Harpur
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Harpur is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, England.
The boundaries of Harpur are (roughly) De Parys Avenue and De Parys to the east, Bromham Road and Castle to the south, with the Midland Main Line railway line and Clapham Road to the west.
The Poets area, the Prime Ministers area, and the Black Tom neighbourhoods all lie within the boundaries of Harpur ward.
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[edit] History
The area is named after Sir William Harpur a famous Bedfordian. The area houses Bedford Modern School and Bedford High School, both of which form part of the Harpur Trust. [2]
A notorious Highwayman labelled 'Black Tom' reportedly frequented the area in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Supposedly he was buried with a stake driven through his heart at the junction of Tavistock Street, Union Street and Clapham Road. Today Black Tom is the informal name of the Tavistock Road neighbourhood in Harpur [3].
Most of Harpur has been developed for over two hundred years, and most buildings in the area date from the 19th Century or before.
The Bedford Physical Training College (later, Bedford College of Physical Education) was founded on Landsdowne Road in 1903. The campus joined two others in 1976 to form Bedford College of Higher Education which in turn joined other colleges to form De Montfort University in 1994. By this time many of the bulidings on or around Lansdowne Road in Harpur were part of the University campus. In 2006 the Bedford arm of De Montfort University and the University of Luton formed the University of Bedfordshire. It was decided that the new University would merge its two Bedford campuses onto one site on Polhill Avenue, De Parys. This meant the end of the Lansdowne Road campus, which lasted in the Harpur area for over 100 years. [4]
John Le Mesurier who starred as Sergeant Arthur Wilson on the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army was born in Chaucer Road in the area in 1912. [5]
[edit] Politics
Harpur is an Unparished area, with all community services under the direct control of Bedford Borough Council. Harpur elects 3 councillors to Bedford Borough Council, two of which are currently from the Labour Party and one Conservative. Finally Harpur elects one councillor to Bedfordshire County Council, that councillor is also from the Labour Party.
[edit] Local Amenities
Harpur contains Tavistock Street, one of Bedford's major commercial zones. There are various shops, pubs, offices and restaurants on Tavistock Street. Harpur's Community centre is located just off Tavistock Street on Princes Street. There are more shops and businesses dotted around Harpur, including Bromham Road which houses Bedford Prison. There has been a prison on this site since 1801. [6]
Elsewhere there is a large Sainsburys Superstore on Clapham Road. To the north of Harpur is the Murdoch Road Industrial Estate (located on Manton Lane) which houses many different businesses including call centres, engineering firms, an LA Fitness Gym and a Travelodge. There are more hotels and guest-houses to be found on Shakespeare Road.
There is also the a public swimming pool situated just on the edge of Harpur on Park Avenue.
[edit] Schools
There are two state Lower Schools in Harpur - Edith Cavell Lower School located on Manton Lane, and Livingstone Lower School situated on Clapham Road. There are no Middle or Upper schools in Harpur. Children in the area are in the catchment for Beauchamp Middle School in Brickhill and Biddenham Upper School in Biddenham. [7]
There four Independent Schools in Harpur - Polam School is located on Lansdowne Road, and Rushmoor School is situated on Shakespeare Road. For older children Bedford High School is sited on Bromham Road and Bedford Modern School is on Manton Lane.
[edit] Places of Worship
St Martin's Church (Church of England) is located on Clapham Road. There is also a Methodist Church on Park Road. The Bedford Religious Society of Friends have a Meeting House on Lansdowne Road.
[edit] References
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics
- ^ http://www.bedfordcharity.org.uk/about/history.html 'Short History'
- ^ The Ghost of Black Tom - Digitised Resources - Bedfordshire's Virtual Library
- ^ http://www.beds.ac.uk/aboutus/history,/ 'History and Locations'
- ^ GRO Register of Births: JUN 1912 3b 519 BEDFORD - Halliley, John E Le M, mmn = Le Mesurier
- ^ http://www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/prisoninformation/locateaprison/prison.asp?id=235,15,2,15,235,0 'Bedford Prison'
- ^ http://bedfordshire.gov.uk/EducationAndLearning/SchoolAdmissions/SchoolCatchmentAreas.aspx 'Bedfordshire School Catchment Areas'
