Coordinates: 52°00′25″N 0°15′55″W / 52.0070°N 0.2654°W
| Arlesey | |
.png)  Arlesey
Arlesey shown within Bedfordshire |
|
| Population | 5,440 (2005 est) [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Unitary authority | Central Bedfordshire |
| Ceremonial county | Bedfordshire |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ARLESEY |
| Postcode district | SG15 |
| Dialling code | 01462 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | North East Bedfordshire |
| List of places: UK • England • Bedfordshire | |
Arlesey is a small industrial town and civil parish in the district of Central Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire. It is located on the border with Hertfordshire, about three miles north-west of Letchworth Garden City, four miles north of Hitchin and six miles south of Biggleswade. Arlesey railway station provides train services to London, Peterborough, York and Edinburgh. Arlesey Town Football Club and Arlesey Athletic Football Club have their grounds to the south of the town.
The Domesday book mentions Arlesey as a market town and the longest town in Britain,[2] currently noted for having the longest highstreet in Britain.[3]
St Peters Church, situated in the Church End part of the town, was built in the 11th century by the monks of Waltham Abbey. Arlesey was the site of Etonbury Castle, of which little trace remains.
Arlesey Old Moat and Glebe Meadows nature reserves are just north of the town.
Major employers in Arlesey used to be the Fairfield Hospital (now re-developed as housing) and the former brickworks (producers of the Arlesey Whites bricks seen in many local buildings). Some of the clay pits used by the brickworks are now lakes and there are also two disused Portland Cement Company chalk pits, one of which is the Blue Lagoon, which hosts fishing and sailing clubs. Although the lake is private, large numbers of people go there to swim. There have been a number of drownings that have been reported in the national news. In 2001 three children died when the car they were in was accidentally driven into the lake.[4] Most recently a teenager drowned while swimming in April 2007.[5]
Gothic Mede Lower School has around 200 pupils aged 5 to 9. Younger children can attend the adjoining Arlesey Nursery School.
The Arlesey Bomb fishing weight was developed by angler, Dick Walker to catch specimen perch from the local chalk pits.[6]
Famous people from Arlesey
- Roland Legate - former professional footballer - Luton Town F.C. - 1950s/60's
- Bill Kitchener - former professional footballer - West Ham United F.C., Torquay United F.C. - 1960s/70's
- Pat Kruse - former professional footballer - Leicester City F.C., Torquay United F.C., Brentford F.C. - 1960s/70's
- Scott Houghton - former professional footballer - Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Luton Town F.C., Peterborough United F.C., etc. - 1980s/90's
- David Kitson - professional footballer - Cambridge United F.C., Reading F.C., Stoke City F.C. - 2002/2008+
Local links
- Arlesey Town Council Local resources
- War Memorial Details of those soldiers listed
- Arlesey on Placeopedia See nearby places with Wikipedia articles
- Arlesey on OpenStreetMap
- 1st Arlesey Scouts
References
- ^ "Population Estimates and Forecasts - Table 5.6 - Towns and parishes in East Mid Bedfordshire". Bedfordshire County Council. http://www.bedscc.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/Statisticsandcensus/FactsAndFigures/PopulationEstimatesAndForecasts.aspx. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
- ^ "Arlesey Town, renonound for being the longest town in Britain". Wikimaps. http://wikimapia.org/1006098/. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
- ^ "Mid Bedfordshire Town Centres". Mid Bedfordshire district council. http://www.midbeds.gov.uk/Business/Good_for_Business/Town_Centres_in_Mid_Beds.aspx. Retrieved 2008-02-20.
- ^ "Lagoon plunge driver is charged". Bedford Today. http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/bed-news/Lagoon-plunge-driver-is-charged.283705.jp. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
- ^ "Drowned teenager named by police". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/6569123.stm. Retrieved 2008-02-11.
- ^ Arlesey lake Retrieved 22 May, 2009
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