Buntingford
Encyclopedia
Buntingford is a small market town
and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire
and county of Hertfordshire
in England
. It lies on the River Rib
and on the Roman road
Ermine Street
. As a result of its location, it grew mainly as a staging post with many coaching inn
s and has an 18th century one cell prison known as 'The Cage' by the ford at the end of Church Street. It has a population of 4,820.The town also has a annual firework display at The Bury, the Buntingford Cougars HQ and also a sainsburys depot. It is Hertfordshire's smallest town.
The Prime Meridian
passes to the east of Buntingford.
The Mayor of Buntingford is Stan Bull.
The town has a large number of Georgian
and mediaeval buildings, such as Buntingford almshouses
, Buntingford Manor House
and the Red House
.
Buntingford was a stop-over on what was the main route between London and Cambridge, now the A10. Due to its desirability as a commuter town in recent years, the town has grown considerably in the past few decades, the most noticeable recent addition being the 'Bovis Estate' (circa 1990), informally named after the housing firm that constructed there; its main road is Luynes Rise, named due to the town's twinning with Luynes (near Tours) in France. Other housing estates are: Freman Drive, Vicarage Road, Snells Mead, Downhall Ley, Monks Walk, and Kingfisher Park, currently under construction (2010).
Buntingford was traditionally located within the parish of Layston - St Bartholemew's Church (Layston) is now derelict and lies about a half a mile to the north-east of the town. St Peter's Church, formerly a relief chapel, is the Anglican church in Buntingford and is an almost unique brick building from the age of the 17th-century Puritans. St Richard's serves the Roman Catholic community. There is also a United Reformed Church in Baldock Road.
Market day is Monday, and early closing Wednesday. The Buntingford Carnival is held every other year. There is also a classic car event held in the town each year, usually in the early autumn
Buntingford railway station
, opened in 1863, was closed
in 1964 under the Beeching cuts
. This was located as the terminus for the Buntingford Branch Line
. Recently it has been redeveloped into housing.
Apparently Queen Elizabeth I stayed at Buntingford in a building now called the Bell House Gallery, on a coach journey to Cambridge
. Just up the High Street, The Angel Inn (Now a Dental surgery) was a staging post catering for coaches travelling from London to Cambridge.
The town has a number of public houses ('pubs') - The Brambles (formerly The Chequers), The Fox and Duck, The Black Bull, The Crown, The Jolly Sailors and The Railway.
Buntingford is home to the Sainsbury's Anglia Distribution Centre, however this is now vacant and awaiting lease. Before it was used by Sainsbury's it was used as a depot by the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME), a regiment of the British Army.
Buntingford uses a three-tier school system. There are four schools in Buntingford:
The name of the town is believed to originate from the Saxon chieftain or tribe Bunta; it does not refer to the bird Bunting
, or the festive flag-like decorations
.
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire
East Hertfordshire is a local government district in Hertfordshire, England. Its council has offices in Bishop's Stortford and Hertford ....
and county of Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
in 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 lies on the River Rib
River Rib
The River Rib originates near the East Hertfordshire village of Buckland and runs parallel with the A10 through Buntingford, Westmill, Braughing, Puckeridge and Standon until it reaches its confluence with the River Lea near Hertford.-History:...
and on the Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
Ermine Street
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,...
. As a result of its location, it grew mainly as a staging post with many coaching inn
Coaching inn
In Europe, from approximately the mid-17th century for a period of about 200 years, the coaching inn, sometimes called a coaching house or staging inn, was a vital part of the inland transport infrastructure, as an inn serving coach travelers...
s and has an 18th century one cell prison known as 'The Cage' by the ford at the end of Church Street. It has a population of 4,820.The town also has a annual firework display at The Bury, the Buntingford Cougars HQ and also a sainsburys depot. It is Hertfordshire's smallest town.
The Prime Meridian
Prime Meridian
The Prime Meridian is the meridian at which the longitude is defined to be 0°.The Prime Meridian and its opposite the 180th meridian , which the International Date Line generally follows, form a great circle that divides the Earth into the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.An international...
passes to the east of Buntingford.
The Mayor of Buntingford is Stan Bull.
The town has a large number of Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
and mediaeval buildings, such as Buntingford almshouses
Buntingford almshouses
Buntingford Almshouses were built by the mathematician and astronomer Bishop Seth Ward. He was born in the town of Buntingford and built the Almshouses in 1684. It is now a hospital for the elderly and was originally used as the town hospital....
, Buntingford Manor House
Buntingford Manor House
Buntingford Manor House in the town of Buntingford, in Hertfordshire, England was originally the home of the Lord of the Manor. This was the person who owned Buntingford.-Location:...
and the Red House
Red House, Buntingford
The Red House is a Georgian mansion opposite the intersection of Norfolk Road and High Street in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, England. It was inhabited by artist and stage designer Claud Lovat Fraser, who designed the Buntingford war memorial and other aspects of the town.The building is currently...
.
Buntingford was a stop-over on what was the main route between London and Cambridge, now the A10. Due to its desirability as a commuter town in recent years, the town has grown considerably in the past few decades, the most noticeable recent addition being the 'Bovis Estate' (circa 1990), informally named after the housing firm that constructed there; its main road is Luynes Rise, named due to the town's twinning with Luynes (near Tours) in France. Other housing estates are: Freman Drive, Vicarage Road, Snells Mead, Downhall Ley, Monks Walk, and Kingfisher Park, currently under construction (2010).
Buntingford was traditionally located within the parish of Layston - St Bartholemew's Church (Layston) is now derelict and lies about a half a mile to the north-east of the town. St Peter's Church, formerly a relief chapel, is the Anglican church in Buntingford and is an almost unique brick building from the age of the 17th-century Puritans. St Richard's serves the Roman Catholic community. There is also a United Reformed Church in Baldock Road.
Market day is Monday, and early closing Wednesday. The Buntingford Carnival is held every other year. There is also a classic car event held in the town each year, usually in the early autumn
Buntingford railway station
Buntingford railway station
Buntingford railway station is a former station in Buntingford, Hertfordshire that served as the terminus of a branch from the Hertford East Branch Line. It was first opened in 1863 and closed to passengers just over a century later in 1964. It was served by direct trains from London Liverpool...
, opened in 1863, was closed
in 1964 under the Beeching cuts
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
. This was located as the terminus for the Buntingford Branch Line
Buntingford Branch Line
The Buntingford Branch Line was a railway in Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. It ran between the village of St Margarets and the town of Buntingford...
. Recently it has been redeveloped into housing.
Apparently Queen Elizabeth I stayed at Buntingford in a building now called the Bell House Gallery, on a coach journey to Cambridge
Cambridge
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...
. Just up the High Street, The Angel Inn (Now a Dental surgery) was a staging post catering for coaches travelling from London to Cambridge.
Buntingford is home to the Sainsbury's Anglia Distribution Centre, however this is now vacant and awaiting lease. Before it was used by Sainsbury's it was used as a depot by the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers (REME), a regiment of the British Army.
Buntingford uses a three-tier school system. There are four schools in Buntingford:
- Freman CollegeFreman CollegeFreman College is a mixed upper school in Buntingford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom for 13-18 year olds. Of the 788 students at the school in 2006, 198 were enrolled in the Sixth form....
(an Upper School and Sixth Form), Bowling Green Lane, Buntingford, SG9 9BT. Formerly known as Ward Freman Upper School. - Edwinstree C of E Middle School, has around 450 pupils, four year-groups and 16 classes, Norfolk Road, Buntingford, SG9 9AW.
- Layston First School, has around 150 pupils,five year-groups. Also has a small nursery.
- Milfield First School, has around 150 pupils,five year-groups. Also has a small nursery.
The name of the town is believed to originate from the Saxon chieftain or tribe Bunta; it does not refer to the bird Bunting
Bunting (bird)
Buntings are a group of Eurasian and African passerine birds of the family Emberizidae.They are seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills, and are the Old World equivalents of the species known in North America as sparrows...
, or the festive flag-like decorations
Bunting (textile)
Bunting was originally a specific type of lightweight worsted wool fabric generically known as tammy, manufactured from the turn of the 17th century, and used for making ribbons. and flags, including signal flags for the Royal Navy...
.