It is 36 miles (58 km) northwest of Central London and linked to the capital by the Grand Union Canal and the West Coast Main Line. The built-up area extends on either side of the River Ouzel (here about 2 metres wide) to include its historically separate neighbour Linslade,[1] and is administered by Leighton-Linslade Town Council.
It is unclear when the town was initially founded, although some historians believe that there may have been settlement in the area from as early as 571.[2] There are a number of theories concerning the derivation of the town's name: ‘Leighton’ came from Old EnglishLēah-tūn, meaning 'farm in a clearing in the woods', and one version of the addition of ‘Buzzard’ was that it was added by the Dean of Lincoln, in whose diocese the town lay in the 12th century, from Beau-desert.[3] Another version is that having two communities called ‘Leighton’ and seeking some means of differentiating them the Dean added the name of his local Prebendary or representative to that of the town. At that time it was Theobald de Busar and so over the years the town became known as Leighton Buzzard. The other Leighton became Leighton Bromswold.[4] In the Domesday Book of 1086, Leighton Buzzard and Linslade were both called Leestone.
A further variation may be seen in a legal record of 1424, where "William Dagenale of Leytun Busherd, Beds" appears as a defendant.[5]
Leighton Buzzard developed into a thriving market town supported by good road, canal and, later, rail links to the agricultural hinterland and London. The town's market charter was granted in 1086 and is still active today.[6] The town's high street is home to numerous historical buildings, more than 70 of which are listed.[7] They include the notable Bank Building on the Market Square (now home to Barclays Bank),[8] designed by the eminent architect Alfred Waterhouse, designer of London's Natural History Museum, London. They also include the Old Town Hall, later used as a fire station and now as a restaurant.[9]
Rothschild family
The town has had a long association with the Rothschild family, since Lionel de Rothschild bought neighbouring farmlands to the west of the town in 1873.[10] Over time the farm developed into the Ascott House estate located less than 2 miles (3 km) from the town. In the late 19th century, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild used the now demolished Leighton House and its stabling, on the High Street, as a hunting box. The family still maintain links with the town through their ownership of Southcourt Stud in Southcote.
Non-conformism
The town has a strong history of dissenters and is home to one of the oldest Friends meeting houses in the region. Established in the 18th century, local Quakers continue to meet in the Meeting House on North Street.[11]
Poor law union
After the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 Leighton Buzzard became the centre of a poor law union that consisted of 15 surrounding parishes with the union workhouse (still standing) being sited in Grovebury Road.[12]
Leighton Buzzard Isolation Hospital
In 1847, additional land was obtained adjacent to the workhouse on which to build an isolation hospital. It had twenty beds over three wards, one each for patients with Diphtheria, Scarlet Fever and Typhoid.[13] Jane Sarah Downer was appointed Nurse-Matron of the Isolation Hospital in 1899, and worked there until at least 1911.[14][15][16] Downer had trained under Eva Luckes at The London Hospital between 1895 and 1897,[17] and then worked on the Private Nursing Staff for one year,[18] before her appointment as Matron in Leighton Buzzard.[14]
World War II
During World War II, RAF Leighton Buzzard, a secret communications facility described as "the largest telephone exchange in the world", was located to the south of Stanbridge Road. Also the headquarters of No. 60 Group RAF, which controlled the air defence radar network across Britain, operated from Oxenden House (now demolished) off Plantation Road.
[19][20]
The Great Train Robbery
The Great Train Robbery took place in 1963 at Bridego Bridge just outside Leighton Buzzard. The robbers were held at the Old Police Station on Wing Road Linslade while waiting to be seen by the local magistrate after being captured a month after the robbery.[21]
Leighton Buzzard station was the location for part of the film Robbery, which is based on the ‘Great Train Robbery’.
The UK's first and only TXE1 electronic telephone exchange went into service here in 1968.[citation needed] The large building, built on the site of the former Lake House, that housed this and later exchanges, can be found in Lake Street.
Expansion
The population of Leighton-Linslade was originally recorded in the 2001 census as 32,417.[22] Part of Billington parish was transferred in 2003 to Leighton-Linslade, and the revised census result including this area was 32,753.[23] At the 2011 census, the population of the Leighton-Linslade built-up area was recorded by the Office for National Statistics as 37,469,[1] and was estimated to have reached 43,203 in 2020.[24]
The town is expanding southwards, with the development of sites in southern Leighton Buzzard[25] through the Southern Leighton Buzzard Development Brief.[26] It is also expanding eastwards, with several developments forming the Eastern Leighton Linslade Urban Extension Scheme.[27]
All Saints' Church, an Early Englishparish church dating from 1277. The church is the starting point for the annual Wilkes Walk, described as "a curious procession of the church choir, clergy, and churchwardens across town to the alms houses in North Street."[29] The church was damaged by fire in the 1980s, but has since undergone restoration.
The town has a combined library and theatre (called the Library Theatre) where both live events and film screenings are regularly held.[30]
The NatWest bank at Leighton Buzzard in the style of an Italian palazzo is an example of Neo-Renaissance architecture.High Street, Leighton Buzzard. The former "Bassett's Bank" (now Barclays) designed by Alfred Waterhouse.
The majority of Leighton Buzzard's bus services are operated by Arriva Shires & Essex. Services F70 and F77 provide a direct bus rapid transit service to Milton Keynes and Luton via the Luton to Dunstable Busway, with an onward connection to Luton Airport[31] Arriva also operate the X4 service through the town between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, as well as several local town services. Z&S and Red Rose also operate bus services into Leighton Buzzard which serve local estates and surrounding villages.[32][33][34]
Economy
Leighton Buzzard is now home to several UK head offices for national and international firms. Connells Group, the estate agents' chains, have their head offices in the town, as do the UK operations of Tupperware and Grundfos. FTSE 250 company Rightmove had their first ever office in the town, which at the time consisted of just 25 employees. Leighton Buzzard is also home to the Vinci SA Technology Centre, where technology for London's new Crossrail stations was tested.[35] Since 2014, the town has had its own brewery.[36]
The town has a sizeable sandquarryingindustry, with good enough quality building sand to export to Egypt. The town is, or has at one time been, the home to various other industries including B/E Aerospace (Aircraft Interiors), Polyformes, Lipton Tea which has now closed down, Gossard clothing, and Lancer Boss (forklifts, etc.).
Governance
Leighton Buzzard is in the civil parish of Leighton-Linslade, in the Central Bedfordshire district. Historically, Leighton Buzzard was a civil parish in its own right: in 1961, its parish had a population of 11,745.[37] On 1 April 1965 the parish was merged with Linslade to form "Leighton Linslade".[38]
Leighton Buzzard is represented by the sporting teams of Leighton Town F.C. who play football in the Spartan South Midlands Football League. Also at the Bell Close Site are Leighton Buzzard Tennis Club who have been a part of the town since the 1930s. Leighton Buzzard Hockey Club[39] established in 1901, play field hockey and run 4 Men's and 4 Ladies teams of all ability. The Men's teams play in the South Hockey League[40] and the Ladies teams play in the 5 Counties Hockey League.[41] Leighton Buzzard Hockey Club[42] also have junior sides; starting age of 5. Leighton Buzzard R.F.C. play rugby union in South West 1 East and the Ladies rugby team play in NC South East North 2.[43]
Leighton Buzzard Golf Club was established in 1925 and there is also an active running club, Leighton Buzzard Athletics Club. Established in 2011 Leighton Buzzard Road Cycling Club is a cycling club for riders of all abilities. Their race team LBRCC-Solgar compete in local, as well as national, cycling events.[44] Established in 2000, Leighton Linslade Croquet Club, a member of the Croquet Association, have three croquet lawns in Pages Park next to the pavilion.
A greyhound racing track was opened by the Leighton Buzzard Greyhound Racing Association. The track which was located on Bridge Meadows, a flood plain and wharfage between the Grand Union Canal and the River Ouze, south of Bridge Street and is believed to have opened during 1931. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club) known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks.[45][46] The date of closure is not known.
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia.
Leighton Buzzard was twinned with Coulommiers in France in 1958. The twinning was renewed in 1982.
It was also twinned with Titisee-Neustadt in Germany in 1991.
Mary Norton (1903–1992), children's writer, famous for The Borrowers series, was brought up in The Cedars on the High Street now Leighton Middle School. The building now hosts a blue plaque in commemoration.[54]
Fred Hartley (1905-1980), Scottish pianist and composer of light music, died at his home, 3 Pulford Road in April 1980.[55]
Philip O'Connor (1916–1998), writer and surrealist poet, was born in the town.[56]
^ abRogers, Sarah (2022). 'A Maker of Matrons’? A study of Eva Lückes’s influence on a generation of nurse leaders:1880–1919' (Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Huddersfield, April 2022)
^Jane Sarah Downer, RG13/1507, 14; The General Record Office, The England and Wales census 1901 for Grove, Leighton Buzzard, Buckinghamshire; The National Archives, Kew [Available at: www.ancestry.co.uk, accessed on 21 January 2018]
^Jane Downer, RG14/8971, 26; The General Record Office, The England and Wales Census 1911 for Grove, Leighton Buzzard, Buckinghamshire; The National Archives, Kew [Available at: www.ancestry.co.uk, accessed on 27 October 2017]
^Jane Sarah Downer, Register of Probationers; RLHLH/N/1/5, 74; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
^Jane Sarah Downer, Register of Sisters and Nurses; RLHLH/N/4/1/207; Barts Health NHS Trust Archives and Museums, London
^Paul Brown and Edwin Herbert (eds.), The Secrets of Q Central: How Leighton Buzzard Shortened the Second World War. The History Press, 2015. ISBN0750960728
^"CMIS Home". agendas.luton.gov.uk. Customer services, Town Hall, George Street, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 2BQ. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
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