Billington

EVERY UK TOWN AND VILLAGE, JUST TYPE IN WHERE YOU WANT TO GO!

Geograph Local Images

Rob Farrow © "SP9421 : River Ouzel &pollarded trees"

Rob Farrow © "SP9421 : River Ouzel near Northall"

Rob Farrow © "SP9420 : Drive to Whistle Brook Farm"

Rob Farrow © "SP9521 : The River Ouzel"

Rob Farrow © "SP9521 : River Ouzel off The Rye"

Rob Farrow © "SP9422 : The Rye near Billington"

Rob Farrow © "SP9420 : Near Whistle Brook Farm"

Rob Farrow © "SP9321 : River Ouzel between Slapton and Little Billington"

Rob Farrow © "SP9321 : River Ouzel - Beds Bucks Border"

Chris Cole © "SP9320 : "Carpenters Arms", Slapton"

(See 15 MORE Local Images)

Billington

TitleBillington

CountyBedfordshire

CoordinatesLat : 51.8833333 Lon : -0.6333333

Adwords

Description Incorrect Description? Tell Us!Billington (the name probably means hill with a sharp ridge) is a parish in Bedfordshire about three miles south of Leighton Buzzard. There are two settlements: Little Billington (a hamlet in the west of the parish) and one that is now called Great Billington (straddling the busy A4146).

The centre of the Great Billington is Billington Hill, on top of which is the small parish church. An Iron Age fort and settlement once occupied this site. The church was originally a small mediaeval chapel, however in the late 1860s it was enlarged to a church, and a rectory built next to it to house the first incumbent. This was when Billington was first recorded as a parish in its own right. The bell turret of the church (it has no tower) came to the church second hand, from the church at nearby Linslade, which too was being enlarged at the time. The interior of the church is very simple, a small stained glass window, in the west wall commemorates Edward Bradshaw the first rector.

The village once had a common, where the peasants cultivated their own strips of land, the name 'common' still survives as a field name. It was enclosed at the time of the enclosures, and is today part of a local farm

The village contains some half timbered thatched cottages, in the area around the summit of the hill, and also some old farmhouses and cottages. One of the thatched cottages on top of the hill, has the dubious honour of having featured on countless chocolate boxes and biscuit tins. One of the most attractive houses in the village is 'Walkers Farm', a brick and timber house dating from the 16th century. Its once thatched roof is now tiled.

During the late 1870s and early 1880 large areas of the village were bought by Arthur Macnamara who built at this time the manor house, and transformed the village into a typical Victorian estate village. The village school, halfway up the hill was built at this time also. It closed as a school in the 1950s.

In the early 20th century a point-to-point course was built on the estate, people came from all over England to attend the race meeting held there. Edward VIII when Prince of Wales was a frequent competitor at the races, on one occasion breaking his collar bone in a fall from a horse. The races discontinued after World War II.

At one time Great Billington had two public houses and a post office, however, today all are closed and converted to houses. In spite of this lack of amenities the village has a thriving community based on the church, and the village hall with its adjacent green and tennis courts.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Billington"

Location Map

Local Campsites

Toc H Rickmansworth Campsite is 8.59 Miles away

Local Tourist Attractions

Whipsnade Tree Cathedral is 4.82 Miles away
Ashridge is 5.36 Miles away
Lewsey Park Pool is 6.45 Miles away
Woburn Abbey is 7.02 Miles away
Wardown Swimming & Leisure Centre is 8.98 Miles away
National Trust Kings Head Inn is 9.04 Miles away
Aqua Splash is 11.9 Miles away
Wrest Park Gardens is 12.73 Miles away
Middleton Swimming Pool is 14.06 Miles away
Chiltern Pools is 14.37 Miles away

Local Golf Courses

Tilsworth Golf Club is 3.06 Miles away
Leighton Buzzard Golf Club is 4.03 Miles away
Dunstable Downs Golf Club is 4.28 Miles away
Aylesbury Vale Golf Club is 5.31 Miles away
Griffin Golf Club is 7.04 Miles away
Aspley Guise & Woburn Sands Golf Club is 8.92 Miles away
Stockwood Park Golf Club is 9.17 Miles away
South Beds Golf Club is 9.31 Miles away
The Millbrook Golf Club is 11.51 Miles away
Abbey Hill Golf Centre is 13.42 Miles away

GeoURLFind Webpages Geotagged to the location around Billington

Adwords

Write a Review

Add to My Favorite

Refer it to Friend

Report Broken Link