Misplaced Pages

Dunstable
Clock Tower and Market Cross
DunstableLocation within Bedfordshire
Population	40,699
OS grid reference	TL0121
Civil parish	Dunstable
Unitary authority	Central Bedfordshire
Ceremonial county	Bedfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	DUNSTABLE
Postcode district	LU5, LU6
Dialling code	01582
Police	Bedfordshire
Fire	Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
List of places UK England Bedfordshire 51°53′10″N 0°31′16″W / 51.88603°N 0.52102°W / 51.88603; -0.52102

Dunstable (/ˈdʌnstəbəl/ DUN-stə-bəl) is a market town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles (50 kilometres) north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north. Dunstable is the fourth largest town in Bedfordshire and along with Houghton Regis forms the westernmost part of the Luton/Dunstable urban area.

Etymology

In Roman times there was a minor settlement called Durocobrivis in the area now occupied by modern-day Dunstable.

There was a general assumption that the nominative form of the name had been Durocobrivae, so that is what appears on the map of 1944 illustrated below. But current thinking is that the form Durocobrivis, which occurs in the Antonine Itinerary, is a fossilised locative that was used all the time and Ordnance Survey now uses this form.

There are several theories concerning its modern name:

• Legend tells that the lawlessness of the time was personified in a thief called Dun. Wishing to capture Dun, the King stapled his ring to a post daring the robber to steal it. It was, and was subsequently traced to the house of the widow Dun. Her son, the robber, was taken and hanged to the final satisfaction that the new community bore his name.
• It comes from the Anglo-Saxon for "the boundary post of Duna".
• Derived from Dunum, or Dun, a hill, and Staple, a marketplace.

History

Ancient history

Relics of Palæolithic humans, including such relics as flint implements and the bones of contemporary wild animals, suggest the settlement is prehistoric. At Maiden Bower in the parish of Houghton Regis to the north, there is an Iron Age hill fort, which is clearly marked on the Ordnance survey maps. Maiden Bower has some of the ramparts showing through the edge of an old chalk quarry at Sewell where remains of an older Bronze Age fort exist. There are many prehistoric sites in the area and details can be found with the Manshead Archaeological Society, which is based in Winfield Street, Dunstable. Dunstable is on the route of the Icknield Way, claimed to be 'the oldest road in Britain'.

Roman settlement

A settlement was established by the AD 40s and 50s, when the Romans arrived and paved the road now known as Watling Street and its crossroad, the Icknield Way. Traces of Neolithic activity are not in doubt but much of their mystery may be lost under the surrounding Chiltern Hills.

The Romans built a posting station and probably named the settlement Durocobrivae, but over time this may have shifted to Durocobrivis. The area was occupied by Saxons around AD 571.

Medieval times

Dunstable's modern structure dates back to Anglo-Saxon times, as do many of the nearby towns/villages. The etymology of Dunstable, akin to Luton, Houghton Regis, Totternhoe, Kensworth, Caddington, Toddington, Leighton Buzzard, etc. is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and believed to mean "Dun's market", "Downs' market" (i.e. market near the downs or hills), or "Dun's post/pole". There is no firm date as to the founding of Dunstable. However, it's possible that once the early Anglo-Saxon settled in the area, and had subdued local Romano-Britons, Dunstable along with its adjacent communities was founded between the 6th-8th centuries. During the Heptarchy period, what was to become Bedfordshire was part of the Kingdom of Mercia. This area of southern Bedfordshire was near the Danelaw boundary (the river Lea running through Luton), though within the territory ruled by King Alfred the Great in his treaty with the Norse Lord Guthrum.

There were raids by Norsemen, who had settled in Bedford and further north in Northampton and up to the Leicester/Rutland regions, for cattle, crops, slaves, and other items, which were often repelled by local Anglo-Saxon forces. One such raid occurred in 912, where Norse jarls from the East Midlands arranged raids of what is now southern Bedfordshire, including the Luton and Dunstable areas. However, Norse activity in the area was subdued after the Anglo-Saxon victory at the Battle of Tempsford, believed to have been fought further north in the county. Bedfordshire and by extension the Dunstable area was affected by later Norse raids, under Kings Sweyn Forkbeard and Cnut of Denmark, in response to the St. Bride's Massacre executed by King Athelred the Unready of England. From 1002, (the date of the Massacre) to 1016 (the ascension of Cnut as King of England), the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that Bedfordshire was heavily affected by Norse harrying.

At the time of the Norman Conquest, this area of the county is known to have been uncultivated tract covered by woodlands. In 1109, Henry I started a period of activity by responding to this danger to travellers. He instructed areas to be cleared and encouraged settlers with offers of royal favour. In 1123, a royal residence was built at what is now called the Royal Palace Lodge Hotel on Church Street. The king used the residence as a base to hunt on nearby lands.

The Dunstable Priory was founded in 1131 by Henry I who transferred land from the Parish of Houghton Regis, and it was here that the annulment of Henry VIII's and Catherine of Aragon's marriage would be confirmed years later, which led to the establishment of the Church of England in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church. The same year the town granted a town charter to the power of the priors.

In 1290, Dunstable was one of twelve sites to erect an Eleanor cross recognising Eleanor of Castile, wife of Edward I, whose coffin was laid close to the crossroads for the local people to mourn the dead Queen. The coffin was then guarded inside the priory by the canons overnight before continuing on to St. Albans. The original wooden cross has long since perished but a modern memorial remains.

During the Invasion of England of 1326, Queen Isabella of France and her army, having landed in Suffolk, captured Dunstable on 7 October without a fight.

17th century

Bedfordshire was one of the counties that largely supported the Roundheads during the English Civil War. Nearby St Albans in Hertfordshire was the headquarters of the Roundheads, and troops were occasionally stationed at Dunstable. The town was plundered by King Charles I's soldiers when passing through in June 1644, and Essex's men destroyed the Eleanor cross.

The town's prosperity, and the large number of inns or public houses in the town, is partly because it is only one or two days' ride by horse from London (32 miles (51 km)), and therefore a place to rest overnight. There are two pubs which still have coaching gates to the side: the Sugar Loaf in High Street North, and the Saracen's Head in High Street South. The Saracen's Head is a name often given to pubs frequented by knights of the crusades. It is positioned considerably lower than the road to its front, witness to the fact that the road has been resurfaced a number of times during the lifetime of the pub.

19th century

Dunstable's first railway opened in 1848, originally in Houghton Regis. It was a branch joining the West Coast Main Line at Leighton Buzzard. A second line linking Dunstable with Hatfield via Luton opened in 1858. Passenger services to Dunstable were withdrawn in 1965, but the line between Dunstable and Luton remained open for freight traffic for many years.

Dunstable was a significant market town, but its importance diminished as the neighbouring town of Luton grew.

20th century

The 19th century saw the straw hat making industry come to Luton and a subsequent decline in Dunstable, to be replaced in the early 20th century by the printing and motor vehicle industries, with companies such as Waterlow's and Vauxhall Motors respectively. The new Bedford Dunstable plant came into production in 1942 to support the British Army in the Second World War. It continued manufacturing commercial trucks and buses until 1992. The closure of the main factories and the decline of manufacturing in the area has led to this distinctiveness being lost.

Shops were concentrated along High Street North/South (Watling Street) and in 1966 the Quadrant Shopping Centre opened. During the 1980s, Dunstable town centre was a successful shopping centre featuring major retailers including Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose, Bejam/Iceland, Boots, Halfords, Co-op department store, Argos, Woolworths, Burton, Next and many independent specialist shops including Moore's of Dunstable. These attracted shoppers from outlying villages resulting in a retail town centre larger than would be supportable by Dunstable residents alone, so much so that in 1985 the Eleanor's Cross retail area was developed to cater mainly for smaller shops.

The Cottage Garden Flower Shop of Chiltern Road, established in 1898, is believed to be the oldest independent retail business still trading.

21st century

As with many other market towns, the rise of out-of-town retail parks contributed to a decline in town centre trade; Sainsbury's, Tesco, Halfords, and Next moved to newer larger premises out-of-town.

More recently, major grocery retailers Asda and Aldi have opened stores within the town centre. Whitbread PLC, which manages Premier Inn, Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Table Table, is headquartered on the Houghton Regis/Dunstable industrial estate.

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Dunstable, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Dunstable Town Council and Central Bedfordshire Council. The town council has its offices at Grove House, 76 High Street North.

Dunstable is served by the Bedfordshire Police force where the Police and Crime Commissioner is Festus Akinbusoye. He is the first black Briton to be elected to this position.

Administrative history

Dunstable had been an ancient borough between the 12th and 16th centuries, but lost its borough status following the English Reformation. In 1863 the parish of Dunstable was made a local government district, governed by a local board. One of the new board's first acts was to petition for the town to be made a borough again. The petition was successful and in 1864 the parish became the Municipal Borough of Dunstable. The municipal borough was abolished in 1974, becoming part of South Bedfordshire, which was in turn replaced by Central Bedfordshire in 2009. Between 1974 and 1985 Dunstable was an unparished area, directly administered by South Bedfordshire District Council. A new civil parish of Dunstable was created in 1985, with its council taking the name Dunstable Town Council.

Geography

The oldest part of the town is along the Icknield Way and Watling Street where they cross. These roads split the rest of the town into four quadrants which have each been developed in stages.

The northwest quadrant started to be developed in the 19th century when the British Land Company laid out the roads around Victoria Street. The development of the Beecroft area began with the houses around Worthington Road; after the Second World War the borough council extended the estate up to Westfield Road with its shops, and then up to Aldbanks. The war-time site of the Meteorological Office, was then in Houghton Regis, where Cookfield Close and Weatherby stand. The site was redeveloped by George Wimpey Homes and others. At the north of the town there is an estate originally marketed as French's Gate Estate, and at the west of the town there is an area of houses on Lancot Hill.

The southwest quadrant has largely been developed since the Second World War. There are three main estates. In the Lake District Estate all the streets are named after places in the Lake District and Cumbria; the estate includes a parade of shops on Langdale Road. It was originally called the Croft Golf Course Estate and was built by Laing Homes. Oldhill Down Estate around the Lowther Road shops was developed by William Old Ltd., and the Stipers Hill Estate around Seamons Close was initially created by the Land Settlement Association.

In the southeast quadrant, the area around Great Northern Road was developed at the end of the 19th century as Englands Close Estate and Borough Farm Estate. The Downside Estate including the shops on Mayfield Road was planned by the borough council in 1951.

The northeast quadrant is a mainly commercial and civic area, the result of redevelopment in the early 1960s. The site of Waterlow's printing works around Printers Way is now occupied by houses built in the 1990s. The Northfields Estate at the north of the town was completed by the borough council in 1935.

Further east, near the boundary with Luton, there is another area that has largely been developed since the Second World War. To the south of Luton Road, Jeans Way was completed after the war; to the north, Poynters Estate and Hadrian Estate were built on either side of Katherine Drive, where there is a parade of shops. The area also includes the Woodside Estate which contains most of the factories and warehouses that still exist in Dunstable.

Politics

The town lies in the parliamentary constituency of South West Bedfordshire. Since June 2001 Leighton Buzzard based lawyer Andrew Selous of the Conservative Party has represented the constituency. The previous incumbent for several parliaments was Conservative backbencher David Madel.

Transport

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Road

Formerly, the A5 trunk road lay at the heart of Dunstable's transport infrastructure, running north to south. However, the completion of the northern A5-M1 bypass has meant the de-trunking of the road, relabelled now as the A5183 with a 7.5 tonne weight limit. Movement is complemented by the M1 motorway east of the town in Luton. The nearest motorway junction is J11, which is about 2 mi (3 km) to the east of the town centre via the A505. Although congested, the town's roads provide the means to connect to the country's motorways systems.

Bus

Dunstable is served by two main operators, Arriva and Centrebus. Arriva runs the interurban services to Luton (direct and via Houghton Regis), Leighton Buzzard and Aylesbury, but other routes have been steadily taken over from Arriva by Centrebus in recent years, which now provides services to St Albans, Harpenden, Luton (direct and via Caddington), Toddington and Milton Keynes. Centrebus also operates three local services within Dunstable to Beecroft/Weatherby, Downside and the Langdale Road estate. Many bus services are financially supported by Central Bedfordshire Council.

Luton Dunstable Busway

Construction of the Luton Dunstable Busway between Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Luton and Luton Airport was completed in September 2013 at the cost of £91m. Much of the busway runs along the lines of the old railway which has been converted into a guided busway running alongside Blow's Down and dedicated roadway. Buses travel on ordinary roads around Dunstable, Houghton Regis and at the airport, but benefit from fast transit (up to 50 mph) with few stops on the busway itself between these centres. Multiple companies operate different routes which run on the busway.

Rail

Dunstable was once served by the Dunstable Branch Lines to Leighton Buzzard and to Luton from Dunstable Town railway station. There have been a number of campaigns for the re-establishment of a passenger railway, but these have been superseded by the Luton to Dunstable Busway, which uses the former rail route (see Bus Transport above). Dunstable is one of the largest towns south of the Midlands conurbations without its own rail service. But as part of the large Luton conurbation it is 3 mi (5 km) from north Luton's Leagrave station, 5 mi (8 km) from the central Luton station, and 8 miles from south Luton's Airport Parkway station, which all provide fast rail links to central London.

New developments

A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass)

A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass)

The route of the Dunstable Northern Bypass proposal and route options for the connecting Luton Northern Bypass.
Location	Central Bedfordshire
Proposer	Highways Agency
Status	Approved
Type	Road
Cost estimate	£171 million to £217 million
Start date	2014–2015
Completion date	2016–2017
Geometry	KML

The A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass), which opened in May 2017, is a two-lane dual carriageway running east from the A5 north of Dunstable to join the M1 at a new Junction 11a south of Chalton. Here, it is intended to join with a proposed Luton Northern Bypass to form a northern bypass for the wider conurbation. The A5-M1 Link aims to alleviate traffic congestion in Houghton Regis and Dunstable, reduce journey times for long-distance traffic travelling through Dunstable and improve the regional economy. Highways England detrunked the A5 through Dunstable, renumbering it A5183, when the A5-M1 Link opened to the public in May 2017. As a direct result of the detrunking, Central Bedfordshire Council introduced a 7.5 tonne weight limit on most roads in Dunstable town centre in 2017 with the aim of easing congestion.

Woodside Link

The 1.8 mi (2.9 km) A5505 Woodside Link connects the industrial areas of Dunstable and Houghton Regis to the new junction 11a of the M1 motorway. This road aimed to take traffic out of the town centre, reduce congestion and improve air quality. It formed part of Central Bedfordshire Council's Dunstable Town Centre Masterplan, to improve job opportunities and quality of life for people living and working in Dunstable and neighbouring towns and villages. It also allowed access to the development of greenbelt land north of Houghton Regis for 5,150 new homes and 30 hectares of employment land by 2031. Central Bedfordshire Council delivered the £38.3m scheme with contributions of £20m from SEMLEP's Local Growth Deal, £5m from the UK government's Local Pinch Point Fund and £1m from developers.

Amenities

Culture

Since opening in April 2007, the 780-seat Grove Theatre has replaced the Queensway Hall as the town's premier arts centre. The Little Theatre, home of the Dunstable Rep Theatre Group, also hosts dramatic performances throughout the year. The auditorium, once part of the Chews Trust, was opened in 1964 by Bernard Bresslaw. It stands next to the historic Chews House on High Street South. The town also has numerous amateur dramatics societies that perform several shows a year, including the Square Drama Circle and Dunstable Amateur Operatics Society.

A Wetherspoons called The Gary Cooper (named after the famous actor who attended the town's grammar school), and a nightclub called BOX3 are located in the Grove Park complex. The complex is also home to Central Bedfordshire College, the Performing Arts Depot (PAD), and BBC Three Counties Radio.

The town receives its television signals from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio on 103.8 FM, Heart Dunstable on 97.6 FM and Luton and Dunstable Hospital Radio that broadcast from the Luton & Dunstable Hospital in Luton on 1134 AM.

Sport and leisure

Several parks and open spaces are kept by Central Bedfordshire Council along with Dunstable Leisure Centre. The centre was closed on 4 June 2017 to undergo a £20.1 million redevelopment incorporating a new town library. The Centre, re-opened in June 2019 and includes leisure facilities, a gym, swimming pools and a flexible community space for other public and community services, such as Citizens Advice and adult day care/disabled sports. Stevenage Leisure Limited will manage and operate the leisure centre on behalf on Central Bedfordshire Council. It neighbours the Grove Theatre (also managed by SLL), a modern 32-lane ten-pin bowling centre, and the main campus of Central Bedfordshire College.

The town is home to two football clubs, Dunstable Town F.C. and AFC Dunstable, who both play at the Creasey Park Stadium. Dunstable Town F.C. play in the Spartan South Midlands Football League Premier Division and AFC Dunstable play in the Southern League Division One Central. Dunstable Town once famously recruited George Best and subsequently defeated Manchester United 3–2 in the process.

Dunstablians rugby union club play their matches in nearby Houghton Regis at Bidwell Hill. The club currently plays in the RFU Midlands division (level 6).

Lancot Meadow (51°53′07″N 0°32′36″W / 51.8853°N 0.5434°W / 51.8853; -0.5434 (Lancot Meadow)) is a small nature reserve managed by the local Wildlife Trust. Alongside the Luton-Dunstable busway lies Blow's Down, a site of special scientific interest.

Dunstable Downs Golf Club, founded in 1906 and designed by James Braid, is on the top of the Downs.

Landmarks

Within the town centre is the Grove Theatre, Priory House Heritage Centre and the Priory Church, where Henry VIII formalised his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. At the heart of the town sits the Quadrant Shopping Centre, while across High Street North a secondary shopping community, the Eleanor's Cross Shopping Precinct, hosts a modern statue commemorating the original cross. Nearby Luton has the Waulud's Bank prehistoric henge and Luton Museum and Art Gallery.

Dunstable Downs, a chalky escarpment outside the town, is a popular site for kite flying, paragliding and hang gliding, while the London Gliding Club provides a base for conventional gliding and other air activities at the bottom of the Downs. Further into the countryside are the open-range Whipsnade Zoo, a garden laid out in the form of a cathedral at Whipsnade Tree Cathedral and the Totternhoe Knolls motte-and-bailey castle.

The Icknield Way Path passes through the town on its 110-mile journey from Ivinghoe Beacon in Buckinghamshire to Knettishall Heath in Suffolk. The Icknield Way Trail, a multi-user route for walkers, horse riders and off-road cyclists also passes through the town. The route, now used for leisure, goes to the west and north of the main conurbation rather than following the road that still bears its name.

Education

Secondary schools in the town include:

• All Saints Academy, Dunstable, formerly Northfields Technology College
• Queensbury Academy, formerly Queensbury Upper School
• Manshead CE Academy, formerly Manshead Upper School

The Priory Academy is a combined Middle and Upper School serving children from the ages of 9 to 16. The former Dunstable Grammar School (later Ashton Middle School) closed in 2016, and its historic buildings have been converted to private residences.

All secondary schools apart from the Priory Academy the town have attached sixth forms.

The Chiltern School and Weatherfield Academy are coeducational special schools in Dunstable. These schools educate pupils from the wider Central Bedfordshire area.

Central Bedfordshire College is a further education site which serves students from Dunstable and the surrounding rural area.

Notable people

• Geoffrey de Gorham (ca. 1100-1146), schoolmaster in Dunstable and later Abbot of St Albans
• Alexander Neckam (1157-1217), scientist and teacher
• John Dunstaple (or Dunstable) (ca. 1390 -1453), 15th-century composer thought to be born in Dunstable
• Elkanah Settle (1648-1724), poet and playwright
• The Chew family, including Thomas Aynscombe (died 1740), who co-founded the Chew's House School
• Alfred Morcom (1885-1952), medical doctor and former cricketer
• Khawaja Nazimuddin (1894-1964), former Prime Minister of Pakistan; attended Dunstable Grammar School
• Joe Church (1899-1989), a British missionary who was part of the East African Revival
• Gary Cooper (1901-1961), actor, went to Dunstable Grammar School from 1910 to 1913
• Sam Kydd (1915-1982), television actor; attended Dunstable Grammar School
• Steve and Jimmy Clark (1924-2017; 1922-2009), African-American tap dancers who settled in Dunstable after World War II
• Michael Kilby (1924-2008), Conservative politician and former Dunstable mayor
• Mick Abrahams (born 1943), founding member of Jethro Tull
• Nigel Benson (born 1955), author and illustrator
• Kevin McCloud (born 1959), designer, writer and television presenter; attended Dunstable Grammar School and Manshead Upper School
• Bernard O'Mahoney (born 1960), crime author
• Kerry Dixon (born 1961), former footballer
• Nikki Iles (born 1963), musician
• Paul Clayton (born 1965), former footballer
• Don Gilét (born 1967), actor best known for playing Lucas Johnson in EastEnders
• Spike Breakwell (born 1968), comedian
• Badly Drawn Boy (born 1969), musician
• Rhodri Marsden (born 1971), musician and writer
• Faye Tozer (born 1975), member of the pop group Steps
• Chris Gauthier (born 1976), actor whose family later moved to British Columbia
• Rob Keogh (born 1991), cricketer

Twin towns

Dunstable is twinned with:

• Bourgoin-Jallieu, France
• Porz (Cologne), Germany

Dunstable is also unofficially twinned with Dunstable, Massachusetts, United States.

See also

• Sally the Dunstable Witch, 1800s hoax in Dunstable purportedly devised to shame the vicar into cleaning the churchyard
• Dunstable Swan Jewel, jewel from the 1400s excavated in Dunstable and now found in the British Museum
• Dunstable Kestrel, single seat glider plane from the 1930s
• The Three Dukes of Dunstable, a 1688 comedy play by the English writer Thomas D'Urfey

Local destinations

v t e Destinations from Dunstable
Milton Keynes Bedford Houghton Regis Leighton Buzzard Dunstable Luton Tring Hemel Hempstead Harpenden

References

1. ONS, Census 2021 Parish Profiles
2. "Home". dunstable.gov.uk.
3. "Durocobrivis (Dunstable)". Roman Britain. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
4. Rivet, A. L. F.; Smith, C. (1979), The Place Names of Roman Britain, Batsford, p. 349
5. ^ Adrian Room, ed. (1995), Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1st ed.), Cassell, ISBN 0-304-34869-4
6. Sunday Times Travel, 6 January 2008, p. 46
7. Genuki entry for Dunstable, Accessed 26_12_09
8. May, Francis (20 June 1973). "Nearby Dunstable Mass. Observes 300th Anniversary". Nashua Telegraph. p. 30. Retrieved 18 May 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
9. ^ Page, William (1912). A History of the County of Bedford: Volume 3. London: Victoria County History. pp. 349–368.
10. Evans V.; Schneider J. (2002), Dunstable down the ages: an outline history from prehistoric to modern times, Dunstable: Book Castle
11. Valente, C. (1998). "The Deposition and Abdication of Edward II". The English Historical Review. 113 (453): 852–881. doi:10.1093/ehr/CXIII.453.852. OCLC 2207424.
12. Focus On: Dunstable, 1966, Anglia Television Archived 14 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Anglia Television programme looking at life in the Bedfordshire town of Dunstable.
13. cottagegardenflowershop.co.uk, History of the Cottage Garden Flower Shop.
14. "Council meetings". Dunstable Town Council. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
15. "Dunstable Town Council". Central Bedfordshire Council. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
16. Page, William, ed. (1912). A History of the County of Bedford, Volume 3. British History Online. pp. 349–368. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
17. "No. 22729". The London Gazette. 24 April 1863. p. 2189.
18. Borough Charter of Dunstable, BorDV11/1. Bedford: Bedfordshire Archives and Local Studies. 8 December 1864. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
19. "The South Bedfordshire (Parishes) Order 1985" (PDF). Local Government Boundary Commission for England. The National Archives. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
20. Walden, pp. 5–9
21. Walden, pp. 101, 112, 172, 190–191, 194, 199, 226.
22. Walden, pp. 266–268, 275, 282.
23. Walden, pp. 6, 136, 145–146.
24. Walden, pp. 91, 203, 205.
25. Walden, pp. 240, 241, 263–264.
26. "www.parliament.uk Home page".
27. "Andrew Selous MP, South West Bedfordshire - TheyWorkForYou".
28. Ferguson, Alan. "Bus services in Central Bedfordshire". www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
29. ^ "Map of Blow's Down". Defra. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
30. Guides to Collections: British Railways Board Archived 29 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service.
31. "A5-M1 Link (Dunstable Northern Bypass)". Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
32. ^ "Dunstable Town Centre Masterplan". Retrieved 25 November 2014.
33. Central Bedfordshire Council. "Transport strategy". www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
34. "Woodside Link road". Retrieved 25 November 2014.
35. "Houghton Regis North Site 1". Retrieved 25 November 2014.
36. "SEMLEP awarded £64.6 million Local Growth Deal". Retrieved 25 November 2014.
37. "Successful schemes to be funded in Tranche 2 of the Local Pinch Point Fund" (PDF). Retrieved 25 November 2014.
38. "History". Grove Theatre. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
39. "Little Theatre". Retrieved 26 March 2009.
40. "Luton & Dunstable Hospital Radio – About Us".
41. ^ "The Dunstable Centre". www.sll.co.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
42. "£20m leisure centre reopens without a pool". 3 June 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
43. Council, Central Bedfordshire. "Dunstable Leisure Centre redevelopment". www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
44. "Grove Theatre". www.grovetheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
45. Wildlife Trust, Lancot Meadow Archived 3 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
46. "Priory Academy". Central Bedfordshire.
47. ODNB Geoffrey de Gorham, Accessed 8 August 2011
48. Russell, Josiah C. (April 1932). "Alexander Neckam in England". The English Historical Review. 47 (186): 260–268. doi:10.1093/ehr/XLVII.CLXXXVI.260. JSTOR 553364.
49. Bent, Margaret (2006) . "Dunstaple [Dunstable], John". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. § para. 1. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8286. ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
50. Pearson, David (March 2020). "Elkanah Settle and His Bookbindings, Revisited". The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America. 114 (1): 71. doi:10.1086/707498. S2CID 213945855.
51. "Dunstable Chew's House School". Bedfordshire Libraries. 23 July 2008. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011.
52. "Chew's Foundation, Dunstable". National Archives. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
53. "Alfred Morcom". ESPN Cric Info. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
54. ^ Watt, Andrew. "9 celebrities you might not know have a connection with Dunstable". Luton on Sunday. Archived from the original on 13 October 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
55. Benson, Nigel (1986). Dunstable in Detail. Dunstable: The Book Castle. pp. 191–195. ISBN 978-0-9509773-2-4. Archived from the original on 23 February 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
56. "Jimmy Clark Obituary". The Guardian. 19 November 2009. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
57. "Michael L. Kilby". www.europarl.europa.eu. 3 September 1924. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
58. "Player profile: Michael Kilby". CricketArchive. Retrieved 28 July 2019.
59. Colin Larkin, ed. (1995). The Guinness Who's Who of Blues (Second ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 11. ISBN 0-85112-673-1.
60. "Dunstable Town Council minutes of the meeting of Plans sub-committee" (PDF). Government of Dunstable. 9 May 2017. p. 3. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
61. Taylor, Juliet (1 February 2022). "We need to talk about Kevin: 20 questions answered about Kevin McCloud". Architecture and Design. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
62. Lacey, Hester (27 January 2012). "The Inventory: Kevin McCloud". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
63. Mehrotra, Kriti (26 May 2021). "Where is Bernard O'Mahoney Now?". The Cinemaholic. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
64. "Kerry Dixon guilty of Dunstable 'fatso' jibe assault". BBC. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
65. Chilton, Martin (4 June 2022). "Nikki Iles, Mike Walker, RNCM Big Band (RNCM Theatre, 30 June)". London Jazz News. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
66. "Paul Clayton". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
67. Creagh, Bev (19 November 2021). "Meet Dunstable's wannabe Bond villain with his new book on surviving lockdown". Luton Today. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
68. Jones, Craig (31 March 2023). "Badly Drawn Boy pays heartfelt tribute to brother during emotional homecoming Manchester gig". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
69. Marsden, Rhodri (8 September 2015). "When John Peel interviewed Rhodri Marsden: Goth jokes, fanzines, and a whole musical sub-culture". The Independent. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
70. Lowson, James (12 April 2022). "Former Steps star Faye Tozer promises 'night of escapism' as Singin in the Rain comes to Milton Keynes Theatre". Milton Keynes Citizen. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
71. "Once Upon A Time, Luton-born actor Chris Gauthier set off on an adventure of a lifetime". Luton Today. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
72. Casey, Jeremy (27 August 2021). "Rob Keogh commits future to Northants as he signs two-year deal". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
73. "Dunstable Twinning". dunstable.gov.uk. Dunstable Town Council. Retrieved 16 May 2021.

Bibliography

• Prehistory: Matthews, C. L. (1989). (revised by) Schneider, J (ed.). Ancient Dunstable (2nd ed.). Manshead Archaeological Society. ISBN 0-9515160-0-0.
• Historical town-centre locations: Benson, Nigel (1986). Dunstable in Detail: An Illustrated Guide to the Town of Dunstable. Dunstable: Book Castle. ISBN 0-9509773-2-2.
• Street names: Walden, R. (1999). Streets Ahead: An Illustrated Guide to the Street Names of Dunstable. Dunstable: Book Castle. ISBN 1-87119-959-X.

• Second World War: Yates J. & King S. (2006). Dunstable and District at War from Eyewitness Accounts. Dunstable: Book Castle. ISBN 1-903747-79-1.

External links

• Dunstable Town Council
• Focus On: Dunstable Archived 14 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine, 1966 Anglia Television programme looking at life in Dunstable, East Anglian Film Archive.

v t e Luton
Demography Economy History Listed buildings
Places	LU postcode area Luton/Dunstable urban area Dunstable Houghton Regis Wards Barnfield Biscot Bramingham Challney Crawley Farley Dallow High Town Icknield Leagrave Lewsey Limbury Northwell Round Green Saints South Stopsley Sundon Park Wigmore Areas Bushmead Bury Park Butterfield Green Chapel Langley Hart Hill Hockwell Ring Lewsey Farm Lewsey Park Maidenhall Marsh Farm Napier Park New Town Park Town Putteridge Ramridge End Runfold Skimpot Tin Town Tophill Vauxhall Park Warden Hill
Amenities	Churches Fire and Rescue Luton and Dunstable Hospital The Mall Luton Stockwood Park Wardown Park
Culture & sport	Exodus Collective The Hat Factory Luton Carnival Luton Hoo Luton Town F.C. History Kenilworth Road Power Court Rugby Club Stockwood Discovery Centre Wardown Park Museum
Education	Secondary Cardinal Newman Chalk Hills Academy Challney Boys Challney Girls Denbigh Icknield Lea Manor Lealands Putteridge Queen Elizabeth Rabia School Stockwood Park Academy Stopsley Woodlands Tertiary Barnfield College Central Bedfordshire College Luton Sixth Form College University of Bedfordshire
Politics	Council elections Luton Borough Council Luton North Luton South Luton Town Hall
Transport	Leagrave railway station Luton Airport Luton Airport Parkway Luton DART Luton railway station Luton to Dunstable Busway
Media	BBC 3 Counties Radio Heart East Radio LaB
Category Commons

• Dunstable
• Towns in Bedfordshire
• Civil parishes in Bedfordshire
• Central Bedfordshire District