Steppingley
Timeline
Places > Steppingley
13th Century: The church consisted of a chancel, nave, north and south porches and west tower. It was said to be the smallest church in the county. The Gentleman's Magazine of 1849 said "it is probably the smallest in the county with a low tower not rising above the neighbouring hayricks."
1273: John Scorne was Rector from 1273-1282. He was a man of considerable medical ability and his powers of healing were said to be outstanding to the extent of being miraculous, being particularly good with the ague or malaria and with gout. It was a common belief that he had used his powers to imprison the devil in his boot only permitting his head to appear out of the top.
c1690: Steppingley brick kiln was in existence by the 1690s. In 1685 John Farmer was described as a brick maker of Steppingley in the Bedford Assize papers. The large scale of the brick and tile making at the kiln during the period is illustrated by an order for 30,000 tiles and an unspecified number of paving bricks with Farmer by Lord Ashburn in April 1704. These were required for the construction of Ampthill Park House which took place between 1704-07. The brick kilns were marked on 1765 Jeffreys map of Bedfordshire.
1836: Steppingley Enclosure Act.
1851: Village Hall built.
1858-60: The east wall of the chancel collapses and brings down most of the church with it. The Duke of Bedford agreed to rebuild the church and commissioned Henry Clutton. Work began in December 1858 and the new church was opened on the 19th October 1860.
1878: Village school built for 65 children, designed by Henry Clutton.
1905: Steppingley Isolation Hospital opened by the Duke and Duchess of Bedford on the 8th December.
1912: During restoration work on the church a hoard of 13th century silver coins were found beneath the chancel floor.
1952: In view of the diminishing need for Isolation Hospital accommodation it was decided that Steppingley Hospital should be devoted to long stay women patients.
1983: Steppingley School closes in July.
1993: The Drover's Arms Public House closes (Ampthill and Flitwick Times, 27th August, 1993)
1997: The Drover's Arms Public House re-opens with a change of name to Chaneys (Bedfordshire Times, 18th December, 1997).
Sources :
- Newspaper articles in The Local Studies Library at Bedford Central Library.
- Victoria County History of Bedfordshire 3 Vols. 1912.
- PICKFORD, Christopher Bedfordshire Churches in the 19th Century Vol.79 Bedfordshire Historical Record Society. 2000.
Page last updated: 4th February 2014