Newnham, Bedford
| Newnham | |
|---|---|
 Bedford Fire Station, located in Newnham | |
  Newnham Location withinBedfordshire | |
| Population | 5,510[1] 7,784 (2011 census)[2] |
| OS grid reference | TL076500 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BEDFORD |
| Postcode district | MK41 |
| Dialling code | 01234 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Newnhamis anelectoral wardand area within thetownofBedford,Bedfordshire,England.
The boundaries of Newnham are approximately Goldington Road to the north, theRiver Great Ouseto the south and east, with Denmark Street and George Street to the west.
TheRiverfieldhousing estate,and Bedford'sPriory Country ParkandMarinaare within the boundaries of Newnham ward as well as a number of other key facilities for Bedford town. After boundary changes in 2011, the Newnham area also includes the western section of the Castle Road neighbourhood.
History
[edit]ANeolithichengewas erected on the site of the current Tesco Supermarket on Riverfield Drive dating between 4000 and 2000 BC.[3]Despite this there is very little evidence of any major settlement in Newnham in pre-historic times.
There was aRomanfarmstead near the River Great Ouse that was excavated by archeologists in the 1970s before there was gravel extraction on the site that is nowPriory Country Park.[4]
Risinghoe Castlewas built in the area sometime after theNorman Invasionof 1066. Newnham derives its name fromNewnham Priorywhich was established on the banks of the River Great Ouse bySimon de Beauchamp,Baron of Bedfordin 1165. The de Beauchamp family were the owners ofBedford Castleas well as Risinghoe Castle, and were an important family inmedievalBedford and England. The priory was dissolved by KingHenry VIIIin 1541.
Much of the western section of the Castle Road neighbourhood was developed in the 19th century. The rest of Newnham remained as undeveloped farmland and a site forgravelextraction until the 20th century. By then the expansion of Bedford required more housing and land either side of Newnham Avenue was developed in theinterwar period.[5]Bedford's oldpower stationwas built in the area in 1955 and was subsequently demolished in 1987.[6]The final stage of Newnham's development happened during the early 1990s. With the demolition of the old power station, the land was redeveloped into thePrioryMarinaandcountry park,as well as Aspects Leisure Park and the Riverfield housing estate.
In 2020planning permissionwas granted for the redevelopment of Aspects Leisure Park to include housing, additional restaurants and retail space and a public park. The development will be renamed 'Newnham Park'.[7]
Governance
[edit]Newnham is anunparished area,with all community services under the direct control ofBedford Borough Council.Newnham elects two councillors to Bedford Borough Council.
Economy
[edit]There are a number of shops and services located on Newnham Avenue, including a post office, a supermarket, a pub, petrol station and a food store. There are a few more shops located on Wendover Drive, including ahairdressers,and acafe.There are also some smaller independent shops and businesses located in the western section Castle Road neighbourhood.[8]
The Aspects Leisure Park is situated in Newnham. This entertainment complex (located on Newnham Avenue and Barkers Lane) houses a cinema, aBingoHall, a fitness gym plus other restaurants. It is also the site of Bedford's mainfire stationand a car dealership. Further along Barkers Lane is a smallindustrial estate,Bedford's Marina.
Education
[edit]Unusually there are no state schools orindependent schoolsin Newnham. Most school age children in the area attend a school in nearbyGoldingtonorCastle.
Religious sites
[edit]- PrioryMethodistChurch, located on Newnham Avenue[9]
- Christ Church Bedford (Church of England), located on Denmark Street and Goldington Road[10]
- Three Rivers Church, also on Denmark Street[11]
Community facilities
[edit]The Bedford International Athletics Stadium is located in the Newnham area, on Barkers Lane.[12]The stadium has played host to many importantathleticsmeetings in the past andPaula Radcliffehas trained there. It is also home toBedford TigersRLFC and theBedfordshire Blue RaidersAmerican Football team.
The stadium was an official training site for the2012 Summer OlympicsandParalympics.The venue accommodated athletes training for the event, and complemented other training sites in the Bedford area.[13][14]The Maldives National Olympic Committeebased its competing athletes in Bedford, while Paralympic athletes fromAngola,theCentral African Republic,Democratic Republic of the Congo,The Gambia,Ghana,Côte d'Ivoire,Jamaica,Lesotho,Morocco,Niger,Pakistan,Senegal,TunisiaandUgandawere also based in the area. With the exception ofWeymouth(which hosted various sailing events) Bedford accommodated more Olympic teams in 2012 than any other town or borough in the UK.[15]
Priory Country Parkis located on Barkers Lane,[16]and is Newnham's main open space. There is also a provision ofallotmentsfurther along Barkers Lane.
References
[edit]- ^Neighbourhood Statistics."Neighbourhood Statistics".Neighbourhood Statistics.Retrieved6 August2012.
- ^"Bedford Ward population 2011".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved5 November2016.
- ^"Bedford Timeline: Modern - Digitised Resources - Bedfordshire's Virtual Library".Galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 7 February 2012.Retrieved6 August2012.
- ^http://www.bedfordrivervalleypark.org/heritage/roman-farm/
- ^"A History of Priory Methodist Church".Archived fromthe originalon 23 April 2009.Retrieved26 November2022.
- ^"Brief History of Bedford".Bedford.gov.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 8 December 2015.Retrieved6 August2012.
- ^"Massive redevelopment plan approved for Aspects Leisure Park in Bedford".21 July 2020.
- ^http://comearoundtobedford.moonfruit.com/'Featured Business'
- ^http://www.priorychurch.org.uk/Priory Methodist Church
- ^http://www.ccbedford.org/Christ Church Bedford
- ^http://threeriversbedford.uk/Three Rivers Church
- ^http://www.athleticstadium.bedford.gov.uk/Bedford International Athletics Stadium
- ^Published on Monday 3 March 2008 18:25 (3 March 2008)."Bedfordshire to host Olympic training camps".Bedford Today.Retrieved6 August2012.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^"Bedfordshire News | Latest Bedford News Headlines | Bedfordshire Sports, Jobs, Weather & Business News | Town eyes Olympic ring of confidence".Bedsonsunday.com. Archived fromthe originalon 24 July 2012.Retrieved6 August2012.
- ^"On Your Marks! Bedford Borough to host teams from around the world ahead of London 2012".Bedford.gov.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 14 July 2012.Retrieved6 August2012.
- ^http://www.priorycountrypark.co.uk/Priory Country Park, Bedford