Wootton is a large 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 ...

located to the south-west of

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 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. The parish also includes the hamlets of Hall End, Keeley Green and Wootton Green.

History

Wootton has had a long association with brick-making, but is now mainly a dormitory community for Bedford and

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...

. In the 18th century

church bells A church bell in Christian architecture is a bell which is rung in a church for a variety of religious purposes, and can be heard outside the building. Traditionally they are used to call worshippers to the church for a communal service, and t ...

were made here for several churches in Bedfordshire and adjoining counties. There has been a great deal of residential development over the last 30 years but some attractive old timber-framed houses still survive. The Church of St Mary the Virgin in the village is mainly 14th century but contains two fine monuments in the chancel to members of the Monoux family who died in 1685 and 1707. To the west of the church is Wootton House, an impressive late 17th-century house with a contemporary, red brick stable block.

Demography

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, listed Wootton as having 26 residents (20 villagers and six slaves) across ten hides. By

1901 Events January * January 1 – The Crown colony, British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and Western Australia Federation of Australia, federate as the Australia, ...

, the population had risen to 1,252. The population remained fairly steady throughout the first half of the 20th century. But by

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, the population had climbed to 2,386, a 35.61% (1010 residents) increase within ten years. By 2001 that figure was 4,230. According to the 2011 Census, the area covered by Wootton civil parish had 4,156 residents who lived in 1,654 households. The

median In statistics and probability theory, the median is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a data sample, a population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as "the middle" value. The basic fe ...

age of the population is 44. Of these residents, 83% describe their health as "good" or "very good" and 2.6% of economically active people aged 16–74 were unemployed.

Village expansion

Wootton is currently expanding in size. Housing plans include: * More than 1000 new houses on fields situated next to the

A421 road The A421 is an important road for east/west journeys across south central England. Together with the A428, the A43 and A34, it forms the route from Cambridge through Milton Keynes to Oxford. The section between the A1 (near St Neots) and ...

. * Possible plans to build another 1000 houses on fields located on the road between the village and

Kempston Kempston is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It had a population of 19,330 in the 2011 census. Kempston is part of Bedford's built-up area and is situated directly south-west of Bedford proper. The River ...

. * an upper school * small doctors Surgery * three shops * Salon * five Pubs * football club * Car Dealership * Garage * Office spaces * elderly Residential Home * three churches * library * fields Development of Wootton Park as part of the expansion project was led by a consortium of Bovis, Bellway and Taylor Wimpey
ECL Civil Engineering
was the sole civil engineering contractor on the 600 homes development south of the village of Wootton.

Sport and leisure

Wootton 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 Wootton Blue Cross F.C., founded in 1887. For the 2020–21 season, they are members of the Bedfordshire County Football League Premier Division. Wootton Blue Cross play at Weston Park, that has a capacity of 750. The clubs most successful season came in the 2002–03 season, when they reached the 4th round of the

FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, usually referred to as the FA Vase, is an annual football competition for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English National League System (or equivalently, tier 9 or 10 of the overall English footbal ...

Public houses in Wootton

* The Fox and Duck * Cock Inn * The Legstraps * The Blue Cross Members Club * The Cross Keys (Tre Fratelli)

Shops in Wootton

* Tesco Express * Rumbles Fish & Chips * Pats Pizza * Pharmacy * Wootton Garage * Medical Health Centre * Women Salon * Sainsbury's Local * Londis / Post Office

Services in Wootton

* Wootton Library * A number of independent companies ** A R Security Systems ** All About The Office Ltd ** Assegai Security Solutions ** Asta ay Permanent Make Up ** Bedford Electrical ** Coromel Cakes ** D Young Carpentry Joinery and Renovations ** Dream Digital ** Floral Art By Ronnie ** Foxglove Florals ** Fresh Bites Catering ** Hands in Harmony Home Care Services ** Home Instead Senior Care ** Pin Wizard ** Simms Stuart * Bizzy Bees Pre-school * Wootton Vale Retirement Community

Notable residents

Letitia Dean Letitia Jane Dean (born 14 November 1967) is an English actress. She is known for her portrayal of Sharon Watts in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. An original cast member from 1985 to 1995, she reprised the role from 2001 to 2006, and again ...

, ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' actress *

Steve Mattin Steve Mattin (born 29 October 1964) is a British automobile designer. He is known as the chief designer of AvtoVAZ Lada, as well as the designer of Mercedes ML-Class and GL-Class E vehicles. Personal background Steve Mattin was born in Bedfor ...

, automobile designer

Past Residents

* Mathew Scherne, clerk & vicar, fl. 1460 as a defendant in a plea of debt, year: 1460; Plea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; image seen at: http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no798/aCP40n0798fronts/IMG_0383.htm ; first entry. name appears as part of the defendant: his executors are being sued;

References

External links

Wootton Village Website

2001 Census - Parish Profile for Wootton
{{authority control Villages in Bedfordshire Civil parishes in Bedfordshire Borough of Bedford