Harpur | |
---|---|
Bedford Prison, located in Harpur | |
Location within Bedfordshire | |
Population | 8,501 [1] 8,242 {Census 2011. Ward} [2] |
OS grid reference | TL043509 |
Unitary authority | |
Ceremonial county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BEDFORD |
Postcode district | MK40, MK41 |
Dialling code | 01234 |
Police | Bedfordshire |
Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
Ambulance | East of England |
UK Parliament | |
Harpur is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, England.
The boundaries of Harpur are approximately Manton Lane to the north, De Parys Avenue to the east, Bromham Road to the south, with the Midland Main Line railway line to the west.
Manton Heights, the Poets, the Prime Ministers, and the Black Tom neighbourhoods all lie within the boundaries of Harpur ward.
The area is named after Sir William Harpur a famous Bedfordian. The area houses Bedford Modern School which is part of the Harpur Trust. [3]
A notorious Highwayman labelled 'Black Tom' reportedly frequented the area in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Supposedly he was buried with a stake driven through his heart at the junction of Tavistock Street, Union Street and Clapham Road. Today Black Tom is the informal name of the area in Harpur located north of Tavistock Street. [4]
Most buildings in the area date from the 19th Century or before. However the northern part of the area (Manton Heights) was developed much later, in the 1970s.
The Bedford Physical Training College (later, Bedford College of Physical Education) was founded on Landsdowne Road in 1903. The campus joined two others in 1976 to form Bedford College of Higher Education which in turn joined other colleges to form De Montfort University in 1994. By this time many of the buildings on or around Lansdowne Road in Harpur were part of the university campus. In 2006 the Bedford arm of De Montfort University and the University of Luton formed the University of Bedfordshire. It was decided that the new university would merge its two Bedford campuses onto one site on Polhill Avenue, De Parys. This meant the end of the Lansdowne Road campus, which lasted in the Harpur area for over 100 years. [5] In July 2009, plans to develop the old university site into housing were rejected by Bedford Borough Council, the local planning authority. [6] However the site has now been redeveloped into housing.
John Le Mesurier who starred as Sergeant Arthur Wilson on the popular 1970s BBC comedy Dad's Army was born in Chaucer Road in the area in 1912. [7] Archbishop Trevor Huddleston was also born in Chaucer Road, in 1913. [8]
Harpur is an unparished area, with all community services under the direct control of Bedford Borough Council. Harpur elects two councillors to Bedford Borough Council, both of whom are currently from the Labour Party.
Harpur contains Tavistock Street, one of Bedford's major commercial zones. There are various shops, pubs, offices and restaurants on Tavistock Street. There are more shops and businesses dotted around Harpur, including Bromham Road which houses Bedford Prison. There has been a prison on this site since 1801. [9]
Elsewhere there is a large Sainsbury's store on Clapham Road. To the north of Harpur is the Manton Heights Industrial Estate (located on Manton Lane) which houses many different businesses including offices of WesternGeco, and the Institution of Diesel and Gas Turbine Engineers, as well as an LA Fitness Gym and a Travelodge. There are more hotels and guest-houses to be found on Shakespeare Road.
There are two state primary schools in Harpur - Edith Cavell Primary School located on Manton Lane, [10] and Livingstone Primary School situated on Clapham Road. [11] There are no secondary schools in Harpur. Children in the area are in the catchment for Biddenham International School in Biddenham. [12]
There are three independent schools in Harpur - Polam School is located on Lansdowne Road, [13] and Bedford Greenacre Independent School has a campus situated on Shakespeare Road. [14] For older children, Bedford Modern School is located on Manton Lane. [15] Stella Mann College is a private performing arts college, located on Linden Road. The college attracts students from all over the United Kingdom and abroad, as well as locally. [16]
Bedford High School closed over the summer of 2012. Most of the school site has been leased by Bedford College, who use it as a campus for The Bedford Sixth Form (Bedford Colleges branding of its sixth form provision), as well as most of its other class-room based activities and higher education courses. [17]
Harpur's community centre is located just off Tavistock Street, on Princes Street. [20] Facilities at the Trinity Arts & Leisure complex of The Bedford Sixth Form are available for hire and use by the local community.
Harpur is the only area in Bedford not to have any large public open space or recreation ground within its boundaries, but there is the Hill Rise local nature reserve located off Park Road North and Ramsay Close, and a play area on Clapham Road, close to the supermarket. The ward, however is bounded by open land between the urban area of Bedford and Clapham, and Bedford Park is situated just outside the area, on the corner of Foster Hill Road and Park Avenue.
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst the Borough of Bedford had a population of 157,479. Bedford is also the historic county town of Bedfordshire.
Bromham is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, west of the town of Bedford. It is within commuting distance of London via Bedford railway station.
Biddenham is a large village and a civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, located to the west of Bedford near the A428 road.
Brickhill is a civil parish and electoral ward within northern Bedford in Bedfordshire, England.
Bedford High School for Girls was an independent school for pupils aged 7 to 18 in Bedford, England. It was one of a number of schools run by the Harpur Trust. The school was located on its original site in Harpur ward, near the centre of Bedford, until its closure in 2012. In September 2010 the junior department of the school merged with the junior department of Dame Alice Harpur School. From September 2011 to September 2012 the senior schools also merged, the new school is known as Bedford Girls' School.
Sir William Harpur was a merchant from Bedford who moved to London, amassed a large fortune, and became Lord Mayor of London. In 1566 he and his wife Dame Alice gave an endowment to support certain charities including education. The endowment became the Harpur Trust, which supports four independent schools in Bedford today.
Biddenham International School and Sports College is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Biddenham in the English county of Bedfordshire.
The Hundred of Willey is a historical land division, a hundred in the northwest corner of Bedfordshire, England. Its northwestern boundary is the county border with Northamptonshire, and its southwestern boundary the border with Buckinghamshire. Some of its parishes and settlements lay on the River Great Ouse which flows through the hundred.
Cauldwell is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, England.
De Parys is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.
Goldington is an electoral ward within the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It encompasses much of the historic village and parish of Goldington that was merged with Bedford in 1934, although some parts of the old village are within the neighbouring Newnham ward. It also includes two modern estates that are part of Renhold Parish.
Kingsbrook is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, England.
Queens Park is an electoral ward and area in Bedford, England. The area's borders are approximately Bromham Road and Beverley Crescent to the north, the Midland Main Line railway line to the east, and the River Great Ouse to the south.
Castle is an electoral ward and area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.
Bedford College is a further education college located in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It is the principal further education provider in the Borough of Bedford, and is a member of the Collab Group of high performing schools.
Bedford Girls' School (BGS) is an independent school for girls which opened in September 2010 located in Bedford, in the English county of Bedfordshire. The school is a result of a merger of Bedford High School and Dame Alice Harpur School, and is operated by the Harpur Trust. The school became fully operational in September 2012.
The Bedford Sixth Form is a state sixth form located in the centre of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. It is the only institution in Bedford solely dedicated to sixth form choices. The institution offers a range of GCSEs, A-Levels and Technical Diplomas to 16- to 18-year-olds. The previous SPA complex is managed by Bedford College Services Ltd. trading as Trinity Arts & Leisure - a community facility consisting of a 25-metre six-lane swimming pool, gym and theatre used by local film club and acting groups.