Langfordis a village andcivil parishin theCentral Bedfordshiredistrict of the county ofBedfordshire,England about 10 miles (16 km) south-east of the county town ofBedford.The 2011 census gives the population as 3,091.[1]
| Langford | |
|---|---|
 Langford village sign | |
  Langford Location withinBedfordshire | |
| Population | 3,091 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | TL185405 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Biggleswade |
| Postcode district | SG18 |
| Dialling code | 01462 and 01767 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Geography
editLangford lies alongside theRiver Ivelabout 2.3 miles (4 km) south ofBiggleswade,19.5 miles (31 km) south-west ofCambridgeand 38 miles (61 km) north ofLondon.
TheEast Coast Main Linerailway passes through the parish at the eastern edge of the village.
Landscape
The village is within the Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands National Character Area (NCA 88) as defined byNatural England.[2]Central Bedfordshire Council has classified the local landscape as Lower Ivel Clay Valley for the northern part of the village and parish and Upper Ivel Clay Valley for the southern part. Large, open arable fields dominate to the east of the village.
Henlow Common and Langford Meadowslocal nature reserve is beside the Ivel.[3][4]Lakes formed from old sand and gravel quarries are to the south of the village.
Seven of the tenwind turbinescommissioned in 2013 at Biggleswade Wind Farm are within the parish. Each tower is 65 metres (213 ft) tall with four 45 metres (148 ft) blades. To the southeast of the village is asolar farmcommissioned in 2015. The two installations have electrical generating capacities of 20 MW and 13 MW respectively.[5]
Elevation
The village centre is 35 metres (115 ft) above sea level. The land rises to over 70 metres (230 ft) towards Topler's Hill in the east of the parish.[6]
Geology and soil type
Langford village lies onriver graveland the arable fields to the east onboulder clayoverGault.[7]The village itself has highly fertile, freely draining, slightly acid but base-rich soil with aloamytexture. By the Ivel are loamy and clayey floodplain soils, with moderate fertility and naturally high groundwater. To the east are highly fertile, lime-rich loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage.[8]
Roads and footpaths
The B659 road (formerly A6001) (High Street/Church Street) is the main route through the village, leading north to Biggleswade and south toHenlow.Cambridge Road runs east to theA1 roadfrom the southern end of the village. Station Road links Church Street to Cambridge Road.
A public bridleway leads from Common Road to Henlow. Separate footpaths from Station Road and Cambridge Road join to reachAstwickandStotfold.There are paths from East Road to Biggleswade.
The night sky and light pollution
TheCampaign to Protect Rural England(CPRE) divides the level of night sky brightness into 9 bands with band 1 being the darkest i.e. with the lowest level of light pollution and band 9 the brightest and most polluted. Langford is in bands 4 and 5.[9][10]
History
edit| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1801 | 458 | — |
| 1841 | 840 | +83.4% |
| 1881 | 1,242 | +47.9% |
| 1921 | 1,205 | −3.0% |
| 1961 | 1,379 | +14.4% |
| 2001 | 2,876 | +108.6% |
| Source:Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service | ||
The village is of Saxon origin, first mentioned in 944 AD and at one time it had one or more fording points across the river. The name is based on the words long ford from the length of the settlement. At the time of the Domesday Book 1086, the population was around 21. The parish church isSt. Andrew's,which is part of the Church of England. Before 1066 the lord of Langford was Lewin, a thane of Edward the Confessor. William the Conqueror granted the village to Walter le Fleming. In 1142 Walter's descendant Simon de Wahull gave land to the Knights Templar, who established themselves as Lords of the Manor of Langford Rectory.[11]
The entry in theDomesday Bookreads:Langeford: Walter of Flanders. 2 mills.
Langford has been a settlement on the east bank of the river Ivel since Saxon times. It is a long straggling village which at one time had two or three fording points over the river, hence its name. The village now starts at the Baulk corner and it is nearly two miles to the Running Waters at the north end of the village.
1960 air accident
editOn Wednesday 16 November 1960BAC Jet ProvostG-AOUScrashed. The aircraft hit the village playing field, after the wings had snapped beforehand. 34 year oldLt-CdrJohn Richard Stanley Overbury, the company test pilot, at Luton, was killed. He was married, and lived at 'Bircham' on Old Wood Road, in Whipsnade. He had been at Luton as the test pilot since 1957.[12][13][14][15][16][17]
Governance
editLangford Parish Council consists of ten elected councillors.
Langford is part of Stotfold and Langford ward for elections to theCentral BedfordshireUnitary Authority.
Prior to 1894, Langford was administered as part of theHundred of Biggleswade. From 1894 until 1974 it was inBiggleswade Rural Districtand from 1974 to 2009 inMid Bedfordshire District.
Langford was in theMid Bedfordshire parliamentary constituencyuntil 1997. Now inNorth East Bedfordshire,the elected member isRichard Fullerof theConservative Party.
Facilities
editLangford Village Academy for four to nine year olds is part of the Bedfordshire Schools Trust (BEST).OFSTEDrated the school as "good" following an inspection in 2017.[18]
The Plough, Church Street, first licensed in 1846 is the one remaining pub. The building was formerly a farmhouse.
A small shopping parade on Church Street near to East Road includes a convenience store, Fish and chip/burger take away, pharmacy and hair salon. A convenience store on High Street includes the village Post Office.
The King George V Playing Field has a children's play area and exercise equipment for adults. The village hall is within the grounds. Both are owned and maintained by the parish council.
Local commerce includes a long-established garden centre, a garage and filling station, a private members' club (The Ivy Leaf Club), farm shop, estate agents, curry house (Spice Lounge), beauty salon, barbers, and a dog grooming boutique.
Public services
editLangford falls withinAnglian Water's Potton Public Water Supply Zone. The water ischloraminatedandhard.The supply comes from groundwaterboreholes.[19]Poppy Fieldswaste water treatmentworks is south of the village, alongside the railway.
The Eastern Power Area ofUK Power Networksis thedistribution network operatorfor electricity.[20]Cadent Gasowns and operates the area's gas distribution network.[21] The two nearest general hospitals areBedford(Bedford Hospital NHS Trust) andLister Hospital, Stevenage(East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust). Ambulance services are provided by theEast of England Ambulance ServiceNHS Trust.Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue ServiceandBedfordshire Policecover the parish.
The nearest public library isBiggleswade.
Public transport
editCentrebus (South) runs an hourly route south toHenlowandHitchin(journey time 35 minutes) and north toBiggleswadeandSandyviaDunton,WrestlingworthandPotton(service 188) orSutton,Potton,Gamlingay,andEverton(service 190).[22]
Weekly services toCambridgeand Bedford are run by community bus operators Ivel Sprinter and Wanderbus respectively. Wanderbus also operates monthly services toSt Neots,Milton KeynesandWelwyn Garden City.
The nearest railway stations areBiggleswadeandArlesey.
Churches
edit
The parish church of St Andrew is part of a unitedbeneficewith theChurch of St Mary the Virgin, Henlow.Regular Sunday morning services are held.
The Methodist Chapel is in the North Bedfordshire Circuit. Services take place each Sunday morning. The Chapel was constructed in 1862. The two-manual organ, built in 1845 byGray and Davison,was initially installed atSt John the Baptist Church, Windsorbefore being sold and transferred here in 1906.[23]In 2000, the organ was issued with an ungraded Historic Organ Certificate.[24]
Buildings and monuments
editUpon entering the village from Biggleswade is a terrace of ten cottages dated 1862: the Denny Cottages are of yellow brick with red brick trimmings. All bar one have arched front windows and doors.
The Clock Tower Memorial commemorates soldiers who lost their lives in the 1914–18 and 1939–45 World Wars.
Housing developments
editThe village has grown considerably since 1961. Housing on Riverside Gardens, at the southern end of the village between the Ivel and High Street was built in the late 1960s, followed by nearby Wilmon Court and Ivel Close in the 1980s.
More recently, Garfield, off Station Road, comprising 58 properties was completed in 2010 on former scrubland. The pace of development accelerated following Central Bedfordshire Council's initial call for sites in 2014. At the north of the village on the western side of Church Street is a development of 35 properties called Rowley Fields, built in 2018 on a former meadow. Off the east side of Station Road, 110 houses have been built at Bramble Corner, Mayflower Lane, Campion Edge and Elderberry Close and off the west side another 25 at Merryweather Grove. 22 houses have been completed at Steamer Croft beside the railway off Cambridge Road.
Sport
editLangford F.C.compete in theSpartan South Midlands LeagueDivision One and play their home matches at Forde Park. The women's team currently compete in theSouth East Combination Women's League.A few seasons ago, they were members of theWomen's Premier League,playing against teams such asChelsea,Ipswich TownandMillwall.
King George's Fieldis the home of the Langford Youth football team and Langford Cricket Club. Langford Tennis Club has two floodlit courts and compete in the Bedfordshire LTA leagues.
King George's Fieldis also the home ground for Langford Cricket Club. Established in 1875 the Club has been providing cricket for the enjoyment of players and families, at their current ground in Langford, for more than 60 years.
The Club holds the ECB Clubmark approval and maintains 9 grass wickets and also has an artificial all-weather wicket, permanent three lane practice nets, mobile net, Home, Away and Officials changing rooms.
The 2023 season sees the club compete with one adult team in the Beds Invitational Saturday Cricket League, and a one adult team in Div 4 of the Beds Country Cricket league. The Club enters youth teams into the Beds Youth Cricket League at development level each season.
Community events
editAn annual themed raft race is held on the Ivel in July. Costumed competitors are flour bombed by spectators on the river bank and bridges. Money is raised for local clubs. The villagefetefollows.
Notable residents
editThe lateA.W. Lawrence,Professor of Archaeology at theUniversity of Cambridge,youngest brother ofT. E. Lawrence(Lawrence of Arabia), lived in Langford with his wife for a time in the 1980s.[25]
Ben Whishaw,stage and film actor who playsQin recentJames Bondepisodes, spent part of his childhood in Langford; he attended local schools as well as taking part in local amateur theatre productions in the village.
References
edit- ^UK Census(2011)."Local Area Report – Langford Parish (E04011964)".Nomis.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved26 October2019.
- ^"National Character Areas".Natural England.Retrieved25 October2019.
- ^"4B Lower Ivel Clay Valley"(PDF).Central Bedfordshire.Retrieved25 October2019.
- ^"4CB: Upper Ivel Clay Valley"(PDF).Central Bedfordshire.Retrieved25 October2019.
- ^"Langford Wind Farm".UK Electricity Production.Retrieved25 October2019.
- ^"Elevation Finder".Free Map Tools.Retrieved25 October2019.
- ^"Sheet 204. Geological Survey of England & Wales".British Geological Survey.Retrieved25 October2019.
- ^"Soilscapes Viewer".LandIS - Land Information System.Cranfield University.Retrieved25 October2019.
- ^"Night Blight 2016: Mapping England's Light Pollution and Dark Skies".Campaign to Protect Rural England.CPRE.Retrieved25 October2019.
- ^"SG18 postcode".Nightblight map.CPRE.Retrieved25 October2019.
- ^'The People at the Long Ford' by Michael Rutt – pub. Bedfordshire County Council 1975.
- ^Biggleswade ChronicleFriday 18 November 1960, page 1
- ^Biggleswade ChronicleFriday 25 November 1960, page 1
- ^Bedfordshire TimesFriday 20 January 1961, page 12
- ^Daily HeraldWednesday 23 November 1960, page 7
- ^The SphereSaturday 26 November 1960, page 9
- ^G-AOUS
- ^"OFSTED Report: May 2017".Langford Village Academy.Retrieved26 October2019.
- ^"Drinking Water Quality Information".Anglian Water.Retrieved26 October2019.
- ^"Check if you're in our area".UK Power Networks.Retrieved26 October2019.
- ^"Map: who operates the gas distribution network?".ofgem.Retrieved26 October2019.
- ^"Langford, Cent Beds".Bus Times.Retrieved26 October2019.
- ^"National Pipe Organ Register: D06962".Retrieved5 February2021.
- ^"Langford Methodist Church".The National Pipe Organ Register.Retrieved28 October2019.
- ^R. M. Cook, ‘Lawrence, Arnold Walter (1900–1991)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2009
External links
edit