Cranfield
Encyclopedia
Cranfield is a village and civil parish in north west Bedfordshire
, England, between Bedford
and Milton Keynes
. It has a population of 4,909, and is in Central Bedfordshire District
.
The hamlet
of Bourne End is located just north of Cranfield, and is part of the civil parish. Wharley End was a separate settlement, but now forms the northern part of Cranfield village, by the university.
The village Post Office
is now contained within the Co-op store; previously it was on separate premises near the centre of the village. Cranfield has one of only a small number of Morgan
dealerships, in addition to a Ford dealer and independent used car dealer. There are further facilities at the university campus including a Post Office and bookshop.
Cranfield has a local newspaper called the Cranfield Express.
There is a community web site Cranfieldwebsite.info giving village information,local business,forum etc .
The Church of St Peter and St Paul has records going back at least to 1600, and is notable for its newly restored bells.
From 1992-2005 the village had its own amateur dramatics society, the 'Cranfield Players' with many village members.
jet fighters.
is adjacent to the village, on the other side of the airfield.
In August 2005 a new business incubation centre was opened. It was designed to encourage and support hi-tech and knowledge based pre-start and early start companies during the formative stages of their development.
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, between Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
and Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
. It has a population of 4,909, and is in Central Bedfordshire District
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...
.
The 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 Bourne End is located just north of Cranfield, and is part of the civil parish. Wharley End was a separate settlement, but now forms the northern part of Cranfield village, by the university.
Amenities
Cranfield has three public houses, a football club, hairdressers, several take-away restaurants, two small supermarkets and three car dealers. There is also a surgery and dentists practice along with a pharmacy. Cranfield has a university, two schools, two parks and a multi-use games area.The village Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
is now contained within the Co-op store; previously it was on separate premises near the centre of the village. Cranfield has one of only a small number of Morgan
Morgan Motor Company
The Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by Harry Frederick Stanley Morgan, generally known as "HFS" and was run by him until he died, aged 77, in 1959. Peter Morgan, son of H.F.S., ran the company until a few years before his death in 2003...
dealerships, in addition to a Ford dealer and independent used car dealer. There are further facilities at the university campus including a Post Office and bookshop.
Cranfield has a local newspaper called the Cranfield Express.
There is a community web site Cranfieldwebsite.info giving village information,local business,forum etc .
The Church of St Peter and St Paul has records going back at least to 1600, and is notable for its newly restored bells.
From 1992-2005 the village had its own amateur dramatics society, the 'Cranfield Players' with many village members.
Airport
Cranfield's airfield was originally an RAF training base, and was used after the war by the College of Aeronautics. Today the main user is the Cabair School of Flying. The future of the airfield is uncertain – one runway was closed to allow the construction of the Nissan building and technology park, and there are controversial plans to build further housing on airfield land. Kennett Aviation, who previously operated a range of vintage aircraft from Cranfield, were forced to move to North Weald due to these plans. However, Cranfield is still home to one of the few remaining serviceable English Electric/BAC LightningEnglish Electric Lightning
The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft of the Cold War era, noted for its great speed and unpainted natural metal exterior finish. It is the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft. The aircraft was renowned for its capabilities as an interceptor; Royal Air Force ...
jet fighters.
University
Cranfield UniversityCranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
is adjacent to the village, on the other side of the airfield.
Technology Park
The Cranfield Technology Park is west of the University at the entrance to the campus. It is being developed on a phased basis by Cranfield University and its development partner. The park's objective is to encourage knowledge-based companies to locate their activities on the park and to encourage the growth of such companies. A major extension to the technology park was started in January 2007 using land on Cranfield Airport.In August 2005 a new business incubation centre was opened. It was designed to encourage and support hi-tech and knowledge based pre-start and early start companies during the formative stages of their development.