Bedfordshire places (5) : Apsley Guise

Aspley Guise is a village on the border in Bedfordshire, on the border with Buckinghamshire, near to Milton Keynes.

Aspley Guise is derived from Aspenlea, meaning aspen clearing, and from the de Guise (de Gyse) family who were lords of the manor in the 14th century. The first recorded settlement in the area dates to the 10th century and the parish was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The area remained mostly agricultural with two windmills in the parish mentioned in the 16th century. The village is situated at a cross roads and has remained small. A market charter was granted in 1267 by Anselm de Gyse though the market has long since been discontinued.

By the 20th century brick making and clay extraction had become major industries though nowadays many inhabitants will work (and commute to) elsewhere. The parish church of St Botolph (a seventh century Anglo-Saxon abbot and scholar) dates from the 13th century, from around 1223. The church was extensively reworked in the early nineteenth century. The church is made from ironstone with ashlar dressings, the tower from limestone rubble.

The church tower dates from the fifteenth century at least and has a clock that dates from then too. The oldest monuments in the church date from the 1400s including a tomb effigy thought to be of Sir William Tyrington who died in 1400.

Bedfordshire places (4) : Lidlington

The village of Lidlington is in the Marston Vale in central Bedfordshire.

Lidlington was mentioned in the Domesday Book, the manor of Litinclitone (as it was known then) being held by the Abbess of Barking. After the dissolution, the manor was surrendered to the Crown before being handed over to Edward Ditchfield in 1628. In 1801, the manor became the possession of the Duke of Bedford. The Duke built a Gothic style church in the village in 1845.

Next to the village was a brickworks (a common feature in the Marston Vale), the site is now a large Amazon warehouse. Also next to the village is Millbrook Proving Ground, once the test track of Vauxhall cars, but now used by many manufacturers and is one of the largest vehicle testing centres in Europe.

Lidlington railway station opened in 1846. The main station building (now a private residence) was in the Gothic Revival style on the insistence of the 7th Duke of Bedford.

Bedfordshire Places (3) : Stewartby

Stewartby is a model village in central Bedfordshire.

Stewartby was built for workers of the London Brick Company in the first half of the 20th century, named after the Stewart family who were directors of the company at the time. Work began on the village in 1926, the new village being based around two farming settlements called Wootton Pillinge and Wootton Broadmead. The village was named Stewartby in 1935. At it's time the Stewartby brickworks was one of the largest in the world, it finally closed in 2008. The final chimneys were demolished in 2021.

Next to the village is a water park and some other leisure facilities. The village gained a sixth form college in 2013. The village has a station on the Marston Vale Line, this station was originally for Wootton Pillinge and opened in 1905.

Bedfordshire Places (2) : Leighton Buzzard

Leighton Buzzard is a market town in the south west of the county close to the Buckingamshire border.

Leighton Buzzard may have been founded as early as the 6th century. The name Leighton is thought to be derived from the Old English for farm clearing in the woods (Leah tun). The Buzzard part of the name may come Beau-desert and was added to the town's name in the 12th century. However, there are other theories about the origin of the town's name.

Leighton Buzzard gained a market charter in 1086, and it became a successful market town thanks to it's good transport links to local agriculture and to London. These transport links included the Grand Union Canal which flows through the town. Leighton Buzzard gained a railway station in 1838 which is now part of the West Coast Main Line. One of the oldest surviving narrow gauge railways also has a terminus in the town (Leighton Buzzard Light Railway). A more modern transport link built close to the town is the M1 motorway.

Bedfordshire Places (1) : Marston Moretaine

Marston Moretaine (or Moreteyne) is a village in central Bedfordshire.

The village has Saxon origins, Marston Moretaine being listed in a Saxon charter in 969 as Mercstuninga. In the Domesday Book, the village was listed as Merestone. The name is derived from the Old English for settlement by a marsh. The manor was held by the Moretaine family for a time. The official name of the parish was changed to Marston Moreteyne in 2018 though Moretaine is still used in many places such as road signs.

The village is located next to the Millennium Country Park in the Marston Vale in central Bedfordshire. The village is located in a redevelopment area so might be expected to expand in future years. The village is served by Millbrook railway station on the Marston Vale Line.

St Mary the Virgin's parish church dates from 1340 though most of the surviving church was rebuilt in the mid 14th century. The church unusually has a detached tower from the next of the church, the tower being about 20m from the north wall of the chancel.

Millbrook and Marston Moretaine

Visiting the last two stations on the Marston Vale Line i had yet to tick off has been an epic struggle this year, at the weekend i finally completed the line (in other words visiting every station) on the fourth attempt this year! The first attempt was foiled by a broken down train on the way to Bletchley, i managed to tick off Lidlington earlier in the year on a second trip.

That just left Millbrook. My first attempt was cancelled after trains were suspended on the line, so at the weekend i tried again... and trains were suspended again! This time i decided to just take the rail replacement bus, hopefully i can visit again by train some day in the future.

Millbrook station is in a nice location in the valley in Bedfordshire, the village of Marston Moretaine being a short walk away. You can see my photos here.

Departing Lidlington

On the Marston Vale Line.

Lidlington

Yesterday i headed to Bedfordshire for the first time in a while (unless you count climbing the wooden hills every night). I went to Lidlington on the Marston Vale between Milton Keynes and Bedford which is a nice part of the country though not a great deal to see but it is always good to travel somewhere new! You can see my photos here.

Churches (136) : St Paul, Bedford

The parish church of St Paul in Bedford is the largest Anglican church in Bedfordshire and is a former collegiate church. King Offa founded the original church in Bedford in the 8th century, he might be buried here. The church was destroyed in fighting between the Saxons and Danes in 1009. 

The current church dates from the 13th century though little of this church remains. Most of the church has been rebuilt in later centuries, including the steeple and transepts in the 19th century.

Churches (45) : All Saints, Leighton Buzzard

The Church of All Saints in Leighton Buzzard was founded in 1277CE and is in the Early English style, built on the site of an older church. The church has a tall spire that is nearly sixty metres high. A clerestory was added in the fifteenth century, there were also enlarged windows added and carved angels added to the exterior.

The church was restored in the mid-1880s, changes made to the interior during the Reformation were rolled back to something more akin to the original layout. The church was badly damaged by fire in 1985, the chancel and nave roofs being badly damaged as well as structural damage caused to the structure. Work on restoration, which included rectifying other faults with the structure discovered after the fire, was finally completed in 2016.

Churches (39) : St Michael, Woburn Sands

The Church of St Michael is in the county border straddling village of Woburn Sands, the church being inside Bedfordshire. The church was built to serve the new ecclesiastical parish of Woburn Sands with building beginning in 1868 and being completed the next year for the comparatively small budget of £5000. The church was built from coursed limestone with an ashlar dressing.

The church was enlarged in 1889, the chancel was lengthened and a large East facing stain glass window added. To celebrate the church's centenery the church was reclad in 1968.

Surrender at Stewartby

Yesterday I visited Stewartby which was a model village built for workers of the London Brick Company in Bedfordshire. My visit didn't last very long though as a torrential rainstorm unfortunately was striking Stewartby at the same time I was there. So with wet feet I took a few photos and then surrendered and headed back home. You can see the photos here, I'll have to return one day when there is dry weather forecast!

Chasing D-Trains

Not being at work yesterday I went down to Bletchley to see the Class 230 D-Train, new DMUs made from former London Underground D-Stock. I was able to see the D-Train finally at Ridgmont and also travelled on it a couple of times, also visiting the rather charmingly named Kempston Hardwick. You can see my photos from this part of Bedfordshire here.

Back to Bedford

On Saturday I made my return to Bedford, i had been once before early last year though I didn't leave the station then. This time I wanted to walk along the Great Ouse river that flows through the county town. It is a very nice stretch of waterway with plenty of bridges, locks and even the mound of a castle along the river. You can see my Great Ouse photos here.