Old Warden

Old Warden

Old Warden Post Office
Old Warden
 Old Warden shown within Bedfordshire
Population 275 (2001)
328 (2011 Census)[1]
Civil parishOld Warden
Unitary authorityCentral Bedfordshire
Ceremonial countyBedfordshire
RegionEast
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town Biggleswade
Postcode district SG18
Dialling code 01767
Police Bedfordshire
Fire Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance East of England
EU Parliament East of England
UK ParliamentMid Bedfordshire
List of places
UK
England
Bedfordshire

Coordinates: 52°04′41″N 0°20′28″W / 52.078°N 0.341°W / 52.078; -0.341

Old Warden is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, just west of the town of Biggleswade. It has a population of 275,[2] increasing to 328 at the 2011 Census.[1] The village grew up under the protection of the Cistercian Wardon or Warden Abbey nearby.

History

Old Warden is part of the ancient hundred of Wixamtree.

The first mention of a post office in the village is in 1873. The post office national archives record the issue to Old Warden in April 1890 of a type of postmark known as a rubber datestamp.[3] The village post office closed on 14 October 2008. It was one of about 2,500 compulsory compensated closures of UK post office branches announced by the Government in 2007.[4]

St Leonard's Parish Church is located in the village.

The village is also noted for being the home of the Shuttleworth Trust, an organisation committed to the preservation of transport artefacts primarily bicycles, motor cars, and aeroplanes produced in the early part of the 20th century. The corresponding collection is known as the Shuttleworth Collection. The estate also has buildings and gardens, and a small airfield from which many of the historic aircraft fly during the regular flying displays. The estate, museum, and airfield are open to visitors at a price. The estate is also the home of Shuttleworth College founded in 1944.

For local government purposes it forms part of Central Bedfordshire Council and is within the Mid Bedfordshire parliamentary constituency, whose Member of Parliament is currently Nadine Dorries of the Conservative Party.

Sport and leisure

Both the Greensand Ridge Walk and the Greensand Cycle Way pass through Old Warden.

References

  1. 1 2 "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  2. Office for National Statistics : Census 2001 : Parish Headcounts : Mid Bedfordshire Retrieved 29 October 2010
  3. Mackay, James A. (1986) Sub Office Rubber Datestamps of England and Wales, p. 285, p. 287, Dumfries: published by the author, ISBN 0-906440-39-4
  4. "Proposed branch closure" (2008) Leaflet issued by Post Office Ltd.
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