Toddington 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
in the county of
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...
, England. It is situated 5 miles north-north-west of
Luton
Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census.
Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...
, north of
Dunstable, south-west of
Woburn, and 35 miles north-north-west of
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
on the
B5120 and B579. It is 0.5 miles from Junction 12 of the
M1 motorway
The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) motorway, A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the count ...
and lends its name to the
nearby motorway service station. The
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...
of
Fancott also forms part of the Toddington civil parish.
Toddington is built around a large
village green
A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...
, around which sit the parish church and four of the village's six
public houses. The Dunstable Northern Bypass taking heavy traffic bound for Dunstable from the M1 away from the village was delayed but a restart was announced in September 2011, and opened in May 2017. A large-scale housebuilding programme has been proposed by the government for the environs of
Luton
Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census.
Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...
,
Dunstable and
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...
, and proposals to build a 20,000 seat football stadium to replace
Kenilworth Road
Kenilworth Road, known affectionately as The Kenny, is a association football, football stadium in the area of Bury Park, Luton, Bedfordshire, England. It has been the home ground of Luton Town F.C., Luton Town Football Club since 1905. The sta ...
were withdrawn in 2008.
Toddington has experienced a rise in house prices due to its reputation as a quiet English village and the easy commute into London.
For local government purposes it is in the
Central Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire is a Districts of England, local government district in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. It is administered by Central Bedfordshire Council, a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority. It was created ...
unitary authority, and is in the Mid-Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency, represented since 19 October 2023 by
Labour MP Alistair Strathern
Alistair Luke Strathern (born 5 March 1990) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hitchin since 2024. He previously served as MP for Mid Bedfordshire after winning a by-election in 2023.
E ...
.
Amenities
Toddington has four churches:
Church of England (St George), Methodist, Baptist, and a Christian Fellowship.
It used to be claimed that Toddington had the most
pubs per head of population of any village in the United Kingdom, although recently one has closed indefinitely and another was converted into a restaurant. The remaining pubs are: the Oddfellows Arms, the Griffin, the Bell, and the Fancott Arms (which lies about a mile outside the village centre). The former pubs are the Nag's Head (which was demolished to make way for housing), the Sow and Pigs (closed in 2011 and converted into a dentist), the Red Lion (which turned into Ritzy Bar in 2011 but closed in 2014 and converted to housing in 2017), the Angel (which closed in 2019 and was converted into business offices) and the Bedford Arms (closed in February 2012 and converted to housing in 2019). The old town hall building was turned into a micropub, the Cuckoo, which opened in 2014 and closed in 2019.
Toddington has one theatre - Tads Theatre, on Conger Lane. It is owned and run by the charity group Tads Theatre, formerly known as the Toddington Amateur Dramatics Society. The group mounts 4–6 in-house productions each year, including an annual family
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...
.
Toddington used to have a historical society, the Toddington Historical Society, who met at the Village Hall on Leighton Road.
Toddington has a brass band, the
Toddington Town Band (TTB); it has existed in one form or another since 1856 and performs regularly at village events.
The nearest mainline railway station is
Harlington, which is located in the nearby village of
Harlington and is served by
Thameslink
Thameslink is a mainline route on the British railway network, running from , , , , , and via central London to , , , Rainham, , , and . The network opened as a through service in 1988, with severe overcrowding by 1998, carrying more than ...
. From Harlington there are trains north to
Flitwick
Flitwick () is a town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England.
It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "a hamlet on the River Flitt". The spelling ''Flytwyk'' appears in 1381.
The nearby River Flit runs through Flitwick Moor, ...
and
Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district.
Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...
, and south to
Luton
Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census.
Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...
,
Luton Airport Parkway,
St Albans
St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...
,
St Pancras International,
Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport , also known as London Gatwick Airport (), is the Airports of London, secondary international airport serving London, West Sussex and Surrey. It is located near Crawley in West Sussex, south of Central London. In 2024, Gatwic ...
and
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
. The Fancott Arms hosts the
rideable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by Diesel engine, ...
at
Fancott.
Dropshort Marsh and
Fancott Woods and Meadows, both close to the village, are managed as
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
s by the
, and each is designated a
Site of Special Scientific Interest
A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...
.
There are several
public rights of way within the parish and there are many walks and rides around the village. The
Icknield Way Path runs through the village on its 110-mile journey from
Ivinghoe Beacon
Ivinghoe Beacon is a prominent hill and landmark in Buckinghamshire, England, 233 m (757 ft) above sea level in the Chiltern Hills, close to Ivinghoe and Aldbury. Dunstable, Berkhamsted and Tring are nearby.
The Beacon lies within t ...
in Buckinghamshire to
Knettishall Heath
Knettishall Heath is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Knettishall in Suffolk, England. A larger area of 176 hectares is the Knettishall Heath Nature Reserve, which is managed by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.
Despite its n ...
in Suffolk. The Icknield Way Trail, a multi-user route for walkers, horse riders and off-road cyclists, passes through the village.
The village has several halls for use by the community. The largest hall is on Leighton Road and managed by the Toddington Village Hall Association. It was opened in July 1993 on behalf of the community.
Education
The village is served by two schools, Toddington St George Church of England School (opened in 1967) and Parkfields Middle School (opened in 1963), which provide education for children aged between 4 and 13 years of age. After year 8, children transfer to
Harlington Upper School located in nearby
Harlington.
Geography
Toddington is situated on a hill formed of glacial sand and gravel above a layer of glacial till on top of the Cretaceous
Gault
The Gault Formation is a geological formation of stiff blue clay deposited in a calm, fairly deep-water marine environment during the Lower Cretaceous Period (Upper and Middle Albian). It is well exposed in the coastal cliffs at Copt Point in Fo ...
Clay (see the 1:50,000 Sheet 220 Leighton Buzzard Solid and Drift Geology by the British Geological Survey). The hill has a maximum height of 154 m and the village is about 30 m above the other Mid-Bedfordshire villages and towns (e.g.
Westoning
Westoning () is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is located around south of the town of Flitwick. The River Flit flows behind the Westoning stud farm.
History
Dark and Middle Ages 1086
The village is mentioned in the D ...
,
Harlington,
Flitwick
Flitwick () is a town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England.
It is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "a hamlet on the River Flitt". The spelling ''Flytwyk'' appears in 1381.
The nearby River Flit runs through Flitwick Moor, ...
).
Historic buildings
Toddington Castle was a timber
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 eas ...
castle built before the 13th century in Toddington. Today only
earthworks remain of the castle, known as Conger Hill.
Chalgrave Castle was built to the south of the village during the 11th century, however no visible remains of the structure exist today.
Toddington Manor
Toddington Manor is a Tudor Manor house located on the North edge of the village with an extremely long history going back to well before the Norman invasion in 1066.
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
came to
Toddington Manor in 1563 and knighted the owner Henry Cheney. In July 1608
King James and
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
stayed at the manor, guests of
Jane, Lady Cheney, the queen wore a gown of ash-coloured satin bias cut.
Arbella Stuart
Lady Arbella Stuart (also Arabella, or Stewart; 1575 – 25 September 1615) was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I (her first cousin), she marrie ...
came in August 1609.
Notable people
Henry Cheyne, 1st Baron Cheyne (1540–1587) is buried at St Georges Church.
Thomas Cleaver, breeder of
Sampson, the tallest and heaviest horse ever recorded, lived at Toddington Mills.
Kevin McCloud
Kevin McCloud, (born 8 May 1959) is a British designer, writer, and a television presenter. He has presented the Channel 4 series ''Grand Designs'' since its debut in April 1999.
Early life
Born in Bedfordshire, McCloud and his two brothers, ...
, presenter of TV show
Grand Designs
''Grand Designs'' is a British television series that has broadcast on Channel 4 since 29 April 1999 and is presented by Kevin McCloud.
Format
Episodes generally follow a regular format, with small variations depending on the progress of t ...
was born and raised in Toddington.
Celebrity
Emily Atack, of
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! fame, attended Parkfields Middle School in the early 2000s.
References
External links
Toddington Parish CouncilToddington Manor, from Bedfordshire Archives
{{authority control
Villages in Bedfordshire
Civil parishes in Bedfordshire
Central Bedfordshire District