Goldington

Goldington
Goldington Green, with the war memorial centre. Goldington Hall can be seen in the background
Goldington
Goldington shown within Bedfordshire
Population	8,603 [1] 8,662 (2011 Census.Ward)[2]
OS grid reference	TL076510
Unitary authority	Bedford
Ceremonial county	Bedfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BEDFORD
Postcode district	MK41
Dialling code	01234
Police	Bedfordshire
Fire	Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Bedford

Goldington is an electoral ward within the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It encompasses much of the historic village and parish of Goldington that was merged with Bedford in 1934, although some parts of the old village are within the neighbouring Newnham ward. It also includes two modern estates that are part of Renhold Parish.

The boundaries of Goldington are approximately The Spires and Aspire eststes to the north, Norse Road to the east, Goldington Road to the south, with Church Lane and Bow Hill to the west. The northern part of the area is sometimes known as Elms Farm.

History

Goldington was a village which grew up along the old A428 road between Bedford and Cambridge. St Mary's Church in Goldington has parish registers going back to 1559.

In August 1645 Major Walter Baskerville a Royalist cavalry Officer was killed in a skirmish in Goldington. Goldington Hall (a small mansion) was built in the 1650s. The Hall was rebuilt in 1874.^[3]

In 1934 the southern part of the parish of Goldington was merged with the expanding Bedford town, with the northern rural parts becoming part of Ravensden or Renhold. The area was greatly expanded to the north in the 1960s and 70s, seeing the return of some of the original parish lost in 1934. This expansion included the development of the Elms Farm estate and the Church Lane shopping parade. The Poppyfields estate was developed in the area in the 1990s.

In the 21st century The Spires and Aspire housing estates have been constructed on the northern boundary of Goldington. These newer estates are in the civil parish of Renhold.

After many years as a pub, the old Goldington Hall became semi-derelict and was the scene of a small fire in 2008.^[3] It is now a private residence.

Goldington Castle, a motte-and-bailey castle, was built sometime after 1066, but is not actually in Goldington despite its name. The castle is located in the neighbouring area of Newnham.

Governance

The majority of Goldington is an unparished area, with all community services under the direct control of Bedford Borough Council. Goldington elects two councillors to Bedford Borough Council. The seats were won in 2015 by Anthony Forth and Jade Uko of the Labour Party. The Spires and Aspire estates are in the area covered by Renhold Parish Council to which they elect one councillor, in 2015 independent Stuart Harrison was elected unopposed.

Economy

There are three shopping parades in Goldington at which most shops and services are located -

The first is Goldington Square on Church Lane which includes a Co-op supermarket and post office, a branch of Aldi, a branch of Iceland, a hairdressers, a Chinese takeaway, a medical centre and a community centre. Coplan Estates were appointed to re-develop the shopping area in 2006, and an old pub called The Century was demolished in 2008. However the recession of the late 2000s delayed further progress. Phase one of the regeneration saw the Aldi supermarket being constructed at the site. This opened in summer 2010. The Iceland supermarket and medical centre finally opened in 2015.

Goldington's second shopping hub is on Queens Drive, which has a small convenience store, a post office, a chemist, a hairdresser, a butcher's shop, a laundrette, The Queens Tavern pub is now closed (2017) and replaced with a Co-op convenience store, a fish & chip shop, petrol station and GP Surgery.

There is a small shopping parade on The Fairway with a convenience store, The Sportsman pub and a butchers shop. A greengrocer and fish and chip shop have closed and now stand empty.

There are still a few shops and pubs along the old village High Street (i.e. Goldington Road) including a small Londis supermarket and a Frankie & Benny's restaurant. There is a small independent supermarket on Elliot Crescent.

To the eastern side of Goldington is the Elms & Viking Industrial estate. This large business park (between Goldington Road and Norse Road) houses many firms, including Enterprise Holdings, E.ON UK, GE Healthcare and the East of England Ambulance Service.

Education

Since the alteration of ward boundaries in 2011, and the relocation of Putnoe Lower School, there are no schools within the ward. The ward is covered catchment areas for Putnoe Lower School, The Hills Academy, Goldington Green Academy and Renhold VC Lower School for lower school pupils, Goldington Academy and Alban Church of England Academy for middle school pupils and Mark Rutherford School for upper school pupils

Religious sites

• St Mary's Church (Church of England), a grade II* listed building,^[4] located on Church Lane^[5]

Community facilities

Church Lane Community Centre is located on Goldington Square, Church Lane.^[6] It is due to close for redevelopment in April 2016. Goldington Green is the area's largest open space, and is situated on Church Lane and Goldington Road. Goldington Bury cricket ground is situated next to Goldington Green. Goldington Bury is the home ground of Bedford Cricket Club.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Goldington, Bedfordshire.

• Goldington timeline