Sharnbrook
Encyclopedia
Sharnbrook is a village and civil parish located in the Bedford Borough
of Bedfordshire
, England.
The settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book
of 1086 as a parish within the Hundred of Willey
but was probably first developed in Saxon
times. The oldest surviving building, St Peter's Church, is Norman
. Many of the older buildings in the village are constructed of the local oolitic
limestone
, also used in other traditional north Bedfordshire settlements.
Situated just north of a loop in the River Great Ouse
and almost due north of Bedford
, the village has developed as a ribbon-settlement running south-east to north-west, with the core of the community clustered at the north-western end.
has a campus on the west of the village, serves a wide area and was attended by the London Marathon-winning Paula Radcliffe
, who opened the aptly named Paula Radcliffe Sharnbrook Community Sports Centre in April 2005. This Community Sports Centre is not only for School users but also serves the wider local community of North Bedfordshire with sporting facilities. Students are aged from 13 to 18 and take both GCSE and A Level exams. The village's other school is John Gibbard Lower School which caters for young children aged from 3–9 years old who live in the immediate area and is one of the feeder schools for Margaret Beaufort Middle School which is located in the nearby village of Riseley
.
which has a research centre on the north-western edge of the village. This uses the grounds of Colworth House
, originally built in the early 17th century and rebuilt in its present form by 1774 as a private house. The house itself is used as office space, with modern laboratory buildings beside and behind it. The site is being turned into a science park for use by a number of companies.
Bedford (borough)
Bedford is a unitary authority with the status of a borough in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based at Bedford, which is also the county town of Bedfordshire. The borough contains a single urban area, the 69th largest in the United Kingdom that comprises Bedford and...
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.
The settlement was recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 as a parish within the Hundred of Willey
Hundred of Willey
The Hundred of Willey is a historical land division, a hundred in northwest corner of Bedfordshire, England. Its northwestern boundary is the county border with Northamptonshire, and its southwestern boundary the border with Buckinghamshire...
but was probably first developed in Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times. The oldest surviving building, St Peter's Church, is Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
. Many of the older buildings in the village are constructed of the local oolitic
Oolite
Oolite is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. The name derives from the Hellenic word òoion for egg. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 mm; rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pisolites...
limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, also used in other traditional north Bedfordshire settlements.
Situated just north of a loop in the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
and almost due north of 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...
, the village has developed as a ribbon-settlement running south-east to north-west, with the core of the community clustered at the north-western end.
Education
The village has, two schools the larger of which Sharnbrook Upper School and Community CollegeSharnbrook Upper School and Community College
Sharnbrook Upper School and Community College, commonly referred to as SUS or simply Sharnbrook, is a large, rural comprehensive upper school located in Sharnbrook, a village near Bedford in the English county of Bedfordshire...
has a campus on the west of the village, serves a wide area and was attended by the London Marathon-winning Paula Radcliffe
Paula Radcliffe
Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
, who opened the aptly named Paula Radcliffe Sharnbrook Community Sports Centre in April 2005. This Community Sports Centre is not only for School users but also serves the wider local community of North Bedfordshire with sporting facilities. Students are aged from 13 to 18 and take both GCSE and A Level exams. The village's other school is John Gibbard Lower School which caters for young children aged from 3–9 years old who live in the immediate area and is one of the feeder schools for Margaret Beaufort Middle School which is located in the nearby village of Riseley
Riseley
-People:*Frank Riseley , British tennis player*Martin Riseley , Canadian violinist and concertmaster-Places:*Riseley, Bedfordshire, village in Bedfordshire, England*Riseley, Berkshire, village in Berkshire, England...
.
Industry
Another major presence is the multinational company UnileverUnilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
which has a research centre on the north-western edge of the village. This uses the grounds of Colworth House
Colworth House
Colworth House is an 18th century mansion set in an area of parkland on the edge of the village of Sharnbrook in Bedfordshire. The current house was first built on a site occupied since prehistoric times and starting in 1715 by Mark Antonie, a self made man who aspired to become part of the landed...
, originally built in the early 17th century and rebuilt in its present form by 1774 as a private house. The house itself is used as office space, with modern laboratory buildings beside and behind it. The site is being turned into a science park for use by a number of companies.