Gazetteer of Bedfordshire Towns & Villages

The village of Oakley is some 4 miles north of Bedford on the River Great Ouse. The first known village dates to the Saxon period, and it seems likely that this was the site of the Battle of Aclea [Oakley] in AD 851 when Aethewulf repelled the first Danish invasion. Oakley was mentioned in the Domesday Book when the estate was held by a thegn named Oswulf. The church is Norman, dating to about 1200, replacing an earlier wooden Saxon building.
Oakley, Bedfordshire, England

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Iron Age and Romano-British settlements have been found at Odell, in the Ouse Valley, north of Bedford. After the Norman Conquest, the manor was granted to William of Wadehelle (Wahul) and the name gradually morphed into Odell. The village was mentioned in the Domesday Book, and there was a motte and bailey castle here, but little remains of the site due to subsequent building and landscaping. All Saints church dates almost entirely to the 15th century. Another highlight is Odell Mill, a former corn mill built around 1780.
Odell, Bedfordshire, England

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Potton is a small town in Bedfordshire, just east of Sandy. Potton was once owned by Ramsey Abbey, and the town was mentioned in the Domesday Book. William III granted the townsfolk the right to hold a market in 1094. Over the centuries Potton market became one of the busiest and most important in Bedfordshire. The wealth generated by the market is reflected in the pretty timber-framed medieval and Tudor houses around Market Square. These mix with later red-brick Georgian buildings to create a very attractive setting. Just outside the town is Potton Windmill, built in 1840 but now a ruined tower.
Potton, Bedfordshire, England

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Sandy is a small town in Bedfordshire, located on the River Ivel, between Cambridge and Bedford. The area was settled in the Iron Age, and the Romans used it as a staging post between St Albans and Godmanchester. The town was mentioned in the Domesday Book, when it was held by Eudo the Dapifer, High Steward for William the Conqueror at Colchester Castle. The parish church of St Swithun's dates to the 14th century and was owned by Cauldwell Priory. The real age of growth came when the Great North Road made Sandy a major transportation centre.
Sandy, Bedfordshire, England

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The market town of Shefford was founded at a sheep crossing on the River Flit and was for many years a centre of the straw plait industry. It was granted a market charter in 1225 and still holds a regular Friday market. In 1312 Shefford gained the right to hold an annual Michaelmas fair. A chapel of ease was built at Shefford in the 14th century. All that remains of the chapel is incorporated into the west tower of the parish church. Poet Robert Bloomfield lived in a house on Northbridge Street from 1799 until his death in 1823. The centre of town still has many interesting historic buildings. One is Tudor House (which is probably medieval, despite its name).
Shefford, Bedfordshire, England

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Southill is a small village 3 miles south west of Biggleswade, on the River Ivel. The village boasts several thatched cottages. The parish church of All Saints is mostly 14th and 15th century, with monuments to the Byng family. Among the latter are memorials to two seafaring Byngs, George Viscount Torrington, Rear Admiral of Great Britain, who died in 1732, and Admiral John Byng, who was court-martialed and executed in 1757 for his part in the loss of Minorca to the French.
Southill, Bedfordshire, England

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A small village on the Cambridgeshire border, with a 14th-century church and a 15th-century rectory. Tempsford air base was used in WWII for flying agents on undercover operations behind enemy lines.
Tempsford, Bedfordshire, England

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Turvey is a pretty Bedfordshire village on the River Ouse near the Buckinghamshire border. The medieval parish church of All Saints was built on the foundations of a Saxon church, and Saxon remnants can still be seen. The highlight of All Saints is a series of memorial brasses to the Mordaunt family. Turvey Bridge dates from 1795 but incorporates a much older bridge built in 1147.
Turvey, Bedfordshire, England

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Woburn is a small Bedfordshire village that is home to two very popular visitor attractions. Woburn Safari Park will draw families, but for heritage, the marvellous Elizabethan mansion of Woburn Abbey can't be beaten. The house was built in 1547 on the foundations of a medieval monastery. The village of Woburn itself deserves attention; there are over 200 listed buildings, mostly from the Georgian period.
Woburn, Bedfordshire, England

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