Cotton End is a small village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

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 wa ...

, England. It became a parish as of 1 April 2019, having previously been part of the parish of

Eastcotts Eastcotts is an electoral ward within the Borough of Bedford. It was formerly also a civil parish until its abolition on 1 April 2019, when Cotton End and Shortstown parishes were established. The boundaries of Eastcotts are approximately Exe ...

. It is within the

Borough of Bedford The Borough of Bedford is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based in Bedford, its namesake and principal settlement, which is the county town of Bedfordshire. The bor ...

. Ordnance Survey maps from the 1880s show its name as 'Cardington Cotton End'. The village is set along the A600,

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

Hitchin Hitchin () is a market town and unparished area in the North Hertfordshire Districts of England, district in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 35,842. History Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce peopl ...

road, south-east of Bedford town centre. Cotton End Forest School is a primary school established in 2019 catering for children from age 2 to 11, with an outdoor approach to education. It was designed by Nottingham-based Lungfish Architects and built by Wilmott Dixon largely of timber and has a capacity of 630. It replaced Cotton End Lower School, which was in school buildings dating back to 1875. A Baptist meeting house was founded here in 1777. It was replaced by the current chapel, which was formerly opened on 12 April 1837. A census return carried out in 1851 reported the chapel had three galleries and 76 pews allowing up to 600 worshippers. Over the preceding year an average of 150 attended Sunday school in the morning and afternoon, 500 attended the morning service, 400 the afternoon and 150 in the evening. New Sunday Schools and a village room were opened in 1895. In the early 2000s the pews were removed and replaced by chairs, and the church floor was carpeted. In 1912, Cotton End is described as a scattered hamlet. Manor Farmhouse is the former manor house of Cotton End manor and dates from the late 16th century. It is of brick with stone dressings under a clay tile roof and listed Grade II*. An "elaborate" early 17th century plaster work ceiling features panels and borders depicting a coat of arms, birds, animals, foliage, grotesque figures and scriptural images. In 1752 the farm extended to , but by 1840 this had reduced to . An 18th century dovecote stands in the grounds. The Bell public house is Grade II listed. Documentary evidence held by Bedfordshire Archives dates the building to around 1780, but its listing places it in the 17th century. It has a colour washed, rough cast exterior and a thatched roof. It was owned by Bedford brewers Higgins and Sons by 1902, followed by Wells & Winch of

Biggleswade Biggleswade ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the River Ivel, 11 miles (18 km) south-east of Bedford. Its population was 16,551 in the 2011 United Kingdom census, and its es ...

in 1927 and from 1961 by

Greene King Greene King is a large pub retailer and brewer. It is based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England. The company owns pubs, restaurants and hotels. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by CK Assets in October 2019. ...

. The Charles Wells-owned Harrows Public House built in 1899 on High Road closed in 2007 and has been converted into residential properties. Other Grade II listed buildings in Cotton End are a house at 21 High Road, and cottages at 8 and 10 Bell Lane. A new woodland created by the

Forest of Marston Vale The Forest of Marston Vale is an evolving community forest in Marston Vale, which runs south west from the towns of Bedford and Kempston in Bedfordshire, England towards the M1 motorway. It is operated by a registered charity called the Forest ...

in 2005 called Shocott Spring.

References

External links

Villages in Bedfordshire Civil parishes in Bedfordshire Borough of Bedford Populated places established in 2019 2019 establishments in England {{bedfordshire-geo-stub