Summary
Great Barford is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, around 5 miles (8.0 km) north-east of Bedford town centre. It lies on the River Great Ouse at grid reference TL129523. It is twinned with Wöllstein, Germany. The village is bypassed by the busy A421 road on the way between the M1 near Milton Keynes and the A1 near St Neots.
| Great Barford | |
|---|---|
 Post Office and High Street | |
  Great Barford Location within Bedfordshire | |
| Population | 1,930 [1] 2,003 (2011 Census)[2] |
| OS grid reference | TL126545 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BEDFORD |
| Postcode district | MK44 |
| Dialling code | 01234 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
The village is known for its All Saints Church, with a 15th-century tower, and its similarly ancient bridge [citation needed]. The surroundings and historic buildings make it a favoured destination for canoeing, angling and picnics. Nearby places include Renhold and Blunham.
History edit
Great Barford was mentioned in the Domesday Book as an important site, probably as a means of crossing the river that skirts the village. Although the area of the original ford was dug up in 1973, the bridge has existed since at least the 15th century.
The village itself is large and scattered but the majority of the houses are in the south-east of the parish. Throughout the village there are a large variety of houses some dating to the 17th century.
The village was once home to Great Barford Castle [citation needed], a Norman motte and bailey castle, which stood to the north of the village, but a priory has since been built on its location.
A very early reference to Barford may perhaps be found in a charter by which Offa, King of Mercia, in 792 [citation needed] confirmed various lands to the monastery of St. Albans. The charter purports to have been granted in the place which is called 'Æt beranforda.' The text of the charter is certainly spurious, but the witnesses and dating clause may well have been taken from a genuine instrument. Even so, however, the identification with the present Barford cannot be considered certain.
Education edit
As part of Bedford Borough, Great Barford no longer shares a three-tier schooling system and is now home to a primary school (Great Barford Primary Academy).
For secondary school education, students of Great Barford are in the catchment area of Sandy Secondary School in the nearby market town of Sandy and also of Mark Rutherford School in the town of Bedford. Mark Rutherford School is now the main catchment area school for the village, following the adoption of the two tier education system.
References edit
- ^ Bedfordshire County Council, Population Estimates and Forecasts Archived 21 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, estimate for 2007.
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". National Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
External links edit
- Village homepage
- Statistics about Great Barford