Pulloxhill is a small village and

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

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 ...

, 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 village shop and post office have closed. There are a number of historic buildings, including 15th Century Public House (The Cross Keys). The village pond was filled in several years ago after a fire at the old Bakery and now forms part of the village green where the school holds a maypole dancing concert every May. Pulloxhill Marsh is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. A village news letter is published monthly called the PVN (Pulloxhill Village News). The village is around a 20-minute drive from Bedford's town centre, and 25 minutes from the centre of Luton. It is approximately 350 miles to Lands End and approximately 650 miles to John O 'Groats.

History

Pulloxhill is one of the oldest villages in Bedfordshire being well over 1000 years old, and still has a Norman Church. It is the oldest known home of the Bunyan family and near where

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...

was arrested. Pulloxhill is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1066 of having 11 villagers, 13 smallholders and 2 slaves, under Lord Freeman-Eight. Tenant-in-Chief at the time was Nigel of Aubigny. In 1680 it was thought that gold had been discovered in the village and a mine was established, this was however abandoned shortly afterwards. It is believed that what was actually discovered was flakes of mica in quartz, giving the appearance of gold. It is possible that the silver mine of Demas referred to in Pilgrims Progress was inspired by the gold mine in Pulloxhill. There are records of 'Fort' or 'Castle' within the parish, most probable due to the elevated nature of the geography, however the remains are on private land and not viewable without the current land-owner's permission. Elizabeth Ocle of Pulloxhill was hanged in Bedford in 1596 for practicing witchcraft.

Julius Drewe Julius Charles Hendicott Drewe (or Julius Drew; 4 April 1856 – 20 November 1931) was an English businessman, retailer and entrepreneur who founded Home and Colonial Stores, and who ordered the building of Castle Drogo in Devon. Origins Julius ...

, businessman and retailer, known for creating of the successful

Home and Colonial Stores Home and Colonial Stores was once one of the United Kingdom's largest retail chains. Its formation of a vast chain of retail stores in the late 1920s is seen as the first step in the development of a UK food retail market dominated by a small num ...

, and for commissioning the building of

Castle Drogo Castle Drogo is a country house and mixed-revivalist castle near Drewsteignton, Devon, England. Constructed between 1911 and 1930, it was the last castle to be built in England. The client was Julius Drewe, the hugely successful founder of the ...

in Devon as his family's country home, was born at the vicarage in 1856.

Notes

* Edmund Venables, ''The Life of John Bunyan'' *John Kelman, ''Among Famous Books''

External links

Villages in Bedfordshire Civil parishes in Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire District {{Bedfordshire-geo-stub