Clifton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the English

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

. The original

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In medieval contexts, it may be described as the short hundred or five score in order to differentiate the English and Germanic use of "hundred" to des ...

of Clifton is named after it. The original "hundred" comprised: The Parishes of Arlesey; Campton-Cum- Shefford; Chicksands; Clifton; Henlow; Holwell; Meppershall; part of Shillington; Lower Stondon; Little Holwell; Stotfold; Upper Stondon. The first recorded reference to Clifton is in 944 when it is referred to as Cliftune. Clifton is also mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

. The entry reads: ''Cliftone: William de Cairon from Bishop of Lincoln, Eudo FitzHubert and

Nigel d'Aubigny Nigel d'Aubigny (''Neel d'Aubigny'' or ''Nigel de Albini'', died 1129), was a Norman Lord and English baron who was the son of Roger d'Aubigny and Amice or Avice de Mowbray. His paternal uncle William was lord of Aubigny, while his father was an ...

; Leofwin from St. Benedict's of Ramsey; Alwin from Countess Judith. 2 mills.'' All Saints Church, built in the 14th and 15th centuries was heavily restored in the nineteenth century. Clifton village is now a popular place to live as a consequence of its good transport links and proximity to the railway station at Arlesey. Clifton was voted Bedfordshire Village of the Year in 2003, 2005 and 2009. It is today largely residential, but in the past it was a centre for

straw plaiting Straw plaiting is a method of manufacturing textiles by braiding straw and the industry that surrounds the craft of producing these straw manufactures. Straw is plaited to produce products including straw hats and ornaments, and the process is ...

. The original All Saints school was a "Straw Plait School" where children were expected to learn to plait straw from as young as four years of age. They would also be taught to read. There was also once a small factory producing bottled drinks. Harwoods Mineral Water Factory operated from 1880 until 1947. Harwoods produced Hops Bitters, Cherry Cider, Stone Ginger Beer, Lime Juice and Soda, and Ginger Ale and sold them to the pubs and shops of all the surrounding villages. Samuel Whitbread Academy is also located in the village of Clifton. Clifton was visited by the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from El ...

on 17 November 2006 as part of a visit to reopen the school. Facilities in Clifton include a lower school, butcher, post office/village store and two public houses (The Golden Lion and The Admiral). There is also an Indian restaurant, garage, petrol station and a hairdresser. There is a small group of businesses located in converted farm buildings at Clifton Bury farm. At the northern edge of the village is Clifton Cricket Club which plays at the Claybridge Ground. Football is played at the Recreation ground. The Community Centre, with its large car park, is located at the Northern end of the Recreation Ground. All Saints’ Church Hall is situated in Stanford Lane. There is a duckpond in the centre of the village. English actor Ben Whishaw was born and grew up in Clifton.

Geography

Clifton is located in the valley of the River Ivel which used to be navigable through the village. The highest point in the village is 62m above sea level at Hitchin Hill.

References

External links

Clifton pages
at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service
Village Web site

Clifton Weather
{{authority control Villages in Bedfordshire Civil parishes in Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire District