Potton
Potton | |
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Bedfordshire and Luton | |
Ambulance | East of England |
UK Parliament | |
Potton is a town and
History
The village's name was spelled Pottun in 960 AD and Potone in the 1086
Evidence of early-middle
Market and fairs
Potton was granted a
A fair was granted by
The Shambles provided folding market stalls in the town square before brick buildings were put in place by Samuel Whitbread, the Lord of the Manor, in 1797. They became dilapidated in the 1930s and were demolished after the Second World War. A new library was built in their place, incorporating the old clock from the Shambles with illuminated dials and bell. The library building is called Clock House and was opened on 23 July 1956. It serves as a focal point in the centre of the market square.[8] In spring 2006, the clock mechanism was replaced with an automatic winding system costing £3,000.[6]
Great Fire
The Great Fire of Potton started in a stack of clover in a field in the area of what is now Spencer Close, in 1783. King Street, half the Market Square and some of the Brook End area were destroyed.
Railway
The Sandy and Potton Railway, also known as Captain Peel's Railway, opened on 9 November 1857. It was established by
Potton railway station, which opened in 1862 and served the Varsity Line between Oxford to Cambridge, was closed in 1968.[13] The railway was partly to blame for the decline of Potton market but made London accessible for the district's market gardeners.[6]
Potton Manor
Potton Manor was built in the 1860s. It was requisitioned by the armed forces and used as a laboratory during the war and as a car factory by Eva Pokorova and Otto van Smekal.[14] The Champion car built in Potton was purchased from the National Motor Museum by Potton History Society, whose aim it is to restore the vehicle to full working order. The house was finally demolished in the early 1980s.[6]
Land Settlement Association
In March 1935 the first
Air crash
On 18 September 1945, a
Geography
Potton is 10 miles (16 km) east of the county town of Bedford, 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Cambridge and 43 miles (69 km) north of London. The B1042 road links the town to Sandy and Wrestlingworth and the B1040 to Biggleswade and Gamlingay.[19]
Area and landscape classification
The parish covers an area of about 1,085 hectares.
Altitude
The town centre is 39 metres (128 ft) above sea level. The land slopes from north to south and reaches a high of 88 metres (289 ft) at Potton Wood in the north-east of the parish.[22]
Geology, soil type and land use
The town is mainly surrounded by arable farmland. There are areas of woodland to the south-east of the town at Pegnut Wood, alongside Potton Brook at the north-eastern edge of the town and at Potton Wood in the north-east corner of the parish. There is a sand quarry to the north-west of the town.
Potton lies on
The soil at the centre and west of the parish is of low fertility and is freely draining and slightly acid with a sandy texture. Alongside Potton Brook the soil is loamy and sandy with naturally high groundwater and a peaty texture. East of the brook is a strip of freely draining slightly acid loamy soil. There are highly fertile lime-rich loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage at and to the south of Potton Wood.[24]
Demography
At the time of the 2001 census, Potton had 4,473 inhabitants living in 1,869 households. The ethnic origin of 95.5% was British. 73.9% were Christian, 1.3% followed another religion and 24.9% stated no religion or were not religious.[25]
Governance
There are two tiers of local government covering Potton, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Potton Town Council and Central Bedfordshire Council, based at Chicksands.
Potton Town Council has 15 members and meets at the Community Centre in Brook End. The building was formerly the town's fire station and had been built in 1887.
Public transport
Centrebus (South) runs an hourly, daytime, Monday to Saturday service to Biggleswade and
The nearest railway stations are Sandy and Biggleswade.
Public services
The water supplied by
The Eastern Power Area of UK Power Networks is the distribution network operator for electricity.[30] Cadent Gas owns and operates the area's gas distribution network.[31] The two nearest general hospitals are Bedford (Bedford Hospital NHS Trust) and Lister Hospital, Stevenage (East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust). Ambulance services are provided by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has a station on Bury Hill staffed by retained firefighters.
There is a public library on the Market Square and a post office at Brook End.
Landmarks
A memorial cross to Potton men killed in the First and Second World Wars stands in the cemetery, with a brass plaque bearing the same names in the parish church.[32]
Media
Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Television signals are received from the nearby Sandy Heath TV transmitter. [33]
Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio on 95.5 FM, Heart East on 96.9 FM and BigglesFM is a licensed community radio station which broadcasts from the town on 104.8 FM and online. Full-time broadcasting began in April 2011.[34]
The town is served by the local newspaper, The Biggleswade Chronicle. [35]
Sport and leisure
The Henry Smith Playing Field off Brook End on the eastern edge of the town has a children's play area and skate park. Events such as Picnic in the Park and the bi-annual Party on Potton are hosted.[36][37]
Potton has a Non-League football club Potton United F.C., which plays at The Hollow. Potton Colts is the local youth football club with teams for children aged 6–16.[38]
Potton Town Cricket Club is also based at The Hollow on Biggleswade Road. Both Junior and Senior cricket is played. The adult section runs two teams competing in the Saracens Hertfordshire League on Saturdays and The Bedfordshire Cricket League on Sundays. The club also enter midweek competitions.[39][40]
Potton History Society
There is an active History Society with a membership of over 100. It meets regularly in the Community Centre in Brook End.[41]
Religious sites
The
Economy
Potton had its own brewery from around 1784
A sand quarry operated by Breedon Aggregates lies off The Heath to the north-west of the town. Deepdale Trees operate an extensive tree nursery off Hatley Road and there is an adjacent poultry farm.
Despite noteworthy local businesses, the town remains very much a commuter town; the majority of people in Potton commute daily to either London, via rail, or to Cambridge.
Notable people
This article's list of residents may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. (October 2018) |
- Joel Beckett (1973- ), actor, born in Potton
- Sarah Dazley (1819-1843), murderer, known as the "Potton Poisoner";[42] lived in Potton until 1840
- Freddie Hinds (1999- ), professional footballer who plays as a striker for Championship club Bristol City
References
- ^ "Potton parish". City Population. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales". Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ISBN 0-19-280074-4
- ^ Keir, W. and Turner, I. "Archaeological Field Evaluation: Vicarge Farm, Gamlingay Road, Potton" (PDF). Archaeology Data Service. Albion Archaeology. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Inclosure Records Conspectus". Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Potton Town Guide (2006)
- ^ a b c Potton: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI.
- ^ a b Potton Conservation Area Appraisal (PDF). Chicksands: Central Bedfordshire Council. 2009. p. 6. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ "The Great Fire of Potton 1783". Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ Bedfordshire County Council: Captain Peel's Railway Archived 7 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Didcot Railway Centre: No.5 Shannon/Jane
- ^ Shannon Express History Archived 20 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Potton Barbershop Harmony Club. Retrieved 22 February 2009
- ^ Subterranean Britannica – Disused Stations: Potton
- ^ a b Bedfordshire County Council: Potton Timeline Archived 5 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Land Settlement Association". Severn. Peter Clark. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "LAND SETTLEMENT FOR THE UNEMPLOYED". The Spectator Archive. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Potton Liberator KN736". Graham Hague. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ Forestry Commission: Potton Wood Archived 23 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Google Maps
- ^ "The Ecological Potential of Potton" (PDF). Potton Neighbourhood Plan. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Central Bedfordshire Landscape Character Assessment" (PDF). Central Bedfordshire. Central Bedfordshire Council. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Elevation". Route Calculator. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "Sheet 204. Geological Survey of England & Wales". British Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ "Soilscapes Viewer". LandIS - Land Information System. Cranfield University. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
- ^ Bedfordshire County Council: Potton parish profile Archived 6 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Bedfordshire County Council: Potton Town Council Archived 27 June 2007 at archive.today
- ^ Find Your MP[permanent dead link].
- ^ "Potton". Bus Times. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
- ^ "Drinking Water Quality Information". Anglian Water. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Check if you're in our area". UK Power Networks. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ "Map: who operates the gas distribution network?". ofgem. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ Roll of Honour.com: Potton
- ^ "Full Freeview on the Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Biggles FM". OFCOM. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Biggleswade Chronicle". British Papers. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ "Henry Smith Playing Fields" (PDF). Potton Town Council. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ "About". Party on Potton. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
- ^ "Potton Colts".
- ^ "Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League".
- ^ "Bedfordshire Cricket League". Archived from the original on 29 August 2013.
- ^ "Potton History Society". Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- ^ "The Potton Poisoner, Wrestlingworth, Beds, UK".