddle to fill the vacant manager's position in August 1936 – the team finally won promotion on 1 May 1937 with a 2–0 victory over Torquay United . Payne scored both goals that day, and 55 goals in 39 games over
7395-426: Was in the air at the start of the 1911–12 season , but it was to finish in tragedy – popular full-back Sammy Wightman died from injuries sustained in a match against Brighton & Hove Albion , and a high wage bill, a spate of injuries and a lack of goals contributed to the club being relegated to the Southern League's Second Division. The club planned to bounce straight back in the 1912–13 season, but even with
7482-435: Was replaced by assistant George Kay in December 1929. His team slumped to 13th place, but improved in 1930–31 to seventh. Before the 1931–32 , Kay left to manage Southampton and was replaced by Harold Wightman . Despite the presence of skilful players such as Frederick Kean , Charles Fraser and Rennie, the club was beset with injuries and finished sixth. The following season Luton finished 14th, perhaps distracted by
7569-475: Was subsequently abolished in 2009). Luton is situated 28 miles north of London and 39 miles southwest of Cambridge . The town forms the core part of the wider Luton/Dunstable Urban Area which includes the nearby towns of Dunstable and Houghton Regis in Central Bedfordshire . The town is the most populous settlement in Bedfordshire followed by Bedford . Luton is located in a break in
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