Luton () is a town and

unitary authority A unitary authority is a local authority responsible for all local government functions within its area or performing additional functions that elsewhere are usually performed by a higher level of sub-national government or the national governme ...

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 and Houghton Regis, had a population of 258,018. It is the most populous town in the county, from the County Towns of Hertford, from

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 from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The town is situated on the River Lea, about north-north-west of

. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon outpost on the River Lea, from which Luton derives its name. Luton is recorded 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 ...

as ''Loitone'' and ''Lintone'' and one of the largest churches in Bedfordshire, St Mary's Church, was built in the 12th century. There are local museums which explore Luton's history in Wardown Park and Stockwood Park. Luton was, for many years, widely known for hatmaking and also had a large

Vauxhall Motors Vauxhall Motors LimitedCompany No. 00135767. Incorporated 12 May 1914, name changed from Vauxhall Motors Limited to General Motors UK Limited on 16 April 2008, reverted to Vauxhall Motors Limited on 18 September 2017. () is a British car compa ...

factory. Car production at the plant began in 1905 and continued until the plant's closure in 2002. Production of commercial vehicles continues and the head office of Vauxhall Motors was in the town for many years, but relocated in 2019 to the village of Chalton, Bedfordshire on the northern border of the Borough of Luton. Transport is provided by London Luton Airport, which opened in 1938 and is now one of Britain's major airports, with three railway stations also in the town. The University of Bedfordshire was created from a merger with the University of Luton; two of its campuses are in Luton. Luton Town Football Club, nicknamed the ''Hatters'', due to the town's connection to hatmaking, has had several spells in the top flight of the

English league The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Englan ...

as well as a Football League Cup triumph in 1988. They play at Kenilworth Road, their home since 1905; planning permission for a new larger stadium was approved in 2019. Luton International Carnival, the largest one-day carnival in Europe, is held on the day before the last Monday in May; the Saint Patrick's festival is held on the weekend nearest to Saint Patrick's Day as there is a large Irish community in Luton. The town also has a large Pakistani community which, along with the Irish, were attracted to employment at the Vauxhall car plant. Luton Hoo is an English country house,

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representat ...

and Grade I listed building originally designed by Scottish architect

Robert Adam Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...

but later transformed to the designs of Robert Smirke.

Toponymy

Luton's earliest recorded name is ''Lygea-Byrig'', where ''Lygea'' means 'a river in an open field' and ''Byrig'' means 'a town'. The name shown as gradually converting to Luton over the centuries with ''Lvton'' being the used in the charter of Charles I.

History

Luton is believed to have been founded by the

Anglo-Saxons The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo-Saxons happened wit ...

sometime in the 6th century. The

records Luton as ''Loitone'' and as ''Lintone''. Agriculture dominated the local economy at that time, and the town's population was around 700 to 800. StMarysLuton

In 1121 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester started work on St Mary's Church in the centre of the town. The work was completed by 1137. A

motte-and-bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

castle which gives its name to the modern Castle Street was built in 1139 but demolished by 1154. The

hat making 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 began in the 17th century and became synonymous with the town. 11 to 19 George Street, Luton

The town grew: in 1801 the population was 3,095, but by 1850 it was over 10,000 and by 1901 it was almost 39,000. Newspaper printing arrived in the town in 1854. The first public cemetery was opened in the same year and Luton was made a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle ...

in 1876. Luton's hat trade reached its peak in the 1930s, but severely declined after the Second World War and was replaced by other industries. In 1907,

opened the largest car plant in the United Kingdom in Luton, during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, it built

Churchill tank The Tank, Infantry, Mk IV (A22) Churchill was a British infantry tank used in the Second World War, best known for its heavy armour, large longitudinal chassis with all-around tracks with multiple bogies, its ability to climb steep slopes, ...

s as part of the war effort. Despite heavy camouflage, the factory made Luton a target for the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

and the town suffered a number of

air raid Air raid may refer to: Attacks * Airstrike * Strategic bombing Other uses * ''Air Raid'' (album), by the improvisational collective Air * Air Raid ''(Transformers)'', the name of three characters in the Transformers universes * ''Air Raid'' ...

s. 107 died and there was extensive damage to the town (over 1,500 homes were damaged or destroyed). LutonTownHallOld

The original town hall was destroyed in 1919 during Peace Day celebrations at the end of 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 fig ...

. Dr. John G. Dony, author of The Flora of Bedfordshire told his history students (he taught at Luton Grammar, predecessor of Luton Sixth Form College), during the 1950s, that he had broken the last intact window of the old town hall during the 1919 riots. Local people, including many ex-servicemen, were unhappy with unemployment and had been refused the use of a local park to hold celebratory events. They stormed the town hall, setting it alight (''see Luton Town Hall''). A replacement building was completed in 1936. Luton Borough Corporation had provided the borough with electricity since the early twentieth century from Luton power station, located adjacent to the railway. Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership passed to the British Electricity Authority and later to the Central Electricity Generating Board. Electricity connections to the national grid rendered the 23 megawatt (MW) coal and latterly oil-fired power station redundant. The station had a single chimney and two reinforced concrete cooling towers. The power station closed in 1968; in its final year of operation it delivered 3,192

MWh A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...

of electricity to the borough. Luton Airport opened in 1938, owned and operated by the council. It's now one of the largest employers in the area. The pre-war years, were something of an economic boom for Luton, as new industries grew and prospered. New private and council housing was built in the 1920s and 1930s, with Luton starting to incorporate nearby villages

Leagrave Leagrave is a former village and now a suburb of Luton, in the Borough of Luton, 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 ...

, Limbury and Stopsley between 1928 and 1933. Post-war, a number of substantial estates of council housing were built, notably at Farley Hill, Stopsley, Limbury, Marsh Farm and

(

Hockwell Ring Hockwell Ring is a suburb of Luton in the north-west of the town, in Bedfordshire, England. The area is roughly bounded by Brickly Road to the north, High Street and Torquay Drive to the south, the M1 motorway to the west, and Vincent Road to th ...

). The Marsh Farm area of the town was developed in the mid to late 1960s as a large council housing estate, mostly to house the overspill population from

. However, the estate gained a reputation for high levels of crime, poverty and unemployment, which culminated in a riot on the estate in July 1992 and another more serious riot three years later. The closure of the Vauxhall manufacturing plant in 2002 had negative effects for Luton, leading to increased unemployment and deprivation.

Governance

The town is situated within the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire but, since 1997, Luton has been an administratively independent

, administered by Luton Borough Council. There are 48 councillors on the Borough Council, representing 19 wards. , Luton is represented in Parliament by Sarah Owen who holds Luton North and Rachel Hopkins who holds Luton South. In 1876 the town council was granted its own

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

. The wheatsheaf was used on the crest to represent agriculture and the supply of straw used in the local hatmaking industry (the

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 ...

industry was brought to Luton by a group of Scots under the protection of Sir John Napier of Luton Hoo). The bee is traditionally the emblem of industry and the hive represents the straw plaiting industry for which Luton was famous. The rose is from the arms of the Napier family, whereas the thistle is a symbol for

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. An alternative suggestion is that the rose was a national emblem, and the thistle represents the

Marquess of Bute Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute. Family history John Stuart was the member of a family that d ...

, who formerly owned the Manor of Luton Hoo.

Geography

Luton is 28 miles north of

and 39 miles southwest of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...

. The town forms the core part of the wider Luton built-up area which includes the nearby towns of Dunstable and Houghton Regis which are in Central Bedfordshire. The town is the largest town in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire followed by

. Luton is located in a break in the eastern part of the Chiltern Hills. The Chilterns are a mixture of chalk from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

period (about 66 – 145 million years ago) and deposits laid at the southernmost points of the ice sheet during the last ice age (the Warden Hill area can be seen from much of the town). Bedfordshire had a reputation for brick making but the industry is now significantly reduced. The brickworks at Stopsley took advantage of the clay deposits in the east of the town. The source of the River Lea, part of the Thames Valley

drainage basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, ...

, is in the

area of the town. The Great Bramingham Wood surrounds this area. It is classified as ancient woodland; records mention the wood at least 400 years ago. There are few routes through the hilly area for some miles, this has led to several major roads (including the M1 and the A6) and a major rail-link being constructed through the town.

Climate

Luton has a

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

marine climate, like much of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles (O ...

, with generally light

precipitation In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls under gravitational pull from clouds. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hai ...

throughout the year. The weather is very changeable from day to day and the warming influence of the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Uni ...

makes the region mild for its

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north po ...

. The average total annual rainfall is with rain falling on 117 days of the year. The local climate around Luton is differentiated somewhat from much of South East England due to its position in the Chiltern Hills, meaning it tends to be 1–2 degrees Celsius cooler than the surrounding towns – often flights at Luton airport, lying above sea level, will be suspended when marginal snow events occur, while airports at lower elevations, such as Heathrow, at above sea level, continue to function. An example of this is shown in the photograph to the right, the snowline being about

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The ...

. Absolute temperature extremes recorded at Rothamsted Research Station, south south east of Luton town centre and at a similar elevation range from in December 1981 and in January 1963 to in July 2019 and in August 1990 and July 2006. Records for Rothamsted date back to 1901.

Demography

The

United Kingdom Census 2011 A Census in the United Kingdom, census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Inter ...

showed that the borough had a population of 203,201, a 10.2% increase from the previous census in 2001, when Luton was the 27th largest settlement in the United Kingdom. In 2011, 46,756 were aged under 16, 145,208 were 16 to 74, and 11,237 were 75 or over. Local inhabitants are known as ''Lutonians''.

Ethnicity

Luton has seen several waves of immigration. In the early part of the 20th century, there was internal migration of Irish and

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

people to the town. These were followed by

Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the ...

and Asian immigrants. More recently immigrants from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

an countries have made Luton their home. As a result of this Luton has a diverse ethnic mix, with a significant population of Asian descent, mainly Pakistani 29,353 (14.4%) and Bangladeshi 13,606 (6.7%). The latter two also make up most of the Muslim religious population in Luton, which is the third highest for a town or city in England by proportion. Since the 2011 census, Luton has had a white British population less than 50%, one of three towns in the United Kingdom along with Leicester and Slough. Luton has a majority white population when non-British white people are included, such as the Irish and Eastern Europeans. 81% of the population of Luton define themselves as British.

Religion

At the 2011 census, the religious affiliation of Luton was as follows: High Town Methodist church, Luton

Economy

Luton's economy has traditionally been focused on several different areas of industry, including car manufacturing, engineering and millinery. However, today, Luton is moving towards a service based economy mainly in the retail and the airport sectors, although there is still a focus on light industry in the town. Notable firms with headquarters in Luton include: * EasyJet – head office (originally EasyLand, later moved into Hangar 89) and main base at London Luton Airport *

Impellam Group Impellam Group plc traded on the AIM ("IPEL") is a provider of Managed Services and Specialist Staffing and operates across the UK, North America, Australasia, Europe, and the Middle East. Impellam Group plc provides jobs at all levels, inc ...

– headquarters at Capability Green * TUI UK ( TUI Airways) – travel (Wigmore House) *

– headquarters (Chalton House) Notable firms with offices in Luton include: *

Anritsu is a Japanese multinational corporation in the telecommunications electronics equipment market. A global pioneer for producing the world's first wireless telephone network, Anritsu's revenue numbers near US$782 million. History In Japan, Anri ...

– electronics *

AstraZeneca AstraZeneca plc () is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters at the Cambridge Biomedical Campus in Cambridge, England. It has a portfolio of products for major diseases in areas includ ...

– pharmaceuticals * Selex ES – aerospace *

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational corporation, multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Delo ...

– accountants * Whitbread – hospitality * Stonegate Pub Company – hospitality Luton's post-war and more recent industrial decline has been compared to that of similar towns in northern England.

Employment

Of the town's working population (classified 16–74 years of age by the

Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible for ...

), 63% are employed. This figure includes students, the self-employed and those who are in part-time employment. 11% are retired, 8% look after the family or take care of the home and 5% are unemployed.

Transport

Luton is situated less than north of the centre of London, giving it good links with the

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

and other parts of the country via rail and major roads such as the M1 (which serves the town from junctions 10 and 11) and the A6. The town has three railway stations: Luton,

and Luton Airport Parkway that are served by East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services. Luton is also home to London Luton Airport, one of the major feeder airports for London and the south-east. A new light metro people mover track, Luton DART, is currently under construction; it will link the airport and Luton Airport Parkway railway station when it opens in 2022. A network of bus services run by Arriva Shires & Essex, Grant Palmer and Centrebus serves the urban area of Luton and Dunstable. A bus rapid transit route opened in 2013, called the '' Luton to Dunstable Busway'', connecting the town with the airport, Dunstable and Houghton Regis. Hertfordshire-based bus operator

Uno Uno or UNO may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Television * "Uno" (''Better Call Saul''), premiere episode of the American TV series ''Better Call Saul'' * ''Uno'' (film), a 2004 Norwegian drama film * Rai Uno, an Italian TV channel **' ...

also run buses on their 'Dragonfly' 610 route to Hatfield, Potters Bar and Cockforsters Luton is also served by a large taxi network. As a

, Luton Borough Council is responsible for the local highways and public transport in the borough and licensing of taxis.

Education

Luton is one of the main locations of the University of Bedfordshire. A large campus of the university is in Luton town centre, with a smaller campus based on the edge of town in

Putteridge Bury Putteridge Bury is a country house on the edge of the built-up area of Luton, Bedfordshire, England but located just over the county boundary in the parish of Offley in Hertfordshire. Mansion The mansion was built in the style of Chequers by ...

, an old

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

manor house. The other campuses of the university are located in

, Milton Keynes and Aylesbury. The town is home to Luton Sixth Form College and Barnfield College. Both have been awarded Learning & Skills Beacon Status by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Luton's schools and colleges had also been earmarked for major investment in the government scheme Building Schools for the Future programme, which intends to renew and refit buildings in institutes across the country. Luton is in the third wave of this long-term programme with work intending to start in 2009. Some schools were rebuilt before the programme was scrapped by the coalition government. There are 98 educational institutes in Luton – seven nurseries, 56 primary schools (9 voluntary-aided, 2 special requirements), 13 secondary schools (1 voluntary-aided, 1 special requirements), four further educational institutes and four other educational institutes.

Culture

Architecture

The town contains 92 listed buildings.

Leisure and entertainment

Luton International Carnival

Luton International Carnival is the largest one-day carnival in Europe. It usually takes place on the late May Bank Holiday. Crowds can reach 150,000 on each occasion. The procession starts at Wardown Park and makes its way down New Bedford Road, around the town centre via St George's Square, back down New Bedford Road and finishes back at Wardown Park. There are music stages and stalls around the town centre and at Wardown Park. Luton is home to the UK Centre for Carnival Arts (UKCCA), the country's first purpose-built facility of its kind.

Luton St Patrick's Festival

The festival celebrating the patron saint of Ireland St Patrick and organised by Luton Irish Forum, is held on the weekend nearest to

17 March Events Pre-1600 *45 BC – In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda. * 180 – Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eig ...

. In its 20th year in 2019, the festival includes a parade, market stalls and music stands as well as Irish themed events.

Luton Mela

The first Luton Melā took place in August 2000 and has developed into one of the most significant and well attended south Asian cultural events in the eastern region.

City of Culture bid and pilot year

Luton Council's strategic vision for the Arts, and Cultural and Creative industries includes the plan to bid for City of Culture Status. This plan includes a pilot year with the theme of Peace Riots starting in Spring 2019. Events will be published on the Luton.Events website.

Theatre and performing arts

Luton is home to the Library Theatre, a 238-seat theatre located on the 3rd floor of the town's Central Library. The theatre's programme consists of local amateur dramatic societies, pantomime, children's theatre (on Saturday mornings) and one night shows of touring theatre companies. Luton is also home to the Hat Factory, originally as its name suggests, this arts centre was in fact a real hat factory. The Hat Factory is a combined arts venue in the centre of Luton. It opened in 2003 and since then has been the area's main provider of contemporary theatre, dance and music. The venue provides live music, club nights, theatre, dance, films, children's activities, workshops, classes and gallery exhibitions.

Media

Radio

* BBC Three Counties Radio, the local BBC station, broadcasts from its office in Dunstable to Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-eas ...

. * Heart East, a formerly independent local station, broadcast from Milton Keynes. * Diverse FM began broadcasts in April 2007 having been awarded a

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve geographic communities and communities of interest. They broadcast content that is popul ...

licence from

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers acros ...

. * Radio LaB (formerly Luton FM), the university's radio station, began broadcasting full-time in 2010 having been awarded a

licence from

. * In addition, Radio Ramadhan used to broadcast during the month of Ramadan until Inspire FM, a full-time community radio station, broadcasting on 105.1 FM, became available in 2010.

Television

* Luton is within the Carlton/LWT ( ITV London) and BBC London region. However it can also pick up the broadcast area of ITV Anglia and BBC East.

Local attractions

* Dunstable Downs * Leagrave Park * Leighton Buzzard Light Railway * The Hat Factory * Luton Hoo *

Someries Castle Someries Castle (sometimes spelt Summeries castle) is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, in the Parish of Hyde, near the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It was built in the 15th century by Sir John Wenlock, whose ghost is reputed to haunt ...

* Stockwood Discovery Centre * Stockwood Park * Wardown Park * Wardown Park Museum *

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 ...

* Whipsnade Tree Cathedral * Whipsnade Zoo * Woburn Safari Park * Woodside Farm and Wildfowl Park * Wrest Park

Recreation

Parks and open spaces

Luton has a variety of parks ranging from district parks, neighbourhood parks, local open space and leisure gardens.

Brantwood Park

In the 1880s, the land now known as Brantwood Park was an open field on the south side of Dallow. The site was purchased by the Town Council in 1894 for use as a recreation ground and there is reference to it as ‘West Ward Recreation Ground' in a 1911-year book. It is reported as being one of the first two recreation grounds in Luton; the other being East Ward Recreation Ground, now known as Manor Road Park.

Kidney Wood

Kidney Wood is ancient semi-natural woodland on the southern edge of Luton that has been identified as a County Wildlife Site. The wood was purchased by Luton Borough Council as an area of public open space. The council seeks to maintain and enhance the nature conservation interest of Kidney Wood, including its habitats while allowing public access for informal recreation including play. Kidney Wood includes a way marked nature trail and play dells.

Memorial Park

Sir Julius Wernher purchased the Luton Hoo Estate and the Manor of Luton from Madame de Falbe around 1903. He carried out substantial renovation works to the Manor and grounds. On his death in 1912 the estate passed to Lady Ludlow. Lady Ludlow presented the Park to the people of Luton on 12 June 1920, in memory of her son Alex Piggott Werner, who was killed in action during the First World War. The site is officially named Luton Hoo Memorial Park. Council records state that the area was purchased under the Statutory Powers of the Public Health Acts.

Stockwood Park

Part of the Mossman Collection (1) - geograph

Stockwood Park is a large municipal park near Junction 10 of the M1. Located in the park is Stockwood Discovery Centre, a free museum that houses Luton local social history, archaeology and geology. The collection of rural crafts and trades held at Stockwood Discovery Centre was amassed by Thomas Wyatt Bagshawe, who was a notable local historian and a leading authority on folk life. The park has an athletics track, an 18-hole golf course, several rugby and football pitches and areas of open space. The park was originally the estate and grounds to Stockwood house, which was demolished in 1964. The museum includes the Mossman Collection of horse-drawn vehicles, which is the largest and most significant vehicle collection of its kind in the country, including originals from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Wardown Park

Wardown Park is situated on the River Lea in Luton. The park has sporting facilities, is home to the Wardown Park Museum and contains formal gardens. The park is located between ''Old Bedford Road'' and the A6, ''New Bedford Road'' and is within walking distance of the town centre. The park houses Wardown House Museum and Gallery, previously known as Luton Museum and Art Gallery, in a large Victorian mansion. The museum collection focuses on the traditional crafts and industry of Luton and Bedfordshire, notably lace making and hatmaking. There are samples of local lace from as early as the 17th century.

Shopping

The main shopping area in Luton is centred on

the Mall Luton The Mall Luton is in the centre of Luton, in Bedfordshire, England. It was formerly an Arndale Centre, until it was purchased by Capital & Regional in January 2006. It was temporarily called ''The Mall Arndale'', but is now referred to as ''The ...

. Built in the 1960s/1970s and opened as an Arndale Centre, construction of the shopping centre led to the demolition of a number of the older buildings in the town centre including the Plait Halls (a Victorian covered market building with an iron and glass roof). Shops and businesses in the remaining streets, particularly in the roads around Cheapside and in High Town, have been in decline ever since. George Street, on the south side of the Arndale, was pedestrianised in the 1990s. The shopping centre had some construction and re-design work done to it over the 2011/12 period and now has a new square used for leisure events, as well as numerous new food restaurants such as Toby's Carvery and Costa Coffee. Contained within the main shopping centre is the market, which contains butchers, fishmongers, fruit and veg, hairdressers, tattoo parlours, ice cream, flower stall, T-shirt printing and the markets original sewing shop for clothes alterations and repairs as well as eating places. Another major shopping area is Bury Park where there are shops catering to Luton's ethnic minorities.

Sport

Kenilworth Stand at Kenilworth Road, 2006

Luton has a wide range of sports clubs. It's the home town of Luton Town Football Club who currently play in the English football and whose history includes several spells in the top flight of the English league as well as a League Cup triumph in 1988. They play at Kenilworth Road, their home since 1905, with a new larger capacity stadium known as Power Court under construction. Their nickname, 'The Hatters', dates back to when Luton had a substantial millinery industry, and their logo is based on the town's coat of arms. Bedfordshire County Cricket Club is based at Wardown Park and is one of the

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 ...

clubs which make up the Minor Counties in the English domestic

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

structure, representing the historic county of Bedfordshire. Luton Rugby Club are a local

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

club based on Newlands Road, by 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, whic ...

just outside Stockwood Park, who play in London 1 North. Speedway racing was once staged at Luton Stadium from 1934 to 1937.

Twin towns

Luton participates in international

town twinning A sister city or a twin town relationship is International relations, a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are ...

; its partners are:

Notable people

People who were born in Luton or are associated with the town.

By birth

* Mick Abrahams, guitarist for Jethro Tull * Keshi Anderson, footballer * David Arnold, composer *

Emily Atack Emily Jane Atack (born 18 December 1989) is an English actress, comedian, and television personality. She is best known for playing Charlotte Hinchcliffe on the E4 comedy series '' The Inbetweeners'' (2008-2010), and for her roles in Keith Le ...

, actress * John Badham, film director * Lewis Baker, footballer * Clive Barker, sculptor and artist * Jonathan Barnbrook, graphic designer and typographer *

Josh Bassett Joshua Marcus Andrew Bassett (born 17 March 1992) is an English rugby union player who currently plays for Harlequins. His regular position is Wing. Club career Bassett played youth team rugby for Ampthill RUFC, where he helped the under-17 ...

, rugby player * Kevin Blackwell, goalkeeper and football manager *

Dean Brill Dean Michael Brill (born 2 December 1985) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper and is now a coach at the academy of Tottenham Hotspur. Career Luton Town Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, Brill joined Luton at ...

, footballer * Charles Bronson, born Michael Peterson, prisoner * William Brown, footballer * Clive Bunker, drummer for Jethro Tull * Danny Cannon, screenwriter, director and producer *

Gerald Anthony Coles Gerald Anthony Coles (1929–2004) was an English painter, printmaker, and stained glass designer. Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, he was trained at the Luton School of Art (1943–45) before working for the Harper and Hendra Studios in Harpenden ...

, artist * Natasha Collins, actress and television presenter * Andy Day, television presenter * Steve Dillon, comic artist * Kerry Dixon, footballer *

Stacey Dooley Stacey Jaclyn Dooley (born 9 March 1987) is an English television presenter, journalist, and media personality. She came to prominence in 2008 when she appeared as a participant on '' Blood, Sweat and T-shirts''. Since then, she has made socia ...

, journalist, television presenter and '' Strictly Come Dancing'' winner * Jamal Edwards, entrepreneur, author, director, DJ and founder of SB.TV *

Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician ** ''Jonathan Edwards'' (album), debut album ...

, footballer * Kevin Foley, footballer * Sean Gallagher, actor * Liam George, footballer * John Hagan, 8th master chief petty officer, US Navy * Arthur Hailey, novelist * Nadiya Hussain, '' The Great British Bake Off'' winner *

Neil Jackson Neil Jackson (born 5 March 1976) is an English actor, singer, musician and writer who has appeared in several television series and films, but is probably best known for his role as Marcus on '' Blade: The Series'' and Sasha on '' Make It or Bre ...

, actor *

Sharna Jackson Sharna Jackson is a British writer of children's fiction.Rebecca ThomasAuthor Sharna Jackson: Bringing diversity into children's books ''BBC News'', 17 April 2019. Accessed 7 June 2020. She is the author of a mystery series, aimed at middle-grade ...

, children's writer *

James Justin James Michael Justin (born 23 February 1998) is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Leicester City and the England national team. Club career Luton Town Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, Justin joined Luton Town i ...

, footballer *

Stephen Kelman Stephen Kelman (born 1976) is an English novelist, who grew up on Marsh Farm council estate in Luton. He studied marketing at the University of Bedfordshire,Stuart Lewis-Evans, Formula One driver * Sean Maguire, footballer for Preston North End * Frederick Mander, General Secretary of the NUT * Sarfraz Manzoor, journalist and author * Herbert Moody, Luton Town footballer * Monty Panesar, cricketer * David Price, cricketer *

Phil Read Phillip William Read, (1 January 1939 – 6 October 2022) was an English professional motorcycle racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1961 to 1976. Read is notable for being the first competitor to win world championshi ...

, motorcycle racer *

David Renwick David Peter Renwick (; born 4 September 1951) is an English author, television writer, actor, director and executive producer, best known for creation of the sitcom ''One Foot in the Grave'' and the mystery series ''Jonathan Creek''. He was awar ...

, scriptwriter *

Stu Riddle Stu Riddle (born 23 May 1976) is a former footballer who played as a striker. He is currently the head coach at D'Youville University and was formerly the head coach of the men's soccer team at Western Michigan University, University of Buffa ...

, footballer * Tommy Robinson, born Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, far-right activist *

Lee Ross Lee David Ross (August 25, 1942 – May 14, 2021) was a Canadian-American professor. He held the title of the Stanford Federal Credit Union Professor of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University and was an influential social psychologist wh ...

, actor * Billy Schwer, boxer * Andy Selway, drummer * Gavin Shuker, politician * Junior Simpson, comedian * Paul Sinha, comedian and quizzer * Zena Skinner, television chef and author * Steven M Smith, biologist * Will Smith, cricketer *

David Stoten David Stoten (born in Luton, Bedfordshire) is a short film maker and director and caricaturist on TV's ''Spitting Image''. Stoten won the BAFTA award with longtime collaborator, Tim Watts in 1994 for '' The Big Story''. Since then, Stoten has pr ...

, storyboard artist * Jordan Thomas, World and European karate champion *

Mark Titchner Mark Titchner (born 1973) is an English artist, and 2006 nominee for the Turner Prize. He lives and works in London. Focusing on an exploration of words and language, in recent years much of his production has been based in the public realm bot ...

, artist *

UK Decay UK Decay are an English rock band, based in Luton, England. History UK Decay was born out of the ashes of another Luton band called the Resiztors, who had formed in 1978. The Resiztors' line-up consisted of guitarist Steve "Abbo" Abbott, ...

, band * Richard Wiseman, psychologist * Jamie Woolford, rock musician for The Stereo, Animal Chin and Let Go * Paul Young, pop rock singer

By association

Rodney Bewes Rodney Bewes (27 November 1937 – 21 November 2017) was an English television actor and writer who portrayed Bob Ferris in the BBC television sitcom ''The Likely Lads'' (1964–66) and its colour sequel ''Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?'' ...

, actor * Mo Chaudry, entrepreneur *

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was ...

, actress * Ian Dury, singer * John Hegley, poet * Hilda Hewlett, UK's first female pilot * Alec Jeffreys, geneticist * Sarfraz Manzoor, author and columnist,

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

* Eric Morecambe, entertainer * Elizabeth Price, artist * Colin Salmon, actor * Andrew Tate, British-American ex-kickboxer and internet personality