Great Barford

infobox UK place
official_name = Great Barford
place = Great Barford
country = England
latitude= 52.158
longitude= -0.353
population= 1,890
shire_district= Bedford
shire_county = Bedfordshire
region= East of England
constituency_westminster= Bedford
post_town= BEDFORD
postcode_district = MK44
postcode_area= MK
dial_code= 01234

Great Barford is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, a few miles north-east of Bedford. It lies on the River Great Ouse at gbmapping|TL129523. The population was in excess of 1800 in the 2001 census. [Bedfordshire County Council, [http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/Statisticsandcensus/FactsAndFigures/PopulationEstimatesAndForecasts.aspx "Population Estimates and Forecasts"] , Bedfordshire County Council, April 15, 2007.] It is twinned with Wöllstein, Germany. The village is bypassed by the busy A421 road on the way between Bedford and St Neots in Cambridgeshire, the bypass opening on August 24 2006.

The village is known for its All Saints Church, with a 15th-century tower, and its similarly ancient bridge. The scenic surroundings and historic buildings make it a favoured destination for angling and picnics. Nearby places include Renhold and Blunham.

History

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, 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 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

As part of Bedfordshire, Great Barford shares a three-tier schooling system and is home to a lower (Great Barford Lower School) and middle school (Alban Church of England Middle School).

For the Upper School, students of Great Barford are in the catchment area of the Specialist Sports designated, Sandy Upper School in the nearby market town of Sandy.

References

External links

* [http://www.any-village.co.uk/main.asp?SiteID=AVUK&SpecID=Great+Barford Village homepage]
* [http://www.britishsurvey.org/Bedford/Great_Barford/ Statistics about Great Barford]