Flitwick
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] |
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| 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 |
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Flitwick, pronounced /ˈflɪtɨk/, is a small town and civil parish in Central Bedfordshire, England. It is mentioned[2] in the Domesday Book as "a hamlet on the River Flitt". The nearby River Flit runs through Flitwick Moor, a nature reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.[3]
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Location [edit]
It is broadly equidistant between Bedford 10 mi (16 km) and Luton 10 mi (16 km). It shares many services with the neighbouring town of Ampthill, with which it shares a boundary.
Nearby settlements [edit]
Ampthill, Maulden, Clophill, Flitton, Greenfield, Steppingley, Pulloxhill, Westoning, Harlington, Barton le Clay, Tingrith, Eversholt, Millbrook
Shopping [edit]
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.
Leisure [edit]
There is a sports centre with a 25 metre 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 on the outskirts of the town on Steppingley Road. The Centre is also a busy conference and special event venue with office space to lease.
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.
Center Parcs Woburn Forest is being developed on the outskirts of Flitwick at Warren Wood.
Transport [edit]
Road [edit]
Flitwick is 5 miles (8.0 km) from junction 12 of the M1 motorway.
Bus [edit]
The main bus services are as follows:
42 (Grant Palmer) provides an hourly daytime service Mondays to Saturdays providing a connection to: Westoning, 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.
Rail [edit]
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, Harpenden, 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.
Future transport plans [edit]
A5120 Flitwick–Westoning Bypass [edit]
| 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.[4]
Schools [edit]
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.
Sport [edit]
It has three football teams: Flitwick Town, who play in the Bedfordshire County League Premier Division, Flitwick Eagles and Dinamo Flitwick.
Flitwick also has one of the largest and most successful cricket clubs in Central Bedfordshire who play in the Bedfordshire County Cricket League (which they have won most recently in 2010 and 2012) and the Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League. They boast a large and thriving youth section and in April 2012 received funding from Sport England as part of the Olympic Legacy funding to improve the facilities at their home ground in Flitwick, known as 'The Vale'
Landmarks [edit]
Flitwick is famous for its Flitwick Manor House, currently used as a hotel, and is said[according to whom?] to be haunted.
There is also physical evidence of a Norman era motte and bailey castle site, locally known as "The Mount".
The Church of St Peter & St Paul is located in the town.
Notable people [edit]
- Adam Croft, author, lives in the town
- Brian Stein, former professional footballer, lives in Flitwick
- Dree Davie, Physicist
References [edit]
- ^ "Neighbourhood Statistics - Flitwick (CP) Parish". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 4 February 2008.
- ^ See Bedfordshire Virtual Library's Flitwick Timeline
- ^ 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. 31 March 2006. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
External links [edit]
- Flitwick Town Council
- Flitwick Cricket Club
- Kingsmoor
- The Rufus Centre
- Redborne Upper School and Community College
- Flitwick Lower School
- Flitwick Village Hall
- Flitwick Motorcycles
- http://www.flitwickchurch.org.uk
- http://www.rlfaret.co.uk / Rebecca L Faret Solicitors
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