Ampthill
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Map sources for Ampthill at grid reference TL035375
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Ampthill is a small town in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population of about 6,000. It is administered by Mid Bedfordshire District Council and Bedfordshire County Council. A regular market has taken place on Thursdays for centuries.
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[edit] Geography
Ampthill is located at (52.0333, -0.5000)1, and at grid reference TL035375. An aerial view of the town is available at Google Maps UK [1]
[edit] History
The name 'Ampthill' is of Anglo-Saxon origin. The first settlement was called 'Aemethyll', which literally means either 'ant-heap' or 'ant infested hill'. In the Domesday Book, Ampthill is referred to as 'Ammetelle', with the landholder in 1086 being Nigel de la Vast.
In 1242, King Henry III confirmed the right to hold a market on Thursdays. These continue more than 750 years later.
Henry VIII was a frequent visitor to Ampthill Castle, and it was there that Katherine of Aragon lived from 1531 until divorced in 1533, when she was moved to Kimbolton. The castle was built in the 15C by Sir John Cornwall, later Lord Fanhope, from ransoms after the Battle of Agincourt.
The church of St Andrew ranges in date from Early English to Perpendicular. It contains a monument to Richard Nicolls (1624-1672), an Ampthill native, who, under the patronage of the duke of York, brother to Charles II, to whom the king had granted the Dutch North American colony of New Netherland, received the submission of its chief town, New Amsterdam, in 1664, and became its first English governor, the town taking the name of New York. [1] Nicolls perished in the action between the English and Dutch fleets at Solebay, and the ball which killed him is preserved on his tomb. The church also contains a ring of eight bells. There were six until 1981, when the two new bells were installed.
Houghton House was built in 1621 by Mary, Countess of Pembroke and brother of the poet Sir Philip Sidney. In 1675, the house provided the inspiration for 'House Beautiful' in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. Bunyan's work is loosely based on his own journey between Bedford and Luton, and the steep slope leading into Ampthill was the model for the 'Hill of Difficulty'. Houghton House passed to the Duke of Bedford in 1738 and became a ruin after the removal of the roof in 1794.
In the mid-1780s, John Fitzpatrick, who had taken the title Lord Ossory of Ampthill Park, led a campaign to improve the town centre. He created the current market place, erected the water pump and built a new clock tower. Lord Ossory was also responsible for a cross commemorating Katherine of Aragon, with an inscription by Horace Walpole, and a row of thatched cottages built between 1812 and 1816 to house his estate workers.
On the death of Lord Ossary in 1818, Ampthill Park became the seat of Lord Holland in whose time Holland House in Kensington, London, became famous as a gathering place for intellectuals.
Notable 20th century architect Sir Albert Richardson lived in Ampthill from 1919 until his death in 1964 at Avenue House, 20 Church Street. Among his last projects was the building housing Mid Bedfordshire District Council (formerly the Ampthill Rural District Council offices), at 12 Dunstable Street (1963-1965).
Ampthill Park was the burial place for the golden hare in the Kit Williams treasure hunt Masquerade.
[edit] Ampthill today
Ampthill still trades on its "historic market town" badge, serving as a commercial centre for surrounding villages. The town boasts several lively pubs, a wide variety of restaurants and a selection of small independent specialist shops. A new Waitrose food store opened in the centre of the town on 29th September 2006, and this is expected to cement Ampthill's position as the local centre for quality shopping. A number of small businesses such as solicitors, estate agents, financial services, hairdressers, and music schools are also located in town, with larger businnesses to be found on the commercial and industrial developments on the outskirts, along the town's bypass. Ampthill also has a high concentration of public amenities, including schools, doctors surgeries, fire and ambulance stations, and a police station.
Ampthill's historic centre, coupled with well respected schools and the good facilities mentioned above has made it one of the most expensive places to live in Bedfordshire, even in comparison to other mid-Bedfordshire towns such as neighbouring Flitwick, and Cranfield. In a recent survey, it was found that the majority of Ampthill's workers are employed locally, with 22% working in Ampthill itself, and most of the remainder travelling to nearby centres of employment such as Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes. It is possible to commute from Ampthill to London, and around 13% of workers make this journey daily. The survery also found that the turnover of residents was low - most having been in Ampthill for well over a decade.
[edit] External links
- Ampthill Town Forum
- Town Website
- Town's History Site
- Ampthill Bell Ringers Website
- Ampthill Orchestra Website
[edit] References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
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- ^ (1963) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who.
