Flitwick
General History
The Victoria County History of Bedfordshire, 1908 (Extract)

Places > Flitwick > General History

The parish of Flitwick covers an area of about 2,160 acres, of which 1,106 and a half acres are arable land, 593 and a half permanent grass and 208 and three quarters woods and plantations. From the River Flitt, which forms the southern and eastern boundary the ground rises from a height of 220 ft to 345 ft. in the extreme west, where the Flitwick and Priestley plantations give a pleasant wooded aspect to the country. In the east lies the marsh land called Flitwick Moor, on the outskirts of which are the works of the Chalybeate Company, which utilizes the chalybeate springs here issuing from the ground. The soil is light gravel with a subsoil of sand, and an extensive vein of gravel has been worked for many years and shows no sign of exhaustion. The sand and gravel pits are scattered throughout the parish, the old workings being used for market gardening, which is a very flourishing industry, occasioning a considerable increase in population within the last thirty years. French gardening is carried on to some extent, and there are also crops of wheat, oats, barley, beans and peas.

The village of Flitwick consists of several disjointed groups of houses, the oldest portion of which, Church End, lies south of the station on the Midland Railway, which crosses the parish from north to south. It contains some picturesque cottages of half-timber work with thatched roofs and remains of an ancient earth-work called Mount Hill. Here is also the Manor House, the residence of Miss Katherine M. F. Brook Brooks, elder daughter of the late Major Brooks.

The church is situated immediately to the north-east, and, in common with the Manor House, is approached from the village by a roadway, planted with an avenue of fir trees.

The more modem and larger portion of the village, East End, formerly Easton, lies eastward of the railway. It ha Baptist chapel founded in 1660, and a iron mission room, and possesses few features of interest apart from an old water-mill and mill-house on the banks of the River Flitt. At one time steam power was employed, but the original motive-power has been found sufficient for present purposes.

Extract from: The Victoria County History of Bedfordshire, 1908

Page last updated: 28th January 2014