Kingsbrook

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Coordinates: 52°07′21″N 0°26′33″W / 52.12261°N 0.44239°W / 52.12261; -0.44239
Kingsbrook

Oasis Beach Pool, located in Kingsbrook
Kingsbrook

 Kingsbrook shown within Bedfordshire
Population 9,134 [1]
OS grid reference TL067482
Unitary authority Bedford
Ceremonial county Bedfordshire
Region East
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BEDFORD
Postcode district MK42, MK44
Dialling code 01234
Police Bedfordshire
Fire Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance East of England
EU Parliament East of England
UK Parliament Bedford
List of places
UK
England
Bedfordshire

Kingsbrook is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, England.

The boundaries of Kingsbrook are approximately the River Great Ouse and Priory Country Park to the north, Cambridge Road and the A421 to the south and east, with Redwood Grove and Willow Road to the west.

The Fenlake and Silver Jubilee neighbourhoods are both part of the Kingsbrook ward, as is the Priory Business Park and the Cambridge Road Industrial Estate. Kingsbrook is the largest ward (in terms of population) in Bedford.

History

There is evidence of a late neolithic or early bronze age settlement and ritual site, located next to the Bunyan Centre in Kingsbrook. Excavations in 1995 uncovered three skeletons and by a complete Beaker pot.[2]

There was some settlement in the northern part of Kingsbrook (by the river) in the 19th Century. However the area was not properly developed until the 20th Century, with the construction of the Silver Jubilee neighbourhood in the 1930s, which was named after the Silver Jubilee of King George V in 1935.[3] The final part of southern Kingsbrook was settled by the 1970s, and named Fenlake.

Governance

Cauldwell and Kingsbrook Urban Community Council is the local council for Kingsbrook and the neighbouring ward of Cauldwell, with twelve seats elected every four years (six of which are from Kingsbrook). There are currently four Liberal Democrat, and two independent councillors representing Kingsbrook on the community council.

Kingsbrook elects two councillors to Bedford Borough Council, currently, after the 2011 election, one is Labour and the other Liberal Democrat.

Economy

There are many local shops and services located on London Road, including a supermarket, petrol station, post office, bakery and a Mecca Bingo hall. There is a large Tesco superstore sited on Cardington Road, as well as the Barns Hotel.[4]

There are two large business parks in Kingsbrook. The first is the Cambridge Road Industrial Estate which houses many companies including Fujifilm. The second is Priory Business Park on Cardington Road, which houses many other firms including the head offices of Autoglass[5] and the National Hairdressers' Federation.

Education

There is one lower school in Kingsbrook - Stephenson Lower School located on Canvin Way. Middle school age children in the area attend Harrowden Middle School situated on Oak Road.[6] For older students, Kingsbrook is served by Bedford Academy sited on Mile Road.[7] The school shares some sports facilities with the nearby Bunyan Centre. [8]

Religious sites

Jubilation Centre

Community facilities

Kingsbrook's open spaces include Jubilee Park on Canvin Way, and Fenlake Meadows on Cardington Road. There are two community centres in the area - The first is Scott Hall Community Centre located on Barford Avenue,[10] and the second is the Jubilation Centre situated on Moulton Avenue.[11] The Oasis Beach Pool (a public swimming pool) is situated on Cardington Road.

The Bunyan Centre is a leisure centre situated in Kingsbrook.[12] The site has been selected as an official training site for the London 2012 Olympics. The venue is expected to attract fencers, wrestlers and judo players training for the event, and complements other training sites in the Bedford area. In June 2009 it was reported that over 13 national teams have expressed an interest in using the Bedford area (including the Bunyan Centre) for their olympic preparations.[13][14] However, it has now been announced that the Bunyan Centre is to close in 2012.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Neighbourhood Statistics. "Neighbourhood Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 
  2. ↑ "Bedford Timeline: Modern - Digitised Resources - Bedfordshire's Virtual Library". Galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 
  3. ↑ "'A brief history of Bedford' by Tim Lambert". Localhistories.org. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 
  4. ↑ The Barns Hotel
  5. ↑ http://www.autoglass.co.uk/ Autoglass
  6. ↑ http://www.harrowden.beds.sch.uk Harrowden Middle School
  7. ↑ http://www.johnbunyan.beds.sch.uk/ John Bunyan Upper School
  8. ↑ 'Bedfordshire School Catchment Areas'
  9. ↑ Parish Priest of Christ the King Church Bedford. "Christ the King Church". Btinternet.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 
  10. ↑ "Scott Hall Community Centre". Bedford.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 
  11. ↑ "Jubilation Centre". Bedford.gov.uk. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 
  12. ↑ http://www.bunyancentre.bedford.gov.uk/ Bunyan Centre
  13. ↑ Published on Monday 3 March 2008 18:25 (2008-03-03). "Bedfordshire to host Olympic training camps". Bedford Today. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 
  14. ↑ "Bedfordshire News | Latest Bedford News Headlines | Bedfordshire Sports, Jobs, Weather & Business News | Town eyes Olympic ring of confidence". Bedsonsunday.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 
  15. ↑ Published on Tuesday 6 September 2011 16:11 (2011-09-06). "Bunyan Centre to close - Local". Bedford Today. Retrieved 2012-08-06. 

External links

Areas and wards of Bedford
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