Flitwick () is a town 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 ...
in
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 is 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 ...
of 1086 as "a hamlet on the River Flitt". The spelling ''Flytwyk'' appears in 1381.
The nearby
River Flit
The River Flit is a short river in Bedfordshire, England. Its name is not ancient, but rather a back formation from Flitton which originally meant that the river was spelt with as ''Flitt'' rather than ''Flit''.
Course
The river rises as a sma ...
runs through
Flitwick Moor
Flitwick Moor is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Flitwick and Greenfield in Bedfordshire. It was notified under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in 1984 and the local planning authority is Central Bed ...
, a nature reserve and a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of ...
.
Location
It is broadly equidistant between
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 ...
and
Luton
Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
. It shares many services with the neighbouring town of
Ampthill
Ampthill () is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population estimate of 8,100 (Mid year estimate 2017 from the ONS). It is administered bAmpthill Town Council The ward of Ampthill which also i ...
, which lies just to the north. The boundary between the two towns is a watercourse called the Running Waters, which is now the route of the A507.
Nearby settlements
Ampthill
Ampthill () is a town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population estimate of 8,100 (Mid year estimate 2017 from the ONS). It is administered bAmpthill Town Council The ward of Ampthill which also i ...
,
Maulden
Maulden is a village and civil parish located in the county of Bedfordshire. The village is located 1.5 miles east of Ampthill and about south of Bedford. It has about 1,250 homes and 3130 residents.
Maulden is referred to in the Domesday Book ...
,
Clophill
Clophill is a village and civil parish clustered on the north bank of the River Flit, Bedfordshire, England. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Clopelle''. "Clop" likely means 'tree-stump' in Old English. However, it also has cogn ...
,
Flitton
Flitton (Flichtam, Fllite, Flute) is a small village in Bedfordshire, England, which forms part of the parish of Flitton and Greenfield. The village derives its name from the River Flit which flows close by it. It is notable primarily as the home ...
,
Greenfield
Greenfield or Greenfields may refer to:
Engineering and Business
* Greenfield agreement, an employment agreement for a new organisation
* Greenfield investment, the investment in a structure in an area where no previous facilities exist
* Greenf ...
,
Steppingley
Steppingley is a rural village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It stands on high ground in the centre of a small parish of about 562 ha on the Greensand Ridge and is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book''. It is located close to the ...
,
Pulloxhill
Pulloxhill is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England 342 ft above sea level with a population of 850 at the 2001 Census, increasing to 985 at the 2011 Census.
Pulloxhill has a church, a school and one public house. The v ...
,
Westoning
Westoning () is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is located around south of the town of Flitwick. The River Flit flows behind the Westoning stud farm.
History
Dark and Middle Ages
;1086
The village is mentioned in the Do ...
,
Harlington,
Barton le Clay
Barton-le-Clay is a large village and a civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire Borough in Bedfordshire, England, bordering Hertfordshire. The village has existed since at least 1066 and is mentioned in the ''Domesday Book''.
History
Ancien ...
,
Tingrith
Tingrith is a small village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is located adjacent to the M1 motorway near the large village of Toddington. The nearest major town is Luton, located about to the southeast. The parish church of St ...
,
Eversholt
Eversholt is a village and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book and is over 1000 years old. "Eversholt" comes from Anglo-Saxon meaning "wood of the wild boar".
Overview
For many years, most ...
,
Millbrook
Shopping
Flitwick has seen a large expansion in its population in recent years, but its retail facilities have not kept up with this growth. The local council has drawn up plans to redevelop the town centre to improve its retail offerin
At present, it has a
Tesco
Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...
, a
Barclays
Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services.
Barclays traces ...
bank, a
Co-op
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
, which provides a secondary food source to the community and many smaller shops and estate agents, many in close proximity to the railway station. There is an open-air market every Friday selling local produce, which is set up on the car park of the village hall. The open-air market has a variety of stalls such as fishmongers, baker, haberdashery, and fruit and vegetables.
Flitwick market currently experiencing new stalls, including butcher and Thai food.
Leisure
![The Blackbirds P](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/The_Blackbirds_P.H.%2C_Flitwick_-_geograph.org.uk_-_345251.jpg)
There is a sports centre with a 25-metre swimming pool with kids' pool attached. The leisure centre also has a gym, squash courts with leagues, and a gymnasium. A new leisure centre was built for opening in early March 2015. The previous leisure site was earmarked by Central Beds Council for downsizing and over-55s' assisted living accommodation.
Flitwick Town Council own and operate from The Rufus Centre on the outskirts of the town on Steppingley Road. The Centre is also a busy conference and special event venue with office space to lease.
Flitwick has four public houses: the Crown, the Swan, the Bumble Bee, and the Blackbirds. The Blackbirds is a 17th-century building with a large beer garden and children's play area. The pub formerly known as the Wheatsheaf re-opened as an Indian restaurant called the Indian Lodge. A membership-operated social club, The Flitwick Club, is situated on The High Street, opposite the Drivestyle yard.
Center Parcs Woburn Forest
Center Parcs UK and Ireland (formerly Center Parcs UK) is a short-break holiday company that operates six holiday villages in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, with each covering about of woodland. The company's first village opened ...
opened in July 2014 on the outskirts of Flitwick at Warren Wood.
Haunted Wood: During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
a haunted wood was created in Flitwick woods. After the first one was stolen, a 3-day event called Spookfest was installed over a period of 4 weeks, which provided entertainment for all the family on their daily walk.
Transport
Road
Flitwick is from junction 12 of the
M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...
.
Bus
The main bus services are as follows:
42 (
Grant Palmer) provides an hourly daytime service Mondays to Saturdays providing a connection to: Westoning, Harlington, Toddington, Ampthill, Houghton Conquest, and Bedford. Mondays to Saturdays – no Sunday service.
2 (Stagecoach) provides an hourly daytime service Mondays to Saturdays to Ampthill, Kempston and Bedford. Mondays to Saturdays – no Sunday service.
44 (Grant Palmer) Bedford via A6 to Bedford, Wilstead, Flitwick, Silsoe (Monday - Friday Only)
200 (Grant Palmer) provides a two hourly service to Ampthill, Shefford, Clifton and Biggleswade. Mondays to Fridays only.
34 (Grant Palmer) Milton Keynes
Rail
Flitwick has a
station
Station may refer to:
Agriculture
* Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production
* Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle
** Cattle statio ...
on the Thameslink line (First Capital Connect took over the franchise on 1 April 2006, taken over again on 14 September 2014 by Govia Thameslink Railway). Trains go north to Bedford and south to Luton, St Albans, London, Gatwick Airport, Three Bridges, East Grinstead, and Brighton making it a popular place to live for commuters.
Schools
Flitwick has three lower schools (Kingsmoor, Templefield and Flitwick Lower School), a middle school (Woodland Middle School Academy). The old Flitwick School has been refurbished from its earlier state of neglect, and now serves as a further community centre, youth club and toddler group. Redborne Upper School is approximately away from Flitwick Railway Station, just on the Ampthill side of the Running Waters.
[ ]
Sport
It has four football teams: Flitwick Town, who play in the Bedfordshire County League Premier Division, Flitwick Ladies, who play in the Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire Women's First Division, Flitwick Eagles, and Dinamo Flitwick.
It is also home to Flitwick Cricket Club (The Otters) which has over 50 adult playing members and 160 Colts.
Landmarks
![Flitwick_Manor_-_geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Flitwick_Manor_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1834005.jpg)
Flitwick is known for its
Flitwick Manor
Flitwick Manor is a Georgian country house in the south of Flitwick, Bedfordshire, England. It is located on Church Road off the A5120 road. Now operating as a hotel, the manor is a Grade II* listed building. Now owned by Flitwick Town Council ...
House, currently used as a hotel and restaurant.
There is also physical evidence of a Norman fortification,
Flitwick Castle
Flitwick Castle was an 11th-century castle located in the town of Flitwick, in the county of Bedfordshire, England.
It was a small, timber Motte-and-bailey castle, surrounded by a moat. The castle was mentioned in the Domesday Book, in 1086, ...
, locally known as "The Mount".
The medieval
Church of St Peter & St Paul is the parish church, located in the town.
Land at Clay Hill, near Flitwick, serves as one of the UK's first
subsidy
A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...
-free solar farms, and is operated by
Gridserve
GRIDSERVE Sustainable Energy Limited is a British company founded in 2017 to develop, own and operate critical infrastructure for sustainable energy production. Gridserve opened the UK's first all-electric car charging forecourt in 2020, and plan ...
. It came online in 2017 and comprises 10MW of
bifacial solar cells
A bifacial solar cell (BSC) is a photovoltaic solar cell that can produce electrical energy when illuminated on both its surfaces, front or rear. Instead, monofacial solar cells only produce electrical energy when photons impinge on their front sid ...
and 6MW of energy storage.
Notable people
*
Henry John Sylvester Stannard
Henry John Sylvester Stannard (12 July 1870 – 21 January 1951) was a British Watercolor painting, watercolour artist whose patrons included the British Royal Family.
Life
Henry John Sylvester Stannard , also known as Harry Stannard and pro ...
RBA FRSA
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
(12 July 1870 – 21 January 1951), British watercolour artist whose patrons included the British Royal Family.
*
Michael Crowther
Michael I. Crowther (born 1952) is a retired American zoological conservationist. He was appointed president and chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Zoo in 2002 and retired in January, 2020.''School of the Black and Red''. A History of Be ...
, prominent American wildlife conservationist and founder of the Indianapolis Prize, grew up in Flitwick, living there from age 4 until age 17. He attended Flitwick Primary School and Bedford Modern School.
*
Brian Stein
Brian Stein (born 19 October 1957) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward.
Stein played in the Football League for Luton Town and Barnet as well as spells in France with Caen and Annecy, before finishing his caree ...
, former
Luton Town
Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...
professional footballer, lives in Flitwick.
*
Malcolm Wynn, former English cricketer, was born in the town
*
Russell Howard
Russell Joseph Howard (born 23 March 1980) is an English comedian, television presenter, radio presenter, and actor. He was known for his television show ''Russell Howard's Good News'' and is currently doing ''The Russell Howard Hour'', and his ...
, famed west country stand up comedian lived in Flitwick for a few years when he attended Bedford Modern School. He was not a fan.
References
External links
Flitwick Town Council
{{authority control
Towns in Bedfordshire
Civil parishes in Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire District