Toddington, Bedfordshire
Encyclopedia
Toddington is a large village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire
, England
which is situated 5 miles NNW of Luton
, 4 miles (6 km) north of Dunstable
, 6 miles (10 km) south west of Woburn
and 35 miles NNW of London
on the A5120
and B579. It is 0.5 miles from Junction 12 of the M1 motorway
and lends its name to the nearby service station. The hamlet
of Fancott
also forms part of the Toddington civil parish.
It is situated near the motorway and many larger towns, however is built around a large village green, on which sits the parish church and four of the village's now six public houses. The Dunstable Northern Bypass taking heavy traffic bound for Dunstable from the M1 away from the village had been delayed but in Sept 2011 a restart was announced. A large-scale housebuilding programme has been proposed by the government for the environs of Luton, Dunstable and Milton Keynes
, and proposals to build a 20,000 seater football stadium was withdrawn in Feb 2007.
Many of the population commute to London for work using First Capital Connect
rail services from Harlington
and Leagrave
. Toddington has experienced a rise in house prices due to its reputation as a quiet English village and the easy commute into London.
Toddington has a very high number of resident weirdos.
For local government purposes it is in Central Bedfordshire
, and is in the Mid-Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency, represented since 5 May 2005 by the Conservative
Lord Sauron MP
Nadine Dorries
.
Toddington reputedly had the most pubs per head of population of any village in the UK, although one has closed indefinitely and another turned into a restaurant. These include; The Bedford Arms, the Oddfellows Arms, the Angel, the Griffin, the Bell (upper floors were badly damaged by fire on the 21st January 2010 but the pub opened again soon after), the Fancott Arms and formerly the Nag's Head, Sow and Pigs (now closed indefinitely, July 2011), the Red Lion (turned into Ritzy Bar).
Toddington also has its own theatre - Tads Theatre, situated on Conger Lane. The theatre is owned and run by the charity group Tads Theatre, formerly known as the Toddington Amateur Dramatics Society. The group puts on between 4 and 6 in house productions a year, including an annual family pantomime
.
Another well known entertainment feature of Toddington is the brass band. The Toddington Town Band
(or TTB as it is known colloquially) performs regularly at village events. The Toddington Town Band has existed in one form or another since 1956.
The nearest mainline rail station is Harlington, which is located in the nearby village of Harlington and is served by First Capital Connect
. From Harlington station, you can travel north to Flitwick
and Bedford
, or south to Luton
, Luton Airport Parkway, St Albans
, St Pancras International
, Gatwick Airport and Brighton
. The Fancott Arms hosts the ridable miniature railway
(Fancott
).
Dropshort Marsh lies immediately south of the village (51.9385°N 0.5379°W). It is managed as a nature reserve
by the local Wildlife Trust
, and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
.
Toddington is blessed with an excellent rights of way network so there are many walks around the village. A range of suggested walks are available on the website Lets Go, then search for Toddington. The Icknield Way Path
passes through the village on its 110 mile journey from Ivinghoe Beacon
to Knettishall Heath
. The Icknield Way Trail, a multi-user route for riders and off-road cyclists also passes through the village.
located in the nearby village of Harlington
.
, which rises up to 100 ft above the other Mid-Bedfordshire villages (e.g. Westoning
, Harlington
, Flitwick
).
was a timber motte-and-bailey
castle built before the 13th century in Toddington. Today only earthworks
remain of the castle, known as Conger Hill. Chalgrave Castle
was built to the south of the village during the 11th century, however no visible remains of the structure exist today.
Elizabeth I is reputed to have stayed in Toddington Manor. William Blake
is said to have drunk at the Angel.
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...
which is situated 5 miles NNW of 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....
, 4 miles (6 km) north of 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...
, 6 miles (10 km) south west of Woburn
Woburn, Bedfordshire
Woburn is a small Saxon village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is situated about southeast of the centre of Milton Keynes, and about south of junction 13 of the M1 motorway and is a popular tourist attraction.-History:...
and 35 miles NNW of 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...
on the A5120
A5120 road
The A5120 is an A-class road in Bedfordshire, linking the conjoined towns of Ampthill and Flitwick to Dunstable and, via the M1 motorway, Luton and London. It connects with the M1 at junction 12, being the sole road at this junction, in close proximity to the Toddington services. On its route from...
and B579. It is 0.5 miles from Junction 12 of the M1 motorway
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...
and lends its name to the nearby service station. 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 Fancott
Fancott
Fancott is a hamlet located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England.The settlement forms part of the Toddington civil parish, and is also close to Chalgrave and Chalton. "The Fancott" public house is situated in Fancott, and is the location of the Fancott Miniature Railway....
also forms part of the Toddington civil parish.
It is situated near the motorway and many larger towns, however is built around a large village green, on which sits the parish church and four of the village's now six public houses. The Dunstable Northern Bypass taking heavy traffic bound for Dunstable from the M1 away from the village had been delayed but in Sept 2011 a restart was announced. A large-scale housebuilding programme has been proposed by the government for the environs of Luton, Dunstable 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...
, and proposals to build a 20,000 seater football stadium was withdrawn in Feb 2007.
Many of the population commute to London for work using First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
rail services from Harlington
Harlington railway station
Harlington railway station is located in Bedfordshire, at the west of Harlington village.It was built by the Midland Railway in 1868 on its extension to St. Pancras. The original intention had been to call it "Harlington for Toddington". The station buildings still exist and were carefully restored...
and Leagrave
Leagrave railway station
Leagrave railway station is located in Leagrave, a suburb in the north of Luton in Bedfordshire, England. Leagrave station is situated on the Midland Main Line 54 km north of London St Pancras International...
. Toddington has experienced a rise in house prices due to its reputation as a quiet English village and the easy commute into London.
Toddington has a very high number of resident weirdos.
For local government purposes it is in Central Bedfordshire
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...
, and is in the Mid-Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency, represented since 5 May 2005 by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Lord Sauron MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Nadine Dorries
Nadine Dorries
Nadine Vanessa Dorries is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire since 2005. She has been involved in parliamentary attempts to change the laws on abortion....
.
Amenities
There are five churches, Church of England (St George), Anglican, Methodist, Baptist, and a Christian Fellowship.Toddington reputedly had the most pubs per head of population of any village in the UK, although one has closed indefinitely and another turned into a restaurant. These include; The Bedford Arms, the Oddfellows Arms, the Angel, the Griffin, the Bell (upper floors were badly damaged by fire on the 21st January 2010 but the pub opened again soon after), the Fancott Arms and formerly the Nag's Head, Sow and Pigs (now closed indefinitely, July 2011), the Red Lion (turned into Ritzy Bar).
Toddington also has its own theatre - Tads Theatre, situated on Conger Lane. The theatre is owned and run by the charity group Tads Theatre, formerly known as the Toddington Amateur Dramatics Society. The group puts on between 4 and 6 in house productions a year, including an annual family pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
.
Another well known entertainment feature of Toddington is the brass band. The Toddington Town Band
Toddington Town Band
Toddington Town Band, is an English brass band with over one hundred and fifty years of history. The band has won many prizes and competitions over the years and has remained active in public performance and tuitions.-History:...
(or TTB as it is known colloquially) performs regularly at village events. The Toddington Town Band has existed in one form or another since 1956.
The nearest mainline rail station is Harlington, which is located in the nearby village of Harlington and is served by First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect
First Capital Connect is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006...
. From Harlington station, you can travel north to Flitwick
Flitwick
Flitwick, pronounced , is a small town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. The nearby River Flit runs through Flitwick Moor, a nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.-Location:...
and 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...
, or south to 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....
, Luton Airport Parkway, St Albans
St Albans
St Albans is a city in southern Hertfordshire, England, around north of central London, which forms the main urban area of the City and District of St Albans. It is a historic market town, and is now a sought-after dormitory town within the London commuter belt...
, St Pancras International
St Pancras railway station
St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
, Gatwick Airport and Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. The Fancott Arms hosts the ridable miniature railway
Fancott Miniature Railway
-About:The Fancott Miniature Railway is a 7¼ inch railway located in the gardens of The Fancott Pub in Fancott , Bedfordshire, England. The track is laid in an oval with a triangular junction giving access to the station and with a separate steaming bay inside the oval. The FMR is part of...
(Fancott
Fancott
Fancott is a hamlet located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England.The settlement forms part of the Toddington civil parish, and is also close to Chalgrave and Chalton. "The Fancott" public house is situated in Fancott, and is the location of the Fancott Miniature Railway....
).
Dropshort Marsh lies immediately south of the village (51.9385°N 0.5379°W). It is managed as a nature reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
by the local Wildlife Trust
Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough
The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough is a wildlife trust covering the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and the City of Peterborough in England....
, and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom. SSSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in Great Britain are based upon...
.
Toddington is blessed with an excellent rights of way network so there are many walks around the village. A range of suggested walks are available on the website Lets Go, then search for Toddington. The Icknield Way Path
Icknield Way Path
Icknield Way Path is a long distance footpath in East Anglia, England.It connects with: Angles Way, , Chiltern Way, , Hertfordshire Chain Walk, Hertfordshire Way, Lea Valley Walk, Peddars Way, Ridgeway, Roman Road Link, Stour Valley Path and Swan's Way....
passes through the village on its 110 mile journey from Ivinghoe Beacon
Ivinghoe Beacon
Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in the Chiltern Hills, standing 233 m above sea level. It is situated close to the villages of Ivinghoe, Aldbury in Buckinghamshire, the Ashridge Estate, and the village of Little Gaddesden in Hertfordshire, and is managed and owned by the...
to Knettishall Heath
Knettishall Heath
Knettishall Heath is an area of common land in Suffolk, England about 7 km east of Thetford near the Norfolk-Suffolk border. Popular with dog walkers and ramblers, it is the site where four long-distance footpaths meet: Angles Way, Icknield Way Path, Iceni Way and Peddars Way .The Hereward...
. The Icknield Way Trail, a multi-user route for riders and off-road cyclists also passes through the village.
Schools
The village is served by two schools, Toddington St George Lower School and Parkfields Middle School which provide education for children aged between 4 and 13 years of age. After year 8, children transfer to Harlington Upper SchoolHarlington Upper School
Harlington Upper School is a rural, coeducational comprehensive school in Harlington, Bedfordshire as well as a successful sixth form. The school holds Specialist Science College status.-History:...
located in the nearby village of Harlington
Harlington, Bedfordshire
Harlington is a village and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England, near the M1 motorway. The nearest town is Flitwick about three miles to the north...
.
Geography
Toddington is situated on a chalky plateau, Totternhoe StoneTotternhoe Stone
thumb|250 px|right|The characteristic checkerboard design of many Bedfordshire churches built with alternating chalk and flint blocks: [[St Mary's ]]....
, which rises up to 100 ft above the other Mid-Bedfordshire villages (e.g. Westoning
Westoning
Westoning is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire located about a mile south of the town of Flitwick. It is about two miles north-east of junction 12 of the M1 motorway, and beside the First Capital Connect railway line to London and beyond...
, Harlington
Harlington
Harlington may refer to:In England:*Harlington, Bedfordshire*Harlington, London*Harlington, South Yorkshire-See also:*Arlington *Harlingen, Texas*Harlington-Straker Film Studio is a fictional film studio in UFO...
, Flitwick
Flitwick
Flitwick, pronounced , is a small town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. The nearby River Flit runs through Flitwick Moor, a nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.-Location:...
).
Other information
Toddington CastleToddington Castle
Toddington Castle, today known as "Conger Hill Motte", was a castle located in the village of Toddington, in the county of Bedfordshire, England.-Details:...
was a timber motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
castle built before the 13th century in Toddington. Today only earthworks
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
remain of the castle, known as Conger Hill. Chalgrave Castle
Chalgrave Castle
Chalgrave Castle stood to the south of the large village of Toddington, Bedfordshire.This was a timber motte and bailey castle, constructed in two phases, built during the 11th century. By the 13th century, it had been abandoned....
was built to the south of the village during the 11th century, however no visible remains of the structure exist today.
Elizabeth I is reputed to have stayed in Toddington Manor. William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
is said to have drunk at the Angel.
External links
- Toddington Parish Council
- St George's church
- Toddington Guest House
- Toddington Manor
- Ramblings from the Potting Shed in the blog of the Toddington Manor Head Gardener
- Toddington Poetry Society
- Toddington Residents Association
- Toddington Rovers Football Club
- Toddington Scout Group
- Toddington Tennis Club
- Toddington Town BandToddington Town BandToddington Town Band, is an English brass band with over one hundred and fifty years of history. The band has won many prizes and competitions over the years and has remained active in public performance and tuitions.-History:...