Harlington, Bedfordshire
Coordinates: 51°57′48″N 0°29′42″W / 51.963355°N 0.495006°W
| Harlington | |
Mar2005.jpg) |
|
 Harlington
Harlington shown within Bedfordshire |
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| Population | 2,260 (2004) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | TL035305 |
| Unitary authority | Central Bedfordshire |
| Ceremonial county | Bedfordshire |
| Region | East |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | DUNSTABLE |
| Postcode district | LU5 6 |
| Dialling code | 01582 |
| 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 | |
Harlington is a village and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England, near the M1 motorway. The nearest town is Flitwick about three miles to the north. Many residents commute from the village to work in London.
Contents |
[edit] Transport links
[edit] Road
The village is about 1.5 miles from junction 12 of the M1, 7 miles (11 km) north of Luton, 10 miles (16 km) south of Bedford and 40 miles NNW of London.
[edit] Rail
Harlington has a railway station,in the west of the village. The station is served by First Capital Connect's Thameslink route trains. From Harlington station, you can travel north to Flitwick and Bedford, or south to Luton, Luton Airport Parkway, St Albans, Central London, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport and Brighton.
[edit] Buses
The X42 service provides a direct link to Toddington, Westoning, Flitwick, Ampthill, Houghton Conquest, Kempston, and Bedford.
[edit] Air
The nearest airport is at Luton, about 8 miles to the South.
[edit] Amenities
Harlington has two pubs, the Carpenters Arms[1] and The Old Sun.[2][3] There are several churches, including the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Harlington Methodist Church and Life Church (part of the Pioneer network of churches). There is a small parade of shops, consisting of a newsagent, an off licence, a post office, a hairdresser, a beauty salon and a gunsmiths.
There are several buildings surrounding the village green used for community activities. These include the parish hall, village hall and scout hut. A cricket pitch adjoins the village green.
Within Harlington Manor there is a leisure club, currently closed due to insolvency of owner. The club has a gym, pool, sauna and Steam rooms. The club does not allow children.
Harlington Manor is currently unoccupied and being marketed for sale.
[edit] Schools
The village is home to Harlington Lower and Upper Schools which serve students up to A-level. Many students from the surrounding Luton and Bedfordshire area travel to Harlington for its schools. Harlington Upper School recently became a specialist science college, thanks to funding raised by its Parent-Teacher Association, HUSA.[4]
The village also has Harlington Lower School – a smaller than average school from reception class through to age 9, which received a "Good" rating in its ofsted report of November 2006. As Bedfordshire is a three tier schools system, most children in the middle age bracket spend their middle years at Parkfields in nearby Toddington.
[edit] History
- 1086: The Domesday book calls the village Herlingdone[5] and lists Nigel D'Albini as Lord of the Manor; he took over from four Saxon thegns who lost their lands at the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.[6]
- 1300-1350: The Church of St Mary the Virgin was built, replacing what was probably a wooden church with a thatched roof.[5] The church tower was not added until the fifteenth century.[6]
- 1349: Over a quarter of the village died of the Black Death.[6]
- 1660: John Bunyan led an unauthorised religious meeting at a farmhouse near Harlington, for which he was arrested and taken to Harlington House. After being questioned he was imprisoned for twelve years in Bedford county gaol. While serving his sentence he began writing his most famous work, The Pilgrim's Progress.[7]
- 1859: the first village school was built.[6]
- 1868: Harlington railway station opened.[6]
- 1920: Harlington War Memorial dedicated to the memory of 27 Harlington men killed in the First World War.[6]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "The Carpenters Arms Harlington". http://www.the-carpenters-arms.com/. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ "The Old Sun Harlington". http://www.theoldsunharlington.com/. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
- ^ "Places to Drink in Bedfordshire". informationBritain. http://www.information-britain.co.uk/typeslist.cfm?county=39&type=Pub%20and%20Bar. Retrieved 2006-08-19.
- ^ "Harlington Upper School". 2006. http://www.harlington.beds.sch.uk/. Retrieved 2006-08-19.
- ^ a b Harlington Church (2006). "A brief history of St Mary's". http://www.harlingtonchurch.org.uk/history.htm. Retrieved 2006-08-19.
- ^ a b c d e f "Harlington Timeline". Besfordshire Libraries. 2005. http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.digitised_resources/harlington_digitisation_timeline.htm. Retrieved 2006-08-19.
- ^ "Harlington Tourist Information". AboutBritain.com. 2006. http://www.aboutbritain.com/towns/harlington.asp. Retrieved 2006-08-19.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Harlington, Bedfordshire |
- Harlington Heritage Trust
- Harlington on Genuki
- Harlington Church
- The Old Sun
- The Carpenters Arms
- Harlington.net (village diary)
- Harlington Cricket Club
