Brickhill

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Brickhill
Brickhill (Bedfordshire)
Brickhill

Brickhill shown within Bedfordshire
Population 8,678 [1]
OS grid reference TL055525
District Bedford
Shire county Bedfordshire
Region East
Constituent country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BEDFORD
Police Bedfordshire
Fire Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance East of England
European Parliament East of England
UK Parliament Bedford
List of places: UK • England • Bedfordshire

Coordinates: 52°09′39″N 0°27′33″W / 52.1607, -0.45912

Brickhill is a ward, and a civil parish within northern Bedford in Bedfordshire, England.

The boundaries of Brickhill are (roughly) Clapham Park to the north, Kimbolton Road and Putnoe to the east, Bedford Park and the old Bedford Cemetery to the south, With Cemetery Hill and the Murdoch Road Industrial Estate to the West.

The new Woodlands Park housing estate (off Tyne Crescent) is within the boundaries of the Brickhill ward.

Contents

[edit] History

There is no evidence of any major settlement in the Brickhill area before the 1950s. The name 'Brickhill' derives from 'Brickhill Farm' which occupied the land before the area was developed. 'Brickhill' may have been a reference to brick-making in the area, as Brickhill has a high clay content in its soils. Brick-making used to be a major industry in Bedfordshire (See Stewartby).

Following the World War Two momentum grew in Bedford to plan the re-development of the town from its population of 58,000 to 75,000. This required the provision of a substantial area of land for housing development. At the time, Bedfordshire County Council (who were the planning authority) attempted to pursue Bedford Borough Council to consider development on areas of clay sub-soil around northern Bedford, and in particular across Brickhill. There initially appeared to be great resistance to this. Traditionally buildings in Bedford had been founded on areas of River Terrace gravels, and it was thought in 1949 that the cost of the foundations excavated into the Boulder Clay/Blue Oxford Clay would add approximately £70 to the cost of constructing a house. Since no viable alternative could be found by the Borough they eventually accepted the County's proposals for development of the Brickhill area. [2]

Most of Brickhill was constructed from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. The neighbourhood was developed in two zones - South Brickhill became the Birds area, with all the streets named after birds (eg Linnet Way, Hawk Drive, Dove Road). North Brickhill became the Rivers area, with all the streets named after rivers (eg Avon Drive, Tyne Crescent).

Brickhill was originally served by an Urban community council, but since April 1, 2004 it has been a civil parish, with its own Parish Council. [3]

Brickhill is currently expanding, with the new Woodlands Park housing estate being built to the north of the existing neighbourhood.

[edit] Politics

Brickhill Parish Council is currently made up of 8 Liberal Democrat councillors, and 5 Conservative councillors. The next elections for the council are in 2009. Brickhill elects 3 councillors to Bedford Borough Council, two of which are currently Conservatives and one liberal democrat. Finally Brickhill elects one councillor to Bedfordshire County Council, that councillor is also a Conservative. [4]

[edit] Local Amenities

There are two parades of shops in the area at which most services are located. The first is found on Brickhill Drive which has a Newsagent & Post Office, a small Supermarket, a butchers shop, a chemists, a Farm shop & Cafe, a Garage & Car Wash plus other shops and a recycling point. There is also a Charles Wells Pub called the Bird in Hand.

The second shopping zone is located on Avon Drive and consists of a small Londis Supermarket, a Newsagent & Post Office, a Fish & Chip shop, a Florists, a Coral betting shop, a petrol station & garage, a recycling point and a Greene King Pub called The Tiger Moth. Brickhill's Community centre is also located by the Avon Drive Shopping parade, as is a BUPA Elderly Persons Home called Highfield.

Further along Brickhill Drive is The Pilgrim Centre. This small business park (remodelled on the site of the old Pilgrim's Upper School) houses Bedford's Register office and a number of other offices and businesses.

There are a few other smaller businesses and facilities located in Brickhill, most notably a Vets, located on Linnet Way and another Charles Wells Pub called The Pheasant, located on Avon Drive

Brickhill has a comparatively high number of open spaces and children's play-parks, including Freeman's Common (Situated between Linnet Way and Avon Drive). There is also a generous area of allotments. There are a number of post boxes and telephone boxes throughout the area and a main bus route into Bedford town centre runs through Brickhill.

[edit] Schools

There are four state schools in Brickhill - Brickhill Lower School which is on Dove Road, and Scott Lower School plus Beauchamp Middle School which are located on Hawk Drive. Bedford's only Roman Catholic Upper School - St Thomas More Catholic Upper School is located on Tyne Crescent, Brickhill. For Upper School education, most of Brickhill is in the catchment of Biddenham Upper School, the remainder is in the catchment of Mark Rutherford Upper School. St Thomas More School does not have a catchment area as it is a Roman Catholic School. [5]

Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School is an independent school located on Brickhill Drive. This school belongs to the Harpur Trust.

[edit] Places of Worship

There are three churches in Brickhill - Brickhill Baptist Church on Brickhill Drive, St Phillip & St James Roman Catholic Church on Linnet Way, and St Marks Church of England and Methodist Church on Avon Drive.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Neighbourhood Statistics
  2. ^ http://www.putnoe.co.uk/history_ch8.htm 'The Housing Boom and Bedford Corporation (1950 to 1973)'
  3. ^ http://www.brickhillparishcouncil.gov.uk/ 'Brickhill Parish Council - welcome'
  4. ^ http://www.brickhillparishcouncil.gov.uk/parishcouncillors.htm 'Parish Councillors'
  5. ^ http://bedfordshire.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/SchoolAdmissions/SchoolCatchmentAreas.aspx 'Bedfordshire School Catchment Areas'

[edit] External links