Sundon
Timeline
Places > Sundon
13th Century: There was a church at Sundon by the early 13th century. The present building was started in the late 13th century and completed in the second quarter of the 14th century.
1315: A grant obtained to hold a market every Friday at Sundon Manor, this privilege appears to have fallen into disuse at an early date.
1839: Methodist Chapel built.
1865: Mr. B. Forder inherited a lime works half a mile to the west of Upper Sundon. The lime burning business continued into the 20th century with its own buildings and railway sidings.
1874: Village school opened, it was built at a cost of 700 for one hundred children.
1885: Mr. B. Forder opens Sundon Cement Works. During the peak production time in the mid 1950s the works was producing 120.000 tons per annum.
1906: Upper part of the church tower restored at a cost of 400.
1913: The church had fallen into disrepair and was closed. Church services were held in a room at the Vicarage. The Methodist Chapel was pulled down and a new building built on the site at a cost of 525 and opened on the 5th August.
1938: Following restoration work, the church was re-opened.
1976: Sundon Cement Works closes.
1981: Rare 'Christ in Majesty' painting discovered in church.
1988: Plans for a multi-million pound sports and leisure complex at Sundon Springs refused planning permission by Bedfordshire County Council.
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