Round Green is 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 ...

just over north-east of the town centre, and a

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

of the Borough of Luton, 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. The area is roughly bounded by Bradgers Hill to the north, People's Park, Richmond Hill and Turners Road South to the south, Wardown Crescent and Elmwood Crescent to the west, and Vauxhall Way to the east.

History

Formerly a small hamlet between

Biscot Biscot is an area of Luton close to the town centre, in the Luton district, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The area is roughly bounded by Montrose Avenue to the north, the Midland Main Line to the west, and the A6 to the eas ...

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 ...

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 ...

, Round Green is one of the oldest parts of Luton, with references to the area dating back to 1170. The area originally called Cowridge End stretches from what is now Old Bedford Road up to Birchen Grove in the North and down to Crawley Green in the south. The area was officially assumed into the boundary of Luton in 1933. In 1908, the Luton Tram Service started up, with route one terminating at Round Green (starting out in Park Street). The tram service in the town was short-lived, and in 1931 the council decided to replace the trams with buses.

Culture and community

Culture

Architecture and historic buildings

There is a Grade II-listed water tower on Hart Lane which is one of the most prominent points on Luton's skyline if looking eastwards from the centre. The building was erected in 1900 following a drought that affected the

area and is a counterpart to a similarly aged water town on West Hill Road in

New Town New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

Community facilities

Groups and societies

The Luton Co-Operative Club is based on Stockingstone Road and is a member's club featuring a bar and sports facilities.

Parks and open spaces

There are few parks and open spaces in the Round Green area due to the proximity of People's Park in High Town and other large spaces in the Crawley area. There is a small children's play area at Abbotswood Park between Abbots Wood Road and Abbey Drive, and a wooded area at the northernmost point of Hitchin Road.

Public houses and bars

The Jolly Topers on the Hitchin Road roundabout has licensing records dating back to 1822 and is the last remaining public house in the area. A murder inquest was held there in 1867. A large

horse-chestnut ''Aesculus hippocastanum'', the horse chestnut, is a species of flowering plant in the maple, soapberry and lychee family Sapindaceae. It is a large, deciduous, synoecious (hermaphroditic-flowered) tree. It is also called horse-chestnut, Europe ...

tree stood next to the roundabout outside the Jolly Topers; it had presided over the area for 150 years. However, in 2001, after heavy winds blew down its branches, it was deemed hazardous to leave standing. The tree was taken down but has since been replaced.. On the other side of the roundabout was the Round Green Tavern, which closed in the late 2010s. The site has been redeveloped as an estate agents office and residential apartments. Next to the Round Green Tavern was the Royal Oak pub, first mentioned in 1850. Closed in the late 2000s, the building has been converted into a veterinary clinic. The Somerset Tavern on the corner of Somerset Avenue and Crawley Green Road was renovated into residential flats in 2009.

Education

Richmond Hill Primary is a

special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

school on Sunridge Avenue. The school has a second site in Wigmore. There are no secondary schools in Round Green; most of the area is within the catchment areas of either

Stopsley High School Stopsley High School is a co-educational secondary school located in the Stopsley area of Luton, Bedfordshire, England. History In September 2002 Stopsley High became a designated specialist sports college. It was re-designated in 2007 with ...

or Queen Elizabeth School.

Religious sites

Churches

St. Anne's Church, on the corner of Crawley Green Road and Hart Lane, and St. Christopher's Church, on the corner of Stockinstone Road and Felix Avenue, share equal standing within the Parish of St. Anne's in the

Diocese of St Albans The Diocese of St Albans forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England and is part of the wider Church of England, in turn part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese is home to more than 1.6 million people and comprises the hi ...

. The Grade II listed, brick-built St. Christopher's Church, is by

Albert Richardson Sir Albert Edward Richardson (London, 19 May 1880 – 3 February 1964) was a leading English architect, teacher and writer about architecture during the first half of the 20th century. He was Professor of Architecture at University College Lon ...

. Building commenced in 1936–7 but the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

and

vestries A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquially ...

were not added until 1959. St. Anne's is also home to the Romanian Orthodox church for the area.

Former sites

A Methodist chapel, built in 1865, stood on the junction of Ramridge Road and Hitchin Road opposite the Jolly Topers public house. The building was used as a parish hall from 1911 but has since been demolished and the site is now a car park. The Methodists relocated to a new chapel on Turners Road South in 1911. In 1959, a more modern chapel building was erected in front of and connected to the chapel, which became a Sunday school. The church closed in 1997 and the 1959 chapel building was demolished shortly after. The 1911 structure still stands and has been used as a children's nursery since at least 2010.

Sport and leisure

Luton Indoor Bowling Club, established in 1988, has a purpose-built facility off Stockingstone Road officially opened by

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

in the same year. Adjacent is an outdoor bowling green operated by the Co-Op Luton Bowls Club.

Politics

Round Green is part of the larger Round Green ward, which also contains parts of Ramridge End and Tin Town. The Councillors for Round Green ward are Cllr David Chapman ( Liberal Democrats), Cllr Steve Moore ( Liberal Democrats) and Cllr Tahmina Saleem (

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 ...

). 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 ...

Luton South Luton South is a constituency in Bedfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Rachel Hopkins, a member of the Labour Party. History This seat was created in 1983, primarily from the former seat of Luton ...

and the MP is

Rachel Hopkins Rachel Louise Hopkins (born 30 March 1972) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Luton South since 2019. A member of the Labour Party, she has been a Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office since 2021. Hopkins ...

(

Local attractions

Local newspapers

Two weekly newspapers cover Round Green, although they are not specific to the area. They are the:
Herald and Post

Luton News

References

* Local History Book - ''The Story of Round Green'' by Barbara M. Benson {{Luton Areas of Luton Wards of Luton