Flitwick
- This article is about the town of Flitwick. See Filius Flitwick for the Harry Potter character.
Coordinates: 52°00′14″N 0°29′48″W / 52.00384°N 0.49656°W
| Flitwick | |
 Flitwick
Flitwick shown within Bedfordshire |
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| Population | 12,700 [1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | TL033350 |
| Unitary authority | Central Bedfordshire |
| Ceremonial county | Bedfordshire |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BEDFORD |
| Postcode district | MK45 |
| Dialling code | 01525 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Mid Bedfordshire |
| List of places: UK • England • Bedfordshire | |
Flitwick, pronounced /ˈflɪtɪk/, is a small town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. The nearby River Flit runs through Flitwick Moor, a nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[2]
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[edit] Location
It is broadly equidistant between Bedford (10 miles to the North) and Luton (10 miles to the South). It shares many services with the neighbouring town of Ampthill, with which it shares a boundary.
[edit] Nearby settlements
Ampthill, Westoning, Harlington, Greenfield, Flitton, Maulden, Clophill, Millbrook, Pulloxhill, Barton le Clay, Tingrith, Eversholt
[edit] Shopping
Flitwick has seen a large expansion in its population in recent years, but its retail facilities have not kept up with this growth. The local council has drawn up plans to redevelop the town centre in order to improve its retail offering [1]. At present, it has a large Tesco, a Barclays bank, a Co-op, which provides a secondary food source to the community and many smaller shops and estate agents, many in close proximity to the railway station. There is an open-air market every Friday selling local produce, which is set up on the car park of the village hall. The market has many stalls from a fishmonger to a baker, haberdashery and fruit and vegetables.
[edit] Leisure
There is a sports centre with a 25m swimming pool with kids pool attached. The leisure centre also has a gym, squash courts with leagues and gymnasium.
Flitwick Town Council own and operate from The Rufus Centre. The Rufus Centre is not only home to the town council but is also a busy conference and special event venue with office space to lease. The most popular sport it is used for is dancing; ballet, modern, street and many more.
Flitwick has four pubs; the Swan, the Bumble Bee, the Blackbirds and the Crown. A membership-operated social club, The Flitwick Club, is situated on The High Street, opposite the Drivestyle yard.
[edit] Transport
[edit] Road
Flitwick is 5 miles from junction 12 of the M1, from where one can traverse the nations roads.
[edit] Bus
The main bus services are as follows:
42 (Grant Palmer) provides an hourly daytime service Mondays to Saturdays providing a connection to: Weston, Harlington, Toddington, Ampthill, Houghton Conquest, Kempston and Bedford. Mondays to Saturdays - no Sunday service.
J2 (Stagecoach) provides an hourly daytime service Mondays to Saturdays to Ampthill, Houghton Conquest, Kempston and Bedford. Mondays to Saturdays - no Sunday service.
200 (Grant Palmer) provides a two hourly service (generally) to Ampthill, Shefford, Clifton and Biggleswade. Mondays to Saturdays - no Sunday service.
[edit] Rail
Flitwick has a station on the Thameslink line (First Capital Connect took over the franchise on 1 April 2006). Trains from Flitwick station go north to Bedford and south to Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, St Albans, London, Gatwick Airport and Brighton, making it a popular place to live for commuters.
It will be soon undergoing platform extension work as part of the Thameslink Programme. This will involve all platforms being extended to meet the longer trains from 2011. Work will start in late October 2010.
[edit] Future transport plans
[edit] A5120 Flitwick–Westoning Bypass
| Location | Central Bedfordshire |
|---|---|
| Proposer | Bedfordshire County Council |
| Status | Aspiration |
| Type | Road |
| cost estimate | £35 million |
| start date | 2013 |
| completion date | 2016 |
The Bedfordshire authority has identified Flitwick and Westoning as communities that they would like to bypass. In the second Bedfordshire local transport plan the unitary authority decided to evaluate bypassing one or both of the settlements to be completed by 2011.[3]
[edit] Schools
Flitwick has three lower schools (Kingsmoor, Templefield and Flitwick Lower School), a middle school (Woodland School). The old Flitwick School has been refurbished from its earlier state of neglect, and now serves as a further community centre, youth club and toddler group.
[edit] Sport
It has three football teams: Flitwick Town, who play in the Bedfordshire County League Premier Division, Flitwick Eagles and Dinamo Flitwick.
[edit] Landmarks
Flitwick is famous for its Flitwick Manor House, currently used as a hotel, and is said to be haunted.
There is also physical evidence of a Norman era motte and bailey castle site, locally known as "The Mount".
There is also a green area, located in the woods behind the industrial estate, this has the famous pond which locals use to fish from, known locally as "The PussyPond".
[edit] Notable people
- Adam Croft, author, lives in the town
- Brian Stein, former professional footballer, lives in Flitwick
[edit] References
- ^ "Neighbourhood Statistics - Flitwick (CP) Parish". Office of National Statistics. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=791904&c=Flitwick&d=16&e=15&g=422892&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1202156412656&enc=1&dsFamilyId=779. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
- ^ Its name is not ancient but a back formation from Flitton. Ekwall, E. (1940) The Concise Dictionary of England Place-names; 2nd ed. Oxford:Clarendon Press; p. 174.
- ^ "Bedfordshire Local Transport Plan 2006/07 - 2010/11.". Bedfordshire County Council. 2006-03-31. http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/ltp/section_15.html. Retrieved 2009-10-13.
[edit] External links
- The Rufus Centre
- Redborne Upper School and Community College
- Flitwick Lower School
- Flitwick Cricket Club dt n
- Flitwick Village Hall
- Flitwick Motorcycles
- http://www.flitwickchurch.org.uk
- http://www.rlfaret.co.uk / Rebecca L Faret Solicitors
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