Ravensden is a 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 in the

Borough of Bedford The Borough of Bedford is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. Its council is based in Bedford, its namesake and principal settlement, which is the county town of Bedfordshire. The bor ...

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 borders the town of Bedford, with Mowsbury Park, farmland and

Freeman's Common Freeman's Common is a 12.5 hectare area of land situated to the north of Bedford, in the parish of Ravensden. It was created in 1858. Over many years it has been the focus of local dispute as to whether the site should be developed. Despite th ...

acting as a buffer between the two settlements. The village hosts a

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

(Ravensden CofE Primary Academy), and a pub called ''The Horse and Jockey'', as well as All Saints Church, dating to the 12th century. There is also a

village hall A village hall is a public building in a village used for various things such as: United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building which contains at least one large room (plus kitchen and toilets), is owned by a local ...

. For elections to

Bedford Borough Council Bedford Borough Council is the local authority of the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. The executive of the council is the direct ...

, Ravensden is part of

Great Barford Great Barford is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, a few miles north-east of Bedford. It lies on the River Great Ouse at . It is twinned with Wöllstein, Germany. The village is bypassed by the busy A421 road on the way betwe ...

ward, and for national elections it is part of the North East Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency. A

housing estate A housing estate (or sometimes housing complex or housing development) is a group of homes and other buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Popular throughout the United States a ...

called Woodlands Park was established in the southern part of Ravensden parish in the late 2000s. The estate is separated from the village by farmland, with vehicular access to the community coming from the Brickhill area of Bedford. In April 2015 Woodlands Park became part of Brickhill parish, but remains part of Great Barford ward for elections to Bedford Borough Council.

Facilities

Pubs The village is currently served by one pub, ''The Horse and Jockey'', which sits at the top of Ravensden hill directly next to the Church, though previously there had been three other pubs; ''The Case Is Altered'', on Church End, though this closed in 1995 and is now in residential use; ''The Blacksmiths Arms'', previously ''The Cross'', which was situated at the crossroads, and which closed in the early 2000's; and ''The White Lion'', which was opoosite the site of ''The Blacksmiths Arms'', until the two came under the same ownership in 1941, at which time the decision was taken to close the former and transfer its licence to the latter. Schools Ravensden (Church of England) Primary Academy is situated at Vicarage Close in the centre of the main village. The secondary school for which Ravensden is in catchment is

Mark Rutherford School Mark Rutherford School is a mixed secondary school and sixth form in Bedford, England. The school is named in honour of the Bedford-born writer William Hale White (1831-1913), who used Mark Rutherford as a pseudonym. Mark Rutherford school ...

, in Putnoe. Church All Saints Church, Ravensden, is located at the very top of the hill in Ravensden, overlooking the lower parts of the village. The main building dates back to the 12th century, and is composed of limestone rubble, though the southern porch entrance and the chancel are assumed to be a 16th century addition, and are composed of red brick.

References

External links

Ravensden community site
Villages in Bedfordshire Civil parishes in Bedfordshire Borough of Bedford {{Bedfordshire-geo-stub