Dunstable
For the town in Massachusetts, see Dunstable, Massachusetts.Dunstable is a town in the county of
Bedfordshire, with a population of 33,805 (2001 census). It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the
Chiltern Hills. These form several steep chalk
escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.
Prior to the
Local Government Act 1972 coming into force in
1974 Dunstable was a
municipal borough. It is now a
civil parish in the
South Bedfordshire district.
Dunstable lies on a crossroads of the ancient
Roman road of
Watling Street, which is the modern
A5 trunk road, and the even older
Icknield Way. In
Roman times its name was
Durocobrivis. There are two theories concerning its modern name. Firstly there was a famous robber, Dunn, who gave his name to the town, Dunns stable. The Second is that it comes from
Anglo-Saxon Dunstaple, meaning "Hill Market".
One of the reasons for the town's prosperity, and the large number of
Inns or
public houses in the town, is the fact that it was one day's ride (approx 35 miles) from
London, and therefore a place to rest and spend the night. It was in fact for this very reason that King Henry VIII ordered the town to be built. There are two Pubs which still have
coaching gates to the side that show this.
The Sugar Loaf, in High Street north, and The
Saracens Head, High Street south. The Saracens Head, normally a name given to pubs frequented by
Knights of
the crusades, can be seen to be considerably lower than the road to its front, witness to the fact that the road has been resurfaced a number of times during the lifetime of the pub. There are also rumours of a series of tunnels running from the cellar of the pub to the crypt of the
priory to its rear.
Dunstable was the site of an
Eleanor cross. The Dunstable
Priory Church of
Saint Peter was founded in
1132 by
Henry I and was later the setting for the divorce between
Henry VIII and
Catherine of Aragon, which led to the separation of the
Church of England from the
Roman Catholic Church. The first battles or skirmishes of the
English Civil War occurred in Dunstable.
Dunstable's first railway opened in 1848. It was a branch of the
London and North Western Railway, joining the
West Coast Main Line at
Leighton Buzzard. A second railway linking Dunstable with
Hatfield on the
Great Northern Railway via
Luton opened in 1858.
Dunstable Town station was closed when passenger services to Dunstable were withdrawn in 1965 and the track between Dunstable and
Leighton Buzzard was removed. Dunstable is now one of the largest towns in south-east England without a railway connection [
1]. The line between Dunstable and Luton on the
Midland Main Line remained open for freight traffic for many years and the track is still in place. Although there have been a number of campaigns for the re-establishment of a passenger railway or for the line along which it runs to be used for a dedicated bus service, none of them has proved to be successful.
Dunstable was a significant
market town, but its importance diminished as the neighbouring town of
Luton grew. Latterly, much Dunstable's industry has been light engineering providing vehicle parts for the
Vauxhall plant in Luton, but with the closure of this plant Dunstable is following Luton into decline regarding the manufacturing sector.
Dunstable Downs, a chalky escarpment to the west of the town, with stunning views to the north, and a popular site for
kite flying,
paragliding, and, located at the bottom of the Downs, the London Gliding Club which provides conventional
glidingWhipsnade Wildlife Park, an open range
zoo.
Priory Church, where
Henry VIII had his first divorce, from
Catherine of Aragon, formalised.
* The comedian
Spike Breakwell*
Faye Tozer, member of the pop group
Steps*
Una Stubbs, actress
*
Gary Cooper, actor, who lived in the town as a boy, attended
Dunstable Grammar School.
*Indie singer song writer
Damon Gough was born in the town.
*
Dunstable Town F.C.*
Dunstablians*
Queensbury School, Langdale Road
*
Dunstable in Detail (1986), The Book Castle, written and illustrated by
Nigel Benson.
*
Dunstable Town Council's Official Website*
Dunstablians Rugby Union Football Club*
Dunstable and district business directory & news site*
Dunstable links on
Chainki wiki
