Biggleswade
Encyclopedia
Biggleswade is a market town and civil parish located on the River Ivel
in Bedfordshire
, England
. It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London
and the North, as well as having a railway station
on the main rail link North from London (the East Coast Main Line
).
, the fastest train to London
, King's Cross, takes 35 minutes, while a car journey to central Cambridge takes about 35 minutes. In 2001 the population of the town was about 15,383. The Biggleswade civil parish also includes the nearby hamlet
of Holme, Bedfordshire
.
The town lies on the B1040, which leads to Potton
to the north and the A6001 (a section is the former A1), which leads to Langford
and Henlow
to the south.
s dating from this period found in the region. In Roman
times, a loop road known as the White Way passed through Biggleswade (possibly along the course of the present-day Drove Road), linking up with the Ermine Way
at Godmanchester
.
personal name and Waed, the Saxon word for ford.
In 2001 a gold coin bearing the name Coenwulf
was discovered at Biggleswade on a footpath beside the River Ivel
. The 4.33 g (0.15 oz) mancus
, worth about 30 silver pennies, is only the eighth known Anglo-Saxon gold coin dating to the mid to late Anglo-Saxon period. The coin's inscription, "DE VICO LVNDONIAE", indicates that it was minted in London. Initially sold to American collector Allan Davisson for £230,000 at an auction
held by Spink
auction house in October of that year, the British Government subsequently put in place an export ban in the hope of saving it for the British public. In February 2006 the coin was bought by the British Museum
for £357,832 with the help of funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund
and The British Museum Friends
making it the most expensive British coin purchased until that date.
In 1132, Henry I
granted the manor of Biggleswade to Bishop Alexander - Alexander the Magnificent - of Lincoln
to help endow Lincoln Cathedral
. The town was granted a charter to hold a market during the reign of King John
(1196–1216) - a market is still held in the market place in the centre of the town every Saturday. The church is dedicated to St. Andrew. Biggleswade Castle
existed in earlier times.
On June 16, 1785, there was a large fire in the town. The fire started at the The Crown Inn and spread rapidly through the neighbouring streets. By the time the fire had been brought under control, nearly one-third of the town had been destroyed, including 103 houses leaving 332 people homeless. A national appeal was launched to raise funds for the many people who had lost their homes and their livelihoods.
opened in 1850, and Biggleswade was the third town in Bedfordshire to have a mainline station
(on the East Coast Main Line
) after Bedford & Dunstable.
The town was bypassed in 1961.
Buses in the town were provided by Eastern National until 1952 when the western division of Eastern National was handed over to United Counties. The company had a garage in Shortmead Street opposite Ivel Gardens until 1989 when it was sold for redevelopment into flats. United Counties was acquired by Stagecoach in November 1987 and moved to the current site in Hitchin Street in 1989, which was acquired from Charles Cook.
Other bus operators based in Biggleswade included Charles Cook European Travel who operated in the area between 1947 and 1998 and Fairway Coaches although both of these operators have ceased to operate.
Biggleswade is also the base of the Jordan's cereals business who produce their own brand of breakfast Muesli, Country Crisp and Crunchy Oats and cereal bars which are sold across Europe as well as in Canada. There used to be a Felix cat food
factory located on Potton Road. However, this moved away in 1970. There also used to be a Glass Bottle factory on Brunts Lane which was later destroyed by fire in 2000.
The town was also home to the Ivel Cycle Works, founded by Dan Albone
. This factory ultimately produced bicycle
s, motorcycle
s and light tractor
s. It went into receivership in 1920.
Other goods which have been made in Biggleswade include Berkeley
Caravans and Sportscars, who had a factory
in the town, which was later used by Kayser Bondor who made ladies' underwear and stockings in the town until the mid-1990s. The factory was demolished and is now a housing estate, with roads named Berkeley Close and Kayser Court after the businesses that used the factory.
The town had a large brewery
in the town centre for many decades; its last owners were Greene King
but it closed down in October 1997 and the site is now occupied by an Asda
supermarket.
Biggleswade had two long serving motor dealers, A.W Watkin were agents for locally made Vauxhall
Cars and Bedford lorries for many years and had a large showroom and repair site in Shortmead Street, but the dealership closed in 2002 and the was site redeveloped into houses which are in a road named Watkin Walk. The other dealer was the Mantles business which originally had a site for Austin cars near the old Swan Hotel in the town. Mantles moved to a larger site opposite the old work house on London Road where they sold British Leyland and later Austin Rover cars. They also had a caravan dealership. Mantles still sell cars here, but since the collapse of MG Rover now sells Mitsubishi and Ford cars. The caravan business closed in the early 1990s.
and Biggleswade United
. Biggleswade also homes a Skatepark.
Biggleswade is the home of Biggleswade Rugby Club, which has 3 senior sides and an active Mini and Youth section with sides from under 7 through to 17 years. See Biggleswade rugby.
. On 22 July 1661, Pepys stopped off in Biggleswade (called 'Bigglesworth' by Pepys) to buy a pair of warm woollen stockings. John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington
often refers to the town and the Sun Inn.
Nearby is the Shuttleworth Collection
of vintage aeroplanes.
schooling system with lower schools catering for ages between 5 to 9, middle school
s from 9 to 13 and Stratton Upper School continuing education up and into Sixth Form.
List of Schools:
River Ivel
The River Ivel is a river in the east of England. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse.-Course of the Ivel:The river Ivel rises just north of Baldock in Hertfordshire, but most of its course lies within Bedfordshire. It flows through Stotfold, Arlesey, Henlow, Langford, Biggleswade, Sandy and...
in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is well served by transport routes, being close to the A1 road between London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and the North, as well as having a railway station
Biggleswade railway station
Biggleswade Railway Station serves the town of Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, England. The station is 41 miles north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line. Biggleswade is managed and served by First Capital Connect....
on the main rail link North from London (the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
).
Geography
Located about 40 miles (60 km) north of Central London and 20 miles (30 km) west-south-west of CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, the fastest train to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, King's Cross, takes 35 minutes, while a car journey to central Cambridge takes about 35 minutes. In 2001 the population of the town was about 15,383. The Biggleswade civil parish also includes the nearby hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
of Holme, Bedfordshire
Holme, Bedfordshire
Holme is a hamlet located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England.The settlement is close to Edworth and Langford. The nearest town to Holme is Biggleswade....
.
The town lies on the B1040, which leads to Potton
Potton
Potton is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is 10 miles from Bedford and the population in 2001 was 4,473 people. In 1783 the 'Great Fire of Potton' destroyed a large part of the town. The parish church dates from the 13th Century and is dedicated to St Mary...
to the north and the A6001 (a section is the former A1), which leads to Langford
Langford
-Canada:* Langford, British Columbia - Canadian municipality on Vancouver Island* Langford, Manitoba-England:* Langford, Bedfordshire* Langford, Essex* Langford, Norfolk* Langford, Nottinghamshire* Langford, Oxfordshire* Langford Budville, Somerset...
and Henlow
Henlow
Henlow is a village and civil parish in the district of Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England.RAF Henlow, is located nearby, but is in fact nearer to the village of Stondon...
to the south.
Romans
The area around Biggleswade is thought to have been inhabited from around 10,000 BC, with arrowheadArrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
s dating from this period found in the region. In Roman
Roman Britain
Roman Britain was the part of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire from AD 43 until ca. AD 410.The Romans referred to the imperial province as Britannia, which eventually comprised all of the island of Great Britain south of the fluid frontier with Caledonia...
times, a loop road known as the White Way passed through Biggleswade (possibly along the course of the present-day Drove Road), linking up with the Ermine Way
Ermine Street
Ermine Street is the name of a major Roman road in England that ran from London to Lincoln and York . The Old English name was 'Earninga Straete' , named after a tribe called the Earningas, who inhabited a district later known as Armingford Hundred, around Arrington, Cambridgeshire and Royston,...
at Godmanchester
Godmanchester
Godmanchester is a small town and civil parish within the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, in England. It lies on the south bank of the River Great Ouse, south of the larger town of Huntingdon, and on the A14 road....
.
The Saxons
In the 5th century AD, Saxon invaders settled here - the name Biggleswade is thought to be derived from Biceil, an Anglo-SaxonOld English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
personal name and Waed, the Saxon word for ford.
In 2001 a gold coin bearing the name Coenwulf
Coenwulf of Mercia
Coenwulf was King of Mercia from December 796 to 821. He was a descendant of a brother of King Penda, who had ruled Mercia in the middle of the 7th century. He succeeded Ecgfrith, the son of Offa; Ecgfrith only reigned for five months, with Coenwulf coming to the throne in the same year that Offa...
was discovered at Biggleswade on a footpath beside the River Ivel
River Ivel
The River Ivel is a river in the east of England. It is a tributary of the River Great Ouse.-Course of the Ivel:The river Ivel rises just north of Baldock in Hertfordshire, but most of its course lies within Bedfordshire. It flows through Stotfold, Arlesey, Henlow, Langford, Biggleswade, Sandy and...
. The 4.33 g (0.15 oz) mancus
Mancus
Mancus was a term used in early medieval Europe to denote either a gold coin, a weight of gold of 4.25g , or a unit of account of thirty silver pence. This made it worth about a months wages for a skilled worker, such as a craftsman or a soldier...
, worth about 30 silver pennies, is only the eighth known Anglo-Saxon gold coin dating to the mid to late Anglo-Saxon period. The coin's inscription, "DE VICO LVNDONIAE", indicates that it was minted in London. Initially sold to American collector Allan Davisson for £230,000 at an auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
held by Spink
Spink
Spink may refer to:* Chaffinch, a small bird in the finch family* Spink , a fictional species* Spinka * Spink, brand name of an anti-spill device produced by Dreamfarm-People:* Alfred H. Spink, sportswriter...
auction house in October of that year, the British Government subsequently put in place an export ban in the hope of saving it for the British public. In February 2006 the coin was bought by the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
for £357,832 with the help of funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund
National Heritage Memorial Fund
The National Heritage Memorial Fund is a non-departmental public body set up under the National Heritage Act 1980 in memory of people who gave their lives for the United Kingdom....
and The British Museum Friends
The British Museum Friends
The British Museum Friends is a registered charitable organisation in the UK with close links to the British Museum, and was set up in 1968...
making it the most expensive British coin purchased until that date.
Medieval times
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
granted the manor of Biggleswade to Bishop Alexander - Alexander the Magnificent - of Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
to help endow Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral is a historic Anglican cathedral in Lincoln in England and seat of the Bishop of Lincoln in the Church of England. It was reputedly the tallest building in the world for 249 years . The central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt...
. The town was granted a charter to hold a market during the reign of King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
(1196–1216) - a market is still held in the market place in the centre of the town every Saturday. The church is dedicated to St. Andrew. Biggleswade Castle
Biggleswade Castle
Biggleswade Castle was a castle in the market town of Biggleswade in Bedfordshire.The existence of this castle was discovered by aerial photography, in 1954, which showed the remains of a motte and bailey castle with a double ditch around the motte and a single ditch around the bailey.Some...
existed in earlier times.
On June 16, 1785, there was a large fire in the town. The fire started at the The Crown Inn and spread rapidly through the neighbouring streets. By the time the fire had been brought under control, nearly one-third of the town had been destroyed, including 103 houses leaving 332 people homeless. A national appeal was launched to raise funds for the many people who had lost their homes and their livelihoods.
Transport history
The Great Northern RailwayGreat Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
opened in 1850, and Biggleswade was the third town in Bedfordshire to have a mainline station
Biggleswade railway station
Biggleswade Railway Station serves the town of Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, England. The station is 41 miles north of London Kings Cross on the East Coast Main Line. Biggleswade is managed and served by First Capital Connect....
(on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
) after Bedford & Dunstable.
The town was bypassed in 1961.
Buses in the town were provided by Eastern National until 1952 when the western division of Eastern National was handed over to United Counties. The company had a garage in Shortmead Street opposite Ivel Gardens until 1989 when it was sold for redevelopment into flats. United Counties was acquired by Stagecoach in November 1987 and moved to the current site in Hitchin Street in 1989, which was acquired from Charles Cook.
Other bus operators based in Biggleswade included Charles Cook European Travel who operated in the area between 1947 and 1998 and Fairway Coaches although both of these operators have ceased to operate.
Industrial history
Traditionally, Biggleswade has been a vegetable- and produce-growing area with trains often taking daily loads of vegetables to London's produce markets. Even though much of this has now stopped, Bedfordshire Growers, based on the outskirts of the town, still supplies major supermarkets with UK-grown potatoes and onions.Biggleswade is also the base of the Jordan's cereals business who produce their own brand of breakfast Muesli, Country Crisp and Crunchy Oats and cereal bars which are sold across Europe as well as in Canada. There used to be a Felix cat food
Felix (pet food)
Felix is a European brand of cat food. It is owned by Purina, and sold in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Slovenia, the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, as well as France, Italy, Greece, Sweden and Denmark , and Finland .The Felix brand was acquired from Quaker by Dalgety plc...
factory located on Potton Road. However, this moved away in 1970. There also used to be a Glass Bottle factory on Brunts Lane which was later destroyed by fire in 2000.
The town was also home to the Ivel Cycle Works, founded by Dan Albone
Dan Albone
Daniel Albone was an English inventor, manufacturer and cyclist. He invented the world's first successful light farm tractor, and the Ivel Safety bicycle.-Childhood:...
. This factory ultimately produced bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s, motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
s and light tractor
Tractor
A tractor is a vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery used in agriculture or construction...
s. It went into receivership in 1920.
Other goods which have been made in Biggleswade include Berkeley
Berkeley cars
Berkeley Cars Ltd of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England produced small economical sporting microcars with motorcycle-derived engines from 322 cc to 692 cc and front wheel drive between 1956 and 1960.-History:...
Caravans and Sportscars, who had a factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
in the town, which was later used by Kayser Bondor who made ladies' underwear and stockings in the town until the mid-1990s. The factory was demolished and is now a housing estate, with roads named Berkeley Close and Kayser Court after the businesses that used the factory.
The town had a large brewery
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
in the town centre for many decades; its last owners were Greene King
Greene King Brewery
Greene King is a British brewery established in 1799 in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It has grown to become one of the largest British owned breweries in the UK through a series of takeovers which have been the subject of some criticism. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent...
but it closed down in October 1997 and the site is now occupied by an Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
supermarket.
Biggleswade had two long serving motor dealers, A.W Watkin were agents for locally made Vauxhall
Vauxhall
-Demography:Many Vauxhall residents live in social housing. There are several gentrified areas, and areas of terraced townhouses on streets such as Fentiman Road and Heyford Avenue have higher property values in the private market, however by far the most common type of housing stock within...
Cars and Bedford lorries for many years and had a large showroom and repair site in Shortmead Street, but the dealership closed in 2002 and the was site redeveloped into houses which are in a road named Watkin Walk. The other dealer was the Mantles business which originally had a site for Austin cars near the old Swan Hotel in the town. Mantles moved to a larger site opposite the old work house on London Road where they sold British Leyland and later Austin Rover cars. They also had a caravan dealership. Mantles still sell cars here, but since the collapse of MG Rover now sells Mitsubishi and Ford cars. The caravan business closed in the early 1990s.
Facilities
Biggleswade Swimming Club website at www.biggleswadesc.org celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2006. It now uses the new indoor Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre. The town has two football clubs - Biggleswade TownBiggleswade Town F.C.
Biggleswade Town F.C. is an English football club based in Biggleswade. The club are currently members of Division One Central of the Southern League and play at the Carlsberg Stadium.-History:The club were established in 1874 as Biggleswade & District...
and Biggleswade United
Biggleswade United F.C.
Biggleswade United F.C. are a football club based in Biggleswade, England. The club is affiliated to the Bedfordshire County Football Association.- History :...
. Biggleswade also homes a Skatepark.
Biggleswade is the home of Biggleswade Rugby Club, which has 3 senior sides and an active Mini and Youth section with sides from under 7 through to 17 years. See Biggleswade rugby.
Culture
The town is mentioned twice in the diaries of Samuel PepysSamuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
. On 22 July 1661, Pepys stopped off in Biggleswade (called 'Bigglesworth' by Pepys) to buy a pair of warm woollen stockings. John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington
John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington
John Byng, 5th Viscount Torrington , styled Hon. John Byng until 1812, was one of the most notable of English eighteenth-century diarists...
often refers to the town and the Sun Inn.
Nearby is the Shuttleworth Collection
Shuttleworth Collection
The Shuttleworth Collection is an aeronautical and automotive museum located at the Old Warden airfield in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of the most prestigious in the world due to the variety of old and well-preserved aircraft.- History :...
of vintage aeroplanes.
Education
Biggleswade, as part of the former authority of Bedfordshire County Council, has a three-tierThree-tier education
Three-tier education refers to those structures of schooling, which exist in some parts of England, where pupils are taught in three distinct school types. A similar experiment was also trialled in Scotland....
schooling system with lower schools catering for ages between 5 to 9, middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s from 9 to 13 and Stratton Upper School continuing education up and into Sixth Form.
List of Schools:
- Stratton Upper School and Community CollegeStratton Upper SchoolStratton Upper School and Community College is a notable upper school located in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England. It is situated to the east of the town...
- Holmemead Middle School
- Edward Peake Middle School
- St Andrews Lower School http://www.standrews.beds.sch.uk
- Lawnside Lower School
- Southlands Lower School
- Ivel Valley SchoolIvel Valley SchoolIvel Valley School is a coeducational special school, located in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England. The school accepts pupils from all over the Central Bedfordshire area, and was opened in September 2010 on the site of Sunnyside School.-History:...
, a special school for children with moderate or severe learning difficulties - Holme Court School, a private school for dyslexic children, which was opened in 2005 just off the A1 to the west of Biggleswade (note - although still signposted from the A1, this school has relocated to Cambridge as of September 2011)
Notable residents
- Dan AlboneDan AlboneDaniel Albone was an English inventor, manufacturer and cyclist. He invented the world's first successful light farm tractor, and the Ivel Safety bicycle.-Childhood:...
, inventor, manufacturer and cyclist, credited with making the first practical farm tractor, 'The Ivel Agricultural Motor'. - Chris Roycroft-DavisChris Roycroft-DavisChris Roycroft-Davis is a journalist working in the United Kingdom. He was chief leader writer of The Sun, Britain’s biggest-selling morning newspaper.-Early life:...
, journalist - Philip E. HighPhilip E. HighPhilip Empson High was an English science fiction author.- Life :Philip Empson High was born in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire.His writing career spanned over 50 years before his death in Canterbury, Kent on 9 August 2006...
, science fiction writer - Charles PenroseCharles PenroseCharles Penrose was an English music hall and theatre performer, and later radio comedian, who is best known for his unusual comic song "The Laughing Policeman"...
, radio comedian and singer of The Laughing Policeman. - Henry RylandHenry RylandHenry Ryland was a British painter, decorator and designer. He was the son of John Benjamin and Elizabeth Ryland and was born in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire in 1856.He studied in London at the South Kensington Art School, and at Hatherley's...
, Pre-Raphaelite painter born in Biggleswade in 1856. - Mary Tealby, one of the founders of the Battersea Dogs Home, is buried in St. Andrew's Churchyard.
- Stevie V, dance act famous for the song Dirty Cash (Money Talks), that reached #2 in the UK Top 40 in 1990.
- Richard WalkerRichard Walker (angler)Richard Stuart Walker was an English angler.One of the first to apply scientific thought to angling, 'Dick' Walker wrote many books on the sport. He also wrote for the angling press, most notably for the Angling Times...
, angling journalist, author and photographer. - John Buglass, archaeologist
- Pam RhodesPam RhodesPam Rhodes is a British television presenter best known for presenting the BBC television long-running religious series Songs of Praise....
, novelist and BBC Songs of Praise presenter - Gurpareet BainsGurpareet BainsGurpareet Bains is an Anglo-Indian chef and Nutritionist.His first book - Indian Superfood - was released in July 2010, published by Absolute Press....
, chef and food writer, attended Stratton Upper School in the town