Caddington
Encyclopedia
Caddington is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire
district of Bedfordshire
, England
. It is between the Dunstable
/Luton
urban area (to the north), and Hertfordshire
(to the south).
The western border of the parish is Watling Street
, to the west of which is Kensworth
. The northern and eastern border are generally formed by the railway line and the M1
. To the south-east of the parish is the parish of Slip End
, and to the south is Markyate
, in Hertfordshire.
Caddington village and the nearby hamlet
of Aley Green
are in the south of the parish. The hamlet of Chaul End lies in the north of the parish, and at the border with Luton there is Caddington Park with Skimpot
in its postal address. The Zouches Farm
radio tower is situated in the north-west of the parish.
.The assertion relating to the Caddington blue is regarded by some as a little suspect. During the 1970s Bedfordshire County Council in conjunction with the Royal Commission On Historical Monuments (England), published the book "Brickmaking - A History And Gazetteer". The book identifies 17 specific sites within the Caddington locale which are credited with producing "Greys". The common name for the plum coloured brick produced from the flinty brick earths excavated from an area from Kensworth through Caddington to Stopsley is "Luton Grey".
Much of Caddington is now urban and there has been much residential development in recent years with the provision of local facilities such as shops, schools and a public hall. Caddington still retains its village green and nearby is the medieval parish church, restored in Victorian times Manshead Upper School
(formerly Dunstable Grammar School
) relocated to Caddington in 1971.
Markyate Priory
, disestablished in 1537, was situated in Caddington.
See also
Central Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It was created from the merger of Bedfordshire County Council, Mid Bedfordshire and South Bedfordshire on 1 April 2009...
district of 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 between the Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
/Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
urban area (to the north), and 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...
(to the south).
The western border of the parish is Watling Street
Watling Street
Watling Street is the name given to an ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Britons mainly between the modern cities of Canterbury and St Albans. The Romans later paved the route, part of which is identified on the Antonine Itinerary as Iter III: "Item a Londinio ad...
, to the west of which is Kensworth
Kensworth
Kensworth is a village and civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The parish is located on the edge of Dunstable Downs, and includes the hamlets of California and Kensworth Lynch....
. The northern and eastern border are generally formed by the railway line and the M1
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. To the south-east of the parish is the parish of Slip End
Slip End
Slip End is a village and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, near Luton. As well as the village of Slip End, the parish contains the hamlets of Lower Woodside, Woodside and Pepperstock...
, and to the south is Markyate
Markyate
Markyate is a village and civil parish in north-west Hertfordshire close to the border with Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.-Geography:Having a number of former names, including Markyate Street and Mergyate, it has been a part of all three counties since it was first founded as the county...
, in Hertfordshire.
Caddington village and 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 Aley Green
Aley Green
Aley Green is a hamlet located in Bedfordshire, England.Aley Green is located within the civil parish of Caddington. However the cemetery and the southern end of Mancroft Road are in the parish of Slip End, though they are considered to be part of Aley Green.Throughout its history, Aley Green has...
are in the south of the parish. The hamlet of Chaul End lies in the north of the parish, and at the border with Luton there is Caddington Park with Skimpot
Skimpot
Skimpot is a hamlet located on the edge of the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area in Bedfordshire, England.Originally a small rural settlement, Skimpot now adjoins with the expanding town of Dunstable to the north, while the southern part of Skimpot still ends in open countryside. The M1 motorway acts as...
in its postal address. The Zouches Farm
Zouches Farm
Zouches Farm is a microwave radio link site located near the top of Blows Downs at Zouches Farm, Caddington, Bedfordshire, England . It was part of the London to Birmingham chain designed in the 1940s, and is now owned and maintained by BT Group....
radio tower is situated in the north-west of the parish.
History
Caddington was once the centre of a thriving brick industry built around the rich source of clay. A "Caddington Blue" was a well-known engineering brickEngineering brick
Engineering bricks are a type of brick used where strength, low water porosity or acid resistance are needed.Clay Engineering bricks are defined in British Standard BS 6100 ‘Glossary of building and civil engineering terms’ as ‘brick sized fired clay units having a dense and strong semi vitreous...
.The assertion relating to the Caddington blue is regarded by some as a little suspect. During the 1970s Bedfordshire County Council in conjunction with the Royal Commission On Historical Monuments (England), published the book "Brickmaking - A History And Gazetteer". The book identifies 17 specific sites within the Caddington locale which are credited with producing "Greys". The common name for the plum coloured brick produced from the flinty brick earths excavated from an area from Kensworth through Caddington to Stopsley is "Luton Grey".
Much of Caddington is now urban and there has been much residential development in recent years with the provision of local facilities such as shops, schools and a public hall. Caddington still retains its village green and nearby is the medieval parish church, restored in Victorian times Manshead Upper School
Manshead Upper School
Manshead Upper School is a Church of England upper school located on the outskirts of both Caddington and Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. The school is administered by the Dunstable Ashton Foundation....
(formerly Dunstable Grammar School
Dunstable Grammar School
Dunstable Grammar School was a grammar school in the market town of Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England. Opened in 1888, it was closed in 1971.-Foundation:...
) relocated to Caddington in 1971.
Markyate Priory
Markyate Priory
Markyate Priory was a Benedictine priory in Bedfordshire, England. It was established in 1145 and disestablished in 1537.-History:The priory of Markyate was founded in the year 1145, in a wood which was then part of the parish of Caddington, and belonged to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's...
, disestablished in 1537, was situated in Caddington.
Places of worship
Caddington has a number of local churches:- All Saints, Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
, The Green, LU1 4BG. – A lovely 11/12C church in the middle of the village. - St Thomas Apostle, Roman Catholic Church, Manor Road. (Served from St Margaret of Scotland, Farley Hill, Luton.) – A small church next to the Recreation & Social Club on the south side of the village. Service Saturday 18:00.
- Caddington BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church, 27 Luton Road, LU1 4AF. A dedicated church opposite All Saints. Sunday 11:00 and 18:15. - Aley Green Methodist Church (Methodist), Mancroft Road, Aley Green, LU1 4DR. – In the nearby village of Aley GreenAley GreenAley Green is a hamlet located in Bedfordshire, England.Aley Green is located within the civil parish of Caddington. However the cemetery and the southern end of Mancroft Road are in the parish of Slip End, though they are considered to be part of Aley Green.Throughout its history, Aley Green has...
. - New Life Christian Fellowship, meets at Slip End Lower School, Ross Way, Slip End, LU1 4DD. Sunday 10:45.
See also
Notable residents
- Surrealist gardener Sam Edgar, one of the great philosophers of the 18th century, poet laureate.
- Former television soap legend Barry Evans (EastEnders)Barry Evans (EastEnders)Barry Evans is a fictional character played by Shaun Williamson. He appeared in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 1994 and 2004. The character was portrayed as a "buffoon." Williamson controversially left the serial after ten years in 2003 after executive producer Louise Berridge refused to...
who lived at 123 Dunstable Road in Caddington.
External links
- Caddington Parish Council
- Caddington Local History Group (CADHIST)
- Centrebus services 46 and 231 serving Caddington
- Caddington pages and Chaul End pages at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Record Service