Buntingford

Buntingford is a market town and civil parish in the district of East Hertfordshire and county of Hertfordshire in England. It lies on the River Rib and on the Roman road Ermine Street. As a result of its location, it grew mainly as a staging post with many coaching inns and has an 18th-century one-cell prison known as The Cage, by the ford at the end of Church Street. It has a population of 5,378, as of the 2011 UK Census. The town also has an annual firework display at The Bury, presented by Buntingford Town Football Club.[2] It is Hertfordshire's smallest town.

Buntingford

Buntingford
Buntingford
Location within Hertfordshire
Population4,948 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid referenceTL363292
Civil parish
  • Buntingford
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBUNTINGFORD
Postcode districtSG9
Dialling code01763
PoliceHertfordshire
FireHertfordshire
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

The Prime Meridian passes to the east of Buntingford.

The town has many Georgian and medieval buildings, such as Buntingford almshouses, Buntingford Manor House and the Red House. Buntingford was a stop-over on what was the main route between London and Cambridge, now the A10. Due to its desirability as a commuter town in recent years, the town has grown considerably in the past few decades, the most noticeable recent addition being the "Bovis Estate" (c. 1990), informally named after the housing firm that constructed there; its main road is Luynes Rise, named due to the town's twinning with Luynes (near Tours) in France. Other housing estates are: Freman Drive, Vicarage Road, Snells Mead, Downhall Ley, Monks Walk, and Kingfisher Park. Recently, the town has grown further with further new developments, notably: The Village, Meadow Vale, Knights Walk & The Maples. The population of Buntingford is expected to rise by 1,500 to 6,500 inhabitants by 2021, marking the largest period of development since the 1960s when the former Sainsbury's depot site was constructed and housing estates to support new workers were constructed.

History

Buntingford was traditionally located within the parish of Layston – St Bartholomew's Church (Layston), previously derelict and now a house, lies about half a mile to the north-east of the town. St Peter's Church, formerly a relief chapel, is the Anglican church in Buntingford and is an almost unique brick building from the age of the 17th-century Puritans. St Richard's serves the Roman Catholic community. There is also a United Reformed Church in Baldock Road. Queen Elizabeth I is claimed to have stayed at Buntingford in a building now called the Bell House Gallery, on a coach journey to Cambridge.[3] Just up the High Street, The Angel Inn, now a dental surgery, was a staging post for coaches travelling from London to Cambridge.

The name of the town is believed to originate from the Saxon chieftain or tribe Bunta; it does not refer to the bird Bunting, or the festive flag-like decorations.[4]

Culture

Market day is Monday, and early closing Wednesday. The Buntingford Carnival is held every other year. There is also a classic car event held in the town each year, on the first Saturday in September.

The town has a number of public houses – The Brambles (formerly The Chequers), The Fox and Duck, The Black Bull, The Crown and The Jolly Sailors.

The 'World Sausage Tossing Championship' has taken place at The Countryman Inn, in Chipping near Buntingford, every August since 2014.[5]

Transport

Buntingford railway station, opened in 1863, was closed in 1964,[6] under the Beeching cuts. This was the terminus for the Buntingford Branch Line. Recently it has been redeveloped into housing.

Economy

Buntingford is home to various independent shops, restaurants and pubs mainly located in the town's high street. Buntingford has a Co-op food supermarket and a Sainsbury's Local. Just outside the town are two BP fuel stations at each end of the bypass. The town was previously home to the Sainsbury's Anglia Distribution Centre, but this was vacated and eventually knocked down for housing in 2014. The site had previously been used as a Royal Army Ordnance Corps munitions factory, known locally as "the Dump".[7]

Team BMR and Triple Eight Racing, two major UK auto racing teams, are based in the town.[8][9]

Schools

Buntingford uses a three-tier school system. There are four schools in Buntingford:

  • Freman College (an Upper School and Sixth Form), Bowling Green Lane, Buntingford, SG9 9BT. Formerly known as Ward Freman Upper School.
  • Edwinstree C of E Middle School, has some 450 pupils in four year-groups and 16 classes, Norfolk Road, Buntingford, SG9 9AW.
  • Layston First School, has about 150 pupils in five year-groups and a small nursery.
  • Milfield First School, has about 150 pupils in five year-groups and a small nursery.

Notable people

Twin towns

See also

References
  1. "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  2. Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : East Hertfordshire Archived 12 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2 February 2010
  3. Blatchley, Nicholas. "Around Buntingford". Herts Memories.
  4. Bunting, Frank. "Origin of Buntingford name". Herts Memories.
  5. http://www.sausagetosser.com World Sausage Tossing Championship website
  6. Disused Stations
  7. Gold, Ciaran (20 February 2012). "Former Buntingford depot development could bring 600 jobs". Hertfordshire Mercury. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  8. "Contact US Triple Eight Racing Champions". Triple Eight Racing. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  9. "Contact Team BMR BTCC Racing Team". Team BMR. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
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