Broom, Bedfordshire
Broom is a small village near Biggleswade in the English county of Bedfordshire. It is in the civil parish of Southill.
Broom is mentioned in the Domesday Book. The entry reads; Brume: Nigel de la Vast from Nigel d'Aubigny
It has long since been a 'farming' village with a number of small local market gardeners using the surrounding fields for their businesses - many of these have been in the farming families for generations.
The village is made up of the High Street, High Road, Kings Road, The Maynards, The Woodlands, Birch Close, Bancroft Avenue, Southill Road and The Bothy. There is a mixture of old farm houses as well as an assortment of new buildings.
The village originally consisted of The High Street, High Road, Kings Road, Southill Road and Bancroft Avenue. Later on in the village's history, Birch Close and The Woodlands were built on the other side of 'the ditch'.
In past years the village had four pubs, a post office, village shop and a small church. There was also a village football team that played on the village green.
The Cock is a mid-19th century Grade II listed public house at 23 High Street.[1] It is on the Campaign for Real Ale's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.[2] The pub boasts an unusual attribute in that it is one of a handful of pubs in the UK that has no serving counter. Drinks and food are served by staff to customers in a variety of small rooms. The pub also boasts traditional table skittles.[3] A large old house, Broom Hall, still stands just off the High Street, this has been converted into flats and apartments. However, the original building which stood in what was known as Broom Park is still standing. Broom Park was described as a Gentleman's Country Estate when it was put up for auction shortly after the Second World War.
Usually in July there is a Broom Village Fete, organised by the people of Broom, which is used to raise money for local charities as well as providing entertainment for the villagers and visitors. More recently there is now a weekend music festival known as "Broomstock" held in the middle of September.
The villages interests are looked after by the local Southill Parish Council with 4 councillors coming from Broom and the others from the nearby villages of Stanford and Southill.
Local children attend the Fawns Pre-School based in the Southill Parish Hall and then on to the local primary school - Southill Lower School.
External links
Media related to Broom, Bedfordshire at Wikimedia Commons
References
- ↑ "The Cock public house". National Heritage List for England. English Heritage. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
- ↑ Brandwood, Geoff (2013). Britain's best real heritage pubs. St. Albans: CAMRA. p. 18. ISBN 9781852493042.
- ↑ http://www.thecockatbroom.co.uk/