Thurleigh

Coordinates: 52°12′53″N 0°27′28″W / 52.21468°N 0.457835°W / 52.21468; -0.457835
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Thurleigh
Bedfordshire and Luton
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Bedfordshire
52°12′53″N 0°27′28″W / 52.21468°N 0.457835°W / 52.21468; -0.457835

Thurleigh is a village and

civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, north Bedfordshire, England, situated around 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Bedford
town centre.

History

Excavations have shown evidence the locality was occupied in the

Iron-Age, Roman and Saxon periods.[3]

In

definite article, as early written in unrelated prose þǣre lēa. Being in the Danelaw however a link to Thor
cannot be ruled out.

There was a church here in Saxon times. The current church has some parts still dating from around 1150, and at about that same time a castle was built here.[7]

The deanery of Eaton contains the

rectories of Bolnhurst, Colmworth, Shelton, Staughton Parva, Tilbrook, Wilden and Yelden; the vicarages of Eaton Socon, Keysoe, Melchburn, Pertenhall, Renhold, Ravensden, Riseley, Roxton, Great Barford and Thurleigh; and the perpetual curacy of Dean.[8]

Airfield

B-17 Flying Fortresses moved in, and over the next three years flew 341 bombing missions. A memorial to these men stands in the village.[9] Events and characters from the USAAF's time at Thurleigh were used as the basis of the novel and film Twelve O'Clock High.[10]

After the war the airfield was used by the Royal Aeronautical Establishment for research and development work. The runway was extended, necessitating the closure of the road between Thurleigh and Keysoe, and the demolition of the hamlet of Backnoe End.[7]

In 1968–71 the Commission for the Third London Airport (the "

Foulness (later known as Maplin Sands) and Nuthampstead.[11]

The RAE was largely closed down in the 1990s and the site is now used by various commercial enterprises.

Geography

Thurleigh is about 6 miles (10 km) north of the county town of

rat run and a 2007 survey recorded 600 vehicles per hour on Mill Road during the morning and evening rush hours, and 121 HGVs throughout the day.[7]

Demography

The population of the civil parish, recorded in the

2001 census, is 696, and their mean age is 38.6 years with 88 of the people being over the age of 65 years.[14] 372 of the population are considered to be economically active.[15] There were 272 dwellings, of which 9 were unoccupied.[16]

Economy

Part of the site of the former airfield now accommodates Thurleigh Business Park, and the runway is currently used for storage of cars. Another part of the site is used by Bedford Autodrome, a corporate hospitality centre. This includes Thurleigh Museum which is dedicated primarily to the airfield and life in the area during World War 2. Other major employers include Jackson Demolition, Monster Events, Star Hire and a number of agricultural businesses.[7]

Community, sport and recreation

Regular events are held at the Village Hall, the Church, the Playing Field Club and the parish's only pub, the Jackal. There has been a hall in the village since 1927, and the current building dates from the 1980s. A youth club meets there bi-monthly. The playing field is used for cricket and football, and has a small children's play area. It is a registered charity. The Playing Field Club, built in the 1970s, provides changing rooms for the cricket team, which is the only organised sports team in the village. There are about 30 miles (48 km) of footpaths and bridleways within the parish.[7] There are a few bus services that stop in the village.[17]

Thurleigh Primary School and Pre-School takes children aged between 2½ and 11 years old, and Breakfast Club and After-School extends the hours of care for the children of working parents.[7] Older children are served by Sharnbrook Academy.[18]

Landmarks

St Peters Church, Thurleigh

The Parish Church of Saint Peter is a grade II*

conservation area.[24]

References

  1. ^ "Neighbourhood Statistics – Thurleigh (CP) Parish". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
  2. ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  3. ^ Historic England. "Bury Hill Camp: a motte and bailey castle with three fishponds (1009155)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  4. ISBN 9780191578472
    . Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  5. ^ Lysons (Reverend), Daniel (1813). Magna Britannia: being a concise topographical account of the several counties of Great Britain, Volume 1, Part 1. London: T. Cadell and W. Davies. pp. 140–141.
  6. ^ Airy, William (1881). A digest of the Domesday of Bedfordshire. Mercury Press, 1881. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "Thurleigh Parish Plan" (PDF). Thurleigh Parish Council. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  8. ^ "Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for ELY". A vision of Britain through time. University of Portsmouth and others. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  9. ^ "History". Bedford Aerodrome website. MotorSport Vision Ltd. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  10. ISBN 9780786458929
    .
  11. ^ Roskill (1971). Report, Commission on the Third London Airport. London: HMSO.
  12. ^ "The Parish of Thurleigh". Parish website. Thurleigh Parish Council and Thurleigh.net webteam. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  13. ^ "1986 Thurleigh". Domesday Reloaded. BBC. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  14. ^ "Thurleigh CP; Parish Profile – People". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  15. ^ "Thurleigh CP; Parish Profile – Work and Qualifications". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  16. ^ "Thurleigh CP; Parish Profile – Accommodation and Tenure". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  17. ^ "Timetables and Maps". Bedford Borough Council. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  18. ^ "School Catchment Areas". Bedford Borough Council. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  19. ^ Historic England. "PARISH CHURCH OF SAINT PETER, HIGH STREET (south side) THURLEIGH, BEDFORD, BEDFORDSHIRE (1311731)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  20. ^ Historic England. "The Old Vicarage (1311707)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  21. ^ Historic England. "Thurleigh Windmill (1114126)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  22. ^ "Search results for Thurleigh". historicengland.org.uk. English Heritage. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  23. ^ "Thurleigh Baptist Chapel". Thurleigh Parish website. Thurleigh Parish Council and Thurleigh.net webteam. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  24. ^ "Conservation Areas". Bedford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thurleigh.
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