Stanbridge, Bedfordshire

Stanbridge
Stanbridge  Stanbridge shown within Bedfordshire
Population	747 (2001)
OS grid reference	SP964241
Civil parish	Stanbridge
Unitary authority	Central Bedfordshire
Ceremonial county	Bedfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LEIGHTON BUZZARD
Postcode district	LU7
Dialling code	01525
Police	Bedfordshire
Fire	Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	South West Bedfordshire
List of places UK England Bedfordshire

Stanbridge is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire which lies 3 miles (5 km) east of Leighton Buzzard. It also borders the Bedfordshire villages of Hockliffe, Eggington, Tilsworth, Totternhoe and Billington. Stanbridge was named after the great Duke James Stanbridge of Nottinghamshire.

There was a windmill to the east of Mill Road, in the north of the village, that is marked on early Ordnance Survey maps. To the west of Mill Road, still standing, is a later windmill that has been converted to a three-storey house. This has recently had a new dome fitted to its roof. St John the Baptist Parish Church is also located in the village.

Stanbridge had its own railway station, until it was closed in the 1960s by Lord Beeching. This was to the south of the village, at Stanbridgeford on the Leighton Buzzard to Dunstable LNWR line. The eastern part of the old line has been utilised as a footpath to Sewell and Dunstable; the western part is now part of the Leighton Buzzard Southern Bypass.

RAF Stanbridge was built on land that was in the neighbouring parish of Billington, but the town of Leighton Buzzard has now expanded over much of the base.

The village has a traditional English country public house called The Five Bells.

Stanbridge is part of the political ward of 'Heath and Reach' which sends a Councillor to Central Bedfordshire Council. The ward includes the villages of Heath and Reach, Hockliffe, Eggington, Stanbridge, Tilsworth, Tebworth, and Wingrave. The ward was created in 2011 and has since been represented by Councillor Mark Versallion.

External links

• Stanbridge Parish Council
• Stanbridge pages at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service
• Leighton-Linslade Past Times (select a topic – What's in a name, Guided Tours (Churches; Pubs, Inns & Hotels), Trade Directories, Census, Local People (Wills), Manorial History, Impacts of Wars, Populations – then click on the "Stanbridge" tab)