Harpur

Last updated

Harpur
BedfordGaol.JPG
Bedford Prison, located in Harpur
Bedfordshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Harpur
Location within Bedfordshire
Population8,501  [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
List of places
UK
England
Bedfordshire
52°08′49″N0°28′36″W / 52.14695°N 0.4767°W / 52.14695; -0.4767

Harpur is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, England.

Contents

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.

History

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]

Governance

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.

Economy

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]

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.

Bedford Modern School in Harpur BedfordModernSchoolQuads.JPG
Bedford Modern School in Harpur

Education

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]

St Martin's Church in Harpur St Martin's Church - geograph.org.uk - 1407955.jpg
St Martin's Church in Harpur

Religious sites

Hill Rise nature reserve Hill Rise, Bedford 3.JPG
Hill Rise nature reserve

Community facilities

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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford</span> Town in Bedfordshire, England

Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of its urban area, including Kempston and Biddenham, was 106,940. Bedford is also the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford, a unitary authority that includes a significant rural area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Bedford</span> Unitary authority area in Bedfordshire, England

Bedford, or the Borough of Bedford, is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, England. The council is based in Bedford, the borough's namesake and principal settlement, which is the county town of Bedfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bromham, Bedfordshire</span> Village in Bedfordshire, England

Bromham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, situated around 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Bedford town centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biddenham</span> Human settlement in England

Biddenham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, located around 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Bedford town centre near the A428 road. It forms part of the wider Bedford urban area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brickhill</span> Human settlement in England

Brickhill is a civil parish and electoral ward within northern Bedford in Bedfordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford High School, Bedfordshire</span> Independent school in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England

Bedford High School for Girls was a private 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983–1997 & 2024 onwards

North Bedfordshire is a county constituency in Bedfordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system, from the 1983 general election until it was abolished for the 1997 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biddenham International School and Sports College</span> Foundation school in Biddenham, Bedfordshire, England

Biddenham International School and Sports College is a mixed secondary school and sixth form located in Biddenham in the English county of Bedfordshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cauldwell, Bedford</span> Area of Bedford, England

Cauldwell is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Parys</span> Human settlement in England

De Parys is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goldington</span> Human settlement in England

Goldington is part 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsbrook, Bedford</span> Human settlement in England

Kingsbrook is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queens Park, Bedford</span> Human settlement in England

Queens Park is an electoral ward and area of Bedford, England, west of the town centre. The community was established in the 1890s and has been described as Bedford's first industrial suburb. Nowadays, it is diverse and multicultural with many specialist shops and businesses including international supermarkets and delis. Places of worship include an Anglican church, two mosques and one of the largest Sikh temples in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle, Bedford</span> Electoral ward and area in Bedfordshire, England

Castle is an electoral ward and area of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford College, Bedford</span> Further education school in 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedford Girls' School</span> Independent school for girls in Bedford, England

Bedford Girls' School (BGS) is a private 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bedford Sixth Form</span> UK school providing GCSE and A-level qualifications

The Bedford Sixth Form (BSF) 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 and, unlike most other sixth forms in England, it is not part of a secondary school. The institution offers a range of GCSEs, A-Levels and Technical Diplomas to 16- to 18-year-olds.

References

  1. Neighbourhood Statistics. "Neighbourhood Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  2. "Bedford Ward population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  3. 'Short History' Archived December 25, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "The Ghost of Black Tom - Digitised Resources - Bedfordshire's Virtual Library". Galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  5. "History". Beds.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  6. "Bedfordshire Local News, Local News Headlines in Bedford | Bedfordshire Newspaper Online | Uni site given thumbs-down". Bedsonsunday.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  7. GRO Register of Births: JUN 1912 3b 519 BEDFORD - Halliley, John E Le M, mmn = Le Mesurier
  8. "Trevor Huddleston blue plaque unveiled as historic child indecency charges resurface". bedfordtoday.co.uk.
  9. 'Bedford Prison' Archived March 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  10. "Edith Cavell Lower". Archived from the original on 16 June 2008. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
  11. "Home". livingstoneprimary.co.uk.
  12. "Bedfordshire School Catchment Areas". Bedford.gov.uk. 1 September 2011. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  13. http://www.polamschool.co.uk/ Polam School
  14. https://bedfordgreenacre.co.uk/ Bedford Greenacre Independent School
  15. "Bedford Modern School". Bedmod.co.uk. 2 July 2012. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  16. "Home". Stella Mann College. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  17. Published on Thursday 2 February 2012 15:59 (2 February 2012). "College set to take over High School - Education". Bedford Today. Retrieved 6 August 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. http://www.stmartinschurchbedford.org.uk St Martin's Church
  19. "Bedford Society of Friends". Llquakers.org.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
  20. "Harpur & Tavistock Community Centre". Bedford.gov.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2012.