Does anyone know anything about history of Dunstable Bedfordshire?

Question

I live here and just wondered if its history was known to people

i already know alot of the history sorry i didnt explain my self properly lol i am interested to see if many other people know it as it has a lot of history through the years

Answer 1

Dunstable lies on a crossroads of the ancient Roman road of Watling Street, which is the modern A5 trunk road, and the even older Icknield Way. In Roman times its name was Durocobrivis.[1] There are two theories concerning its modern name. Firstly there was a famous robber, Dunn, who gave his name to the town, Dunns stable. The Second is that it comes from Anglo-Saxon Dunstaple, meaning "Hill Market".

One of the reasons for the town's prosperity, and the large number of Inns or public houses in the town, is the fact that it was one day's ride (approx 35 miles) from London, and therefore a place to rest and spend the night. There are two Pubs which still have coaching gates to the side that show this: the Sugar Loaf in High Street North, and the Saracens Head in High Street South. The Saracens Head, normally a name given to pubs frequented by Knights of the crusades, can be seen to be considerably lower than the road to its front, witness to the fact that the road has been resurfaced a number of times during the lifetime of the pub. There are also rumours of a series of tunnels running from the cellar of the pub to the crypt of the priory to its rear.

Dunstable was the site of an Eleanor cross. The Dunstable Priory Church of Saint Peter was founded in 1132 by Henry I and was later the setting for the divorce between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, which led to the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. The first battles or skirmishes of the English Civil War occurred in Dunstable.

Dunstable's first railway opened in 1848. It was a branch of the London and North Western Railway, joining the West Coast Main Line at Leighton Buzzard. A second railway linking Dunstable with Hatfield on the Great Northern Railway via Luton opened in 1858. Dunstable Town station was closed when passenger services to Dunstable were withdrawn in 1965 and the track between Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard was removed. Dunstable is now one of the largest towns in south-east England without a railway connection [1]. The line between Dunstable and Luton on the Midland Main Line remained open for freight traffic for many years and the track is still in place. Although there have been a number of campaigns for the re-establishment of a passenger railway or for the line along which it runs to be used for a dedicated bus service, none of them has proved to be successful.

Dunstable was a significant market town, but its importance diminished as the neighbouring town of Luton grew.

In the twentieth century, the local economy was dominated by the printing and motor vehicle industries but with the closure of the main factories and the decline of manufacturing in the area, this distinctiveness has been lost. Most of the remaining factories and warehouses are on the Woodside Estate to the east of the town centre.

The town is the head quarters of Sports World International, the UK's largest sports clothing and accessories retailler.

Answer 2

Yes Daniel. I am sure if you type Dunstable, Beds in the google search you will find scores of links to information

Answer 3

Dunstable Priory Church

Answer 4

I know nothing but you can continue your studies by using the research facilities of the public library in Bedford.

Answer 5

Priory Church Dunstable

Answer 6

Hi, nope, didn't know anything about it until I decided to look it up because I saw your question.

Found these websites:
http://www.localhistories.org/dunstable.html
http://www.dunstable.gov.uk/pages/About%20Dunstable.htm
http://gallery.e2bn.net/gallery51.html?PHPSESSID=b25e9e4621e910a964a45ae2d314570e
http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=292

Answer 7

No but you can try your luck at http://en.wikipedia.org

Answer 8

no sorry nothing