Leagrave is a former village and now a suburb of
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 ...
, in the
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 ...
district, in the ceremonial county of
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, in the northwest of the town. The area is roughly bounded by Vincent Road, Torquay Drive and High Street to the north, Roman Road and Stoneygate Road to the south, the
M1 to the west, and Marsh Road and Leagrave Park to the east.
Due to its 35-minute connection by train from
Leagrave
Leagrave is a former village and now a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, in the northwest of the town. The area is roughly bounded by Vincent Road, Torquay Drive and High Street to the nor ...
station into London it is home to significant numbers of commuters, with almost two million using the train station each year. Leagrave station also has connections to
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 ...
in the north and
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
in the south by
Thameslink
Thameslink is a 24-hour main-line route in the British railway system, running from , , , and via central London to Sutton, , , Rainham, , , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying m ...
. Junctions 11 and 11a of the
M1 are close at hand as well as
Luton Airport
London Luton Airport is an international airport located in Luton, Bedfordshire, England, situated east of the town centre, and north of Central London. The airport is owned by London Luton Airport Ltd (LLAL), a company wholly owned by L ...
.
Etymology
The village of Leagrave was recorded in 1224 as ''Littegraue'', intimating that its name means 'Light-coloured, or lightly wooded, grove'. However, another source suggests its name originates from ''Lygegrove'': "Lyge" being an old name for the
River Lea
The River Lea ( ) is in South East England. It originates in Bedfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills, and flows southeast through Hertfordshire, along the Essex border and into Greater London, to meet the River Thames at Bow Creek. It is one of t ...
. A place spelt as ''Lythtegrave'' (which may refer to Leagrave, since the prior of Dunstaple also features, and the county margination is Bedfordshire) appears in 1396.
History
The first settlement in the area was
Waulud's Bank
Waulud's Bank is a possible Neolithic henge in Leagrave, Luton dating from 3,000BC.
The Waulud's Bank earthworks are in the North of Luton and are situated on the edge of Leagrave common, with Central Leagrave to the south east and Marsh Farm ...
which is a
Neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...
D-shaped enclosure in Leagrave Park at the source of the River Lea and is now a protected monument. Waulud's bank consists of a bank and external ditch of around 7 hectares with a turf revetted chalk and gravel bank (built from the excavated ditch material). The ditch itself is about 9 m wide and 2 m deep. Finds at the site have included neolithic Grooved Ware and flint arrow heads. It is a similar site to
Durrington Walls
Durrington Walls is the site of a large Neolithic settlement and later henge enclosure located in the Stonehenge World Heritage Site in England. It lies north-east of Stonehenge in the parish of Durrington, just north of Amesbury in Wiltshir ...
and
Marden and the site was later re-used in the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
and during the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
occupation.
The
Icknield Way
The Icknield Way is an ancient trackway in southern and eastern England that runs from Norfolk to Wiltshire. It follows the chalk escarpment that includes the Berkshire Downs and Chiltern Hills.
Background
It is generally said to be, within ...
, a pre Roman road, passes through Leagrave. Local road names give away its location, 'Roman Road' runs from Oakley Road to Marsh Road. On the other side of Marsh Road as the road enters
Limbury
Limbury is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, and was formerly a village before Luton expanded around it. The area is roughly bounded by Bramingham Road to the north, Marsh Road to the so ...
it continues as 'Icknield Road' where there is a gap before the road continues as Icknield Way.
The River Lea which flows through the area once formed one boundary of the
Danelaw
The Danelaw (, also known as the Danelagh; ang, Dena lagu; da, Danelagen) was the part of England in which the laws of the Danes held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. The Danelaw contrasts with the West Saxon law and the Mercian ...
.
Leagrave Marsh
Leagrave is a former village and now a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, in the northwest of the town. The area is roughly bounded by Vincent Road, Torquay Drive and High Street to the nor ...
used to be a popular place for the
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 ...
hatters
Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter.
Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...
on their (rare) days off and was, consequently, known as "Blockers' Seaside". The
hatmaking
Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter.
Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...
industry originally relied on
straw plaits, made by farmers' wives, bought and collected by a "plaitman" and brought into the Luton hat factories to be made into
straw hat
A straw hat is a wide-brimmed hat woven out of straw or straw-like synthetic materials. Straw hats are a type of sun hat designed to shade the head and face from direct sunlight, but are also used in fashion as a decorative element or a un ...
s. A new artwork has been unveiled in the area, reflecting on this former activity.
The manor of Leagrave was held by the Lucy family from 1305 to 1455. The Lucys gave their name to the neighbouring suburbs of
Lewsey
Lewsey is a suburb of Luton, about west north-west of the town centre, and a ward of the Borough of Luton, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The suburb is roughly bounded by Leagrave High Street to the north, Dunstable Road to t ...
,
Lewsey Farm
Lewsey Farm is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Situated in the north-west of the town, the area is roughly bounded by the Woodside Link to the north, Leagrave High Street to the south, ...
, and
Lewsey Park.
Leagrave station was built by the
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...
company in 1868 on its extension to
St Pancras. The original Midland station buildings still exist, having been carefully restored in the 1980s.
In 1866 the villages of Leagrave and
Limbury
Limbury is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, and was formerly a village before Luton expanded around it. The area is roughly bounded by Bramingham Road to the north, Marsh Road to the so ...
were formed into the
ecclesiastical parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish priest ...
of 'Holy Trinity, (Biscot)'.
Thirty years later, in 1896 Leagrave
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 ...
was formed under the provisions of the '
Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...
', in the ecclesiastical parish of Limbury-cum-Biscot.
In 1914
Hewlett & Blondeau Limited, an aircraft manufacturing business, opened a factory at Leagrave called The Omnia Works. The company was managed by
Hilda Hewlett
Hilda Beatrice Hewlett (17 February 1864 – 21 August 1943) was an early aviator and aviation entrepreneur. She was the first British woman to earn a pilot's licence. She founded and ran two related businesses: the first flying school in the ...
who lived on site. During the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
the factory produced more than 800 aircraft and employed up to 700 people. The business closed in 1920 and in 1926 the factory site was sold to
Electrolux
Electrolux AB () is a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool.
Electrolux products sell under a variety ...
.
The area grew significantly in between the wars and in 1928 the parish was abolished when the boundaries of
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 ...
were extended to include Leagrave, as well as Limbury and
Stopsley
Stopsley is a suburb in the north-east of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The area is roughly bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Vauxhall Way and Turners Road North to the south, Bradgers H ...
. Further expansion of the area took place during the 1930s. Much of the housing stock of the area dates from the 1920s and 1930s and is typical of the era, with large bay-fronted semi-detached and terraced houses the typical housing built at this time. Some of the old farm names live on in the modern road names, Strangers Farm lends its name to the current Strangers Way, and Grange Avenue (Grange Road until the 1920s) takes its name from The Grange Farm.
Until the 1990s Electrolux was one of the larger employers in the area; however, much of the old factory site was sold off in the early 2000s for redevelopment into housing. The most recent development on the site was Saxon-Gate.
The current site of the
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
restaurant on Marsh Road was the site of the Three Horseshoes pub, which was demolished in 1994. The roundabout next to McDonald's takes its name from the old pub, with the old pub sign incorporated in the planting scheme. The Sugar Loaf pub was also located on the high street, but this has since been converted into a restaurant and then more recently renovated into flats.
Following Leagrave village becoming part of the larger town of Luton in 1928, many local roads were renamed to avoid confusion with existing Luton road names. For example, Oak Road became Oakley Road, Cumberland Avenue became Compton Avenue and Salisbury Road became Sarum Road (Sarum being the Roman name for Salisbury).
Local area
There is a parade of shops on High Street/Grange Avenue at the centre of Leagrave, as well as a busy commercial area on the border with
Limbury
Limbury is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, and was formerly a village before Luton expanded around it. The area is roughly bounded by Bramingham Road to the north, Marsh Road to the so ...
on Marsh Road.
Electrolux has moved its UK headquarters back to the area, based in one of the old Omnia Works buildings on Oakley Road.
Leagrave is increasingly a
commuter area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually co ...
with many people taking advantage of the 35-minute train journey time into London as well as motorway connections to London and to the North. This has led to many new developments of infill housing and apartment buildings.
Much of the land around the old Marsh Farmhouse (which gives its name to neighbouring
Marsh Farm
Marsh Farm is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, near to Leagrave and Limbury, mainly of council and social housing. The area is bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Bramingham Roa ...
), as well as Leagrave Common is now part of Leagrave Park. The park provides contains a number of different areas including sports pitches, native woodland habitat, wildlife areas, river and wetland areas and links to the historic environment. It comprises a playing field of 59.34 acres with pavilion, play area, bowling green and car parking. The park also includes areas of County Wildlife designation, Leagrave Common and the Scheduled Monument, Waulud's Bank a 4500-year-old Neolithic enclosure. Leagrave Park has been legally protected from loss to building development since September 2013 by the charity,
Fields in Trust
Fields in Trust, is a British charity set up in 1925 as the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA), by Brigadier-General Reginald Kentish and the Duke of York, later King George VI, who was the first president, which protects parks and green s ...
, under the Queen Elizabeth II Fields programme.
Churches
The largest church in the parish is
St Luke
Luke the Evangelist (Latin: '' Lucas''; grc, Λουκᾶς, '' Loukâs''; he, לוקאס, ''Lūqās''; arc, /ܠܘܩܐ לוקא, ''Lūqā’; Ge'ez: ሉቃስ'') is one of the Four Evangelists—the four traditionally ascribed authors of t ...
s on Leagrave High Street, which was consecrated by the Bishop of Saint Albans in June 1956. It is a
grade II listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
due largely to its frontage, and was designed by
John Seely and Paul Paget.
Leagrave
Methodist Church
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...
is also on Leagrave High Street. The first Methodist Church in Leagrave opened on 3 June 1824, and a gallery was added 5 years later in 1829. This Church was rebuilt in 1880.
Local schools and education
* Beechwood Primary School, Linden Road
* Kings House Preparatory School & Nursery, High Street Leagrave
* Leagrave Library, Marsh Road
* Leagrave Primary School, Strangers Way
*
Lealands High School
Lealands High School, formerly Sundon Park Comprehensive School, is a foundation school for 11 to 16 year olds located in Sundon Park, Luton. The school attracts students from Sundon Park and across Luton and Bedfordshire. It was judged good ...
, Sundon Park Road
Moorlands School and Nursery was founded in 1891. It was originally located in the town centre before moving to Dunstable Road. In 1958 the school had grown significantly and new premises were needed. The school relocated to Leagrave Hall (built in 1850), a former home of the Filmer family.
In September 2011, Barnfield Moorlands Free School became a
free school, the first such school in Luton and all of Bedfordshire, when it joined the
Barnfield Federation in September 2012. The school has since been renamed The Linden Academy and has relocated to Osborne Road in Luton. Today, Leagrave Hall is now the location of a mosque.
Geography
Leagrave is in the north of Luton, roughly 3.5 miles north of the town centre. Neighbouring areas are
Hockwell Ring and
Sundon Park
Sundon Park is a suburb of north Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The area is roughly bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Leagrave Park to the south, the Midland Main Line to the west, and Spi ...
to the north,
Challney
Challney is a district in Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, off the main arterial road leading from Luton into Dunstable. The area is roughly bounded by Rodheath, Stoneygate Road, Roman Road, and Beec ...
and
Maidenhall
The Maidenhall Estate is a council estate in Ipswich, in the Ipswich
Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Or ...
to the south,
Lewsey
Lewsey is a suburb of Luton, about west north-west of the town centre, and a ward of the Borough of Luton, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The suburb is roughly bounded by Leagrave High Street to the north, Dunstable Road to t ...
to the west, and
Marsh Farm
Marsh Farm is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, near to Leagrave and Limbury, mainly of council and social housing. The area is bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Bramingham Roa ...
and
Limbury
Limbury is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, and was formerly a village before Luton expanded around it. The area is roughly bounded by Bramingham Road to the north, Marsh Road to the so ...
to the east.
The source of the
River Lea
The River Lea ( ) is in South East England. It originates in Bedfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills, and flows southeast through Hertfordshire, along the Essex border and into Greater London, to meet the River Thames at Bow Creek. It is one of t ...
is in the area, which flows for 42 miles to join the Thames in East London.
![Knapps Brook in Leagrave, Luton LU4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Knapps_Brook_in_Leagrave%2C_Luton_LU4.jpg)
The Lea crosses Leagrave Common and receives a number of tributaries including
Knapps Brook
Knapps Brook is a minor tributary of the River Lee (England), River Lea in Bedfordshire, England. The source of the river Lea is on Leagrave Common in Luton. It forms from a combination of brooks from East End, Houghton Regis and from the Lewsey ...
, which joins from culverts under the railway embankment and Toddington Road,
Lewsey Brook and
Houghton Brook.
Knapps Brook
Knapps Brook is a minor tributary of the River Lee (England), River Lea in Bedfordshire, England. The source of the river Lea is on Leagrave Common in Luton. It forms from a combination of brooks from East End, Houghton Regis and from the Lewsey ...
is a combination of brooks from East End, Houghton Regis and from
Lewsey Park. Leagrave is a flat area.
Sport and leisure
Leagrave has a
Non-League football
Non-League football describes football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is specifically used to de ...
team
Kent Athletic F.C.
Kent Athletic F.C. is a football club based in Leagrave, in Luton, Bedfordshire, England.
The club is affiliated to the Bedfordshire County Football Association.
History
The club was formed in 1926 and joined division two of the Bedfordshire ...
who play at Kent Athletic Park.
Since 2005 The Luton Youth Festival has taken place in Leagrave. The festival usually takes place in the grounds and building of St Luke's Church and features a combination of stages, local performances and youth groups. It was described as ' one of the regions most exciting and unique events' by The Luton News. The event is run by charity Leagrave Youth Work Action Group.
Politics
Leagrave is mostly within the Leagrave ward, although some parts are within the
Limbury
Limbury is a suburb of Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England, and was formerly a village before Luton expanded around it. The area is roughly bounded by Bramingham Road to the north, Marsh Road to the so ...
and
Sundon Park
Sundon Park is a suburb of north Luton, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The area is roughly bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Leagrave Park to the south, the Midland Main Line to the west, and Spi ...
wards. The Leagrave ward also includes
Hockwell Ring and
Tophill
Tophill is a gently sloping area of land on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England, rising from sea level at Portland Bill to near HMP The Verne at its northern end. On Tophill are five of the settlements on the island: Easton, Weston, ...
.
Leagrave ward is represented by Cllr Waheed Akbar (
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
), Cllr Maria Lovell (Labour) and Cllr Sameera Saleem (Labour).
The ward forms part of the
parliamentary constituency
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...
of
Luton North and the MP is
Sarah Owen
Sarah Mei Li Owen (; born 11 January 1983)
is a British politician and trade unionist serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Luton North since 2019. A member of the Labour Party, she has served Shadow Minister for Local Government and Faith ...
.
Local attractions
Local newspapers
Two weekly newspapers cover Leagrave, although they are not specific to the area.
They are the:
Herald and PostLuton News
References
External links
Luton Borough CouncilKelvin Hopkins homepageKings House SchoolSt Lukes ChurchViews of Leagrave and Limbury from 1906
{{Use dmy dates, date=September 2013
Wards of Luton
Areas of Luton