Map sources for Kempston at grid reference TL0347

Kempston (pronounced "Kemstun") is a town in Bedfordshire, England. It is part of the Borough of Bedford. Once known as the largest village in England, Kempston is now a town with its own town council. It has a population of approximately 20,000, and is adjacent to Bedford. It serves principally as a dormitory town for Bedford and for Milton Keynes, which is approximately ten miles away. Download high resolution version (1802x2589, 189 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Kempston Categories: GFDL images | GBdot ... Download high resolution version (1802x2589, 189 KB) File links The following pages link to this file: Kempston Categories: GFDL images | GBdot ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... Bedfordshire is a county in England and forms part of the East of England region. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked... Bedford is a local government district and borough in the East of England. ... Bedford is the county town of the English county of Bedfordshire. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Milton Keynes Milton Keynes is a purpose-built, high technology city in South East England. ...

History

The name in its old form is "kemestun" which includes the Brittonic word "cambio" meaning bent or curved. Therefore, the name meant when coined "the enclosed settlement on the bend". The bend was that of the River Great Ouse, noted for its sharp bends upstream of Bedford. It is just possible that "cambita" (the curved one) was the name given to this stretch of the river by the Celtic-speaking population. In this case the name could have developed like that of the river Kembs in the French Department of Haut Rhin. The Great Ouse at St Neots The River Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. ... Haut-Rhin is a French département, named after the Rhine river. ...

Kempston was recorded as "camestone" in the Domesday Book and had a 6th-century Anglo Saxon burial site, now home to the Saxon Centre. Doomesday Book (also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester), was the record of the great survey of England completed in 1086, executed for William the Conqueror, that was similar to a census by a government of today. ... This Buddhist stela from China, Northern Wei period, was built in the early 6th century. ... The Anglo-Saxons refers collectively to the groups of Germanic tribes who achieved dominance in southern Britain from the mid-5th century, forming the basis for the modern English nation. ...

Until the 19th century Kempston was a mainly rural parish. It was one of the largest in Bedfordshire with an area of 5,025 acres (20 km²) at the time of enclosure in 1804, and was in Redbournestoke Hundred. Historically there was no central village, but instead settlement was divided between a number of hamlets called "Ends", for example, Up End, Wood End and Box End. Kempston's parish church, All Saints, was in Church End, which was not the largest end but is fairly central. In the 19th century East End, Bell End and Up End began to coalesce into a larger settlement. In 1870 developers began to attempt to develop land on the road from Kempston to Bedford under the name "Kempston New Town". Construction was slow at first, but the new district soon began to expand steadily and Kempston acquired a more urban feel. In 1896 the parish was divided into Kempston Urban District 1,255 acres (5.1 km²) and the civil parish of Kempston Rural 3,770 acres (15 km²). Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1870 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... In the British Isles an urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area. ... In England a civil parish (usually just parish) is the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or counties. ...

Kempston in 1908

The Urban District was based on East End, Up End and Kempston New Town all of which are in the north eastern part of the parish close to Bedford, and it had 86.8% of the total population at the 1901 census. Kempston Rural was three times larger, but remained sparsely populated. Church End, with its original parish church, remains a small hamlet in the rural part of Kempston. This map of Kempston in 1908 is centred on Kempston Urban District, which then had a population of just over 5,000. ... This map of Kempston in 1908 is centred on Kempston Urban District, which then had a population of just over 5,000. ...

The growth of Kempston's population level off in the early decades of the 20th century, with a rise of just 12% between 1901 and 1931, but it then began to expand rapidly. The 1951 population of just under 10,000 was 60% higher that that of 1931; in the second half of the 20th century, the population more than doubled. In 1974 Kempston Urban District was abolished and Kempston reverted to being a civil parish, in the Borough of Bedford but with a separate town council with minor powers. Kempston Rural remains a civil parish with its own parish, although its low population means that it jointly forms a single ward for elections. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... In England a civil parish (usually just parish) is the lowest unit of local government, lower than districts or counties. ...

Population table

Note 1: 1981 figures are provisional (more up to date source needed).
Note 2: The 2001 Kempston Urban figure is the combined total for the three urban wards of Kempston East, Kempston North and Kempston South.

Churches

For many centuries, All Saints' Church in Church End, which was first Catholic and later Anglican, was the only place of worship in Kempston. It is attractively situated in a green churchyard close to the river, and the location is still rural. William the Conqueror's niece Judith commissioned the west tower, nave and chancel in 1100. The tower arch and chancel arch remain from Norman times. The aisles were added in the 13th century. In the 15th century the windows were replaced, the tower was heightened and the nave walls were also heightened, forming a clerestory. The font is 14th-century. Refurbishments were carried out in the 19th century, and the north and south galleries were added at that time to accommodate children. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... William I ( 1027 – September 9, 1087), was King of England from 1066 to 1087. ... Events William II of England dies in a hunting accident - Henry I becomes King of England King Henry I proclaims the Charter of Liberties, one of the first examples of a constitution. ... (12th century - 13th century - 14th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 13th century was that century which lasted from 1201 to 1300. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ...

In the 19th century two additional Church of England churches were built to accommodate the rising population. The first was St John's in Up End, which was consecrated in 1868. It soon suffered from subsidence, possibly caused by an underground stream. The burgeoning population of Kempston New Town was served by St Stephen's, a temporary iron church in Spring Road which was built in 1888. After a member of the locally prominent Williamson family bequeathed £8,000 for the purpose in 1927 the Church of the Transfiguration was built in Bedford Road to replace to two unsatisfactory Victorian churches. It is a solid work in red brick and was consecrated in 1940. St John's was unused as a church after that and was eventually demolished in 1965. St Stephen's was sold to a leather factory. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Methodism has been prominent in Kempston since the mid 19th century. The first Methodist chapel in the parish was built in Bell End in 1839, and its capacity was expanded by adding a gallery in 1843. In 1860 a larger replacement was constructed in the High Street at a cost of £600. The modern Kempston West Methodist Church now stands on the site. Kempston East Methodist Church in Bedford Road was opened in 1904 to serve the new parts of Kempston in the direction of Bedford. Sir Frederick Howard donated the site and £1,000, the Twentieth Century Trust provided another £1,000 and a local appeal raised around £3,000. The church is an attractive Gothic building in pale rustic Weldon stone, and has a hammerbeam roof. In addition to the two mainstream Methodist churches a small Primitive Methodist chapel was built in Bedford Road in or soon after 1896, when a site was purchased for £65 2s. 6d. It became Newtown Methodist chapel after the merger of the various Methodist churches in the 1930s, but it was sold off in 1959 and used for business purposes. The Methodist movement is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... This photograph from 1896 shows the hammerbeam roof of Westminster Hall. ... Primitive Methodism was a major separate movement in English Methodism in the first part of the nineteenth century. ... 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Kempston abuts both John Bunyan's home parish of Elstow and Bedford, where he was imprisoned. The Bedford church now known as the Bunyan Meeting had members in Kempston from at least 1657, and ministers from the church sometimes preached in private houses in Kempston. The first congregationalist church building in Kempston was opened in the High Street in 1813. A replacement church was built in Kempston New town in 1871. It was extended in 1888 and a hall was added in 1907. John Bunyan. ... Events January 8 - Miles Sindercombe, would-be-assassin of Oliver Cromwell, and his group are captured in London February - Admiral Robert Blake defeats the Spanish West Indian Fleet in a battle over the seizure of Jamaica. ... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation indepedently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ... 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Up until the Second World War Roman Catholics who lived in Kempston were obliged to worship at a church in Bedford. A Roman Catholic chapel was established during the war at the Army's Grange Camp, which was situated where Hillgrounds is now, and it retained after 1945. The first resident Catholic priest in Kempston was appointed in 1965 and the present small and plain Catholic church in Bedford Road was built at around this time. Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

Modern Kempston

There is one upper school (13-18) in Kempston, Hastingsbury Upper School and Community College, and two middle schools (9-13), Robert Bruce and Daubeney. There are four lower schools in the urban area: Balliol, Bedford Road, Camestone and Springfield. Church End Lower School serves Kempston Rural. Kempston's main park is Addison Howard Park, which is the grounds of Grange House, once one of the principal residences in the parish, which survives as flats. The estate was purchased in the 1880s by the Howard family, proprietors of the Britannia Iron Works, and later given to the people of Kempston. There is an indoor swimming pool which opened in the 1980s. Kempston's Sainsbury's supermarket was the chain's largest branch when it opened in the 1970s. The headquarters of the Bedfordshire Police are in Kempston. Hastingsbury Upper School and Community College is a state sector upper school for 13-18 year olds and an adult education college in Kempston, Bedfordshire, England. ... // Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... MacGyver is one of the symbols of the 1980s in America The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... J Sainsbury plc is the parent company of Sainsburys Supermarkets Ltd, commonly known as Sainsburys, which is a chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Bedfordshire Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the county of Bedfordshire and the district of Luton in England. ...

Apart from All Saints' Church, the best-known historic buildings are the King William IV pub and Kempston Barracks. The King William is a timber-framed building in bold black and white. The exterior is 17th century, but it is believed to contain much medieval work. The barracks were built in 1874 to 1876. They were partially demolished in the early 1980s, but the remainder was reprieved after local protests. The Freemasons use them now, and a banal Territorial Army centre has been built on part of the site. 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... MacGyver is one of the symbols of the 1980s in America The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... In the United Kingdom the Territorial Army is a part of the British Army composed of reserve units, or part-time soldiers. ...

The Bedford Southern Bypass on the A421, which is also effectively a Kempston bypass, was constructed in the 1990s. There is an out-of-town shopping centre called Kempston Interchange Retail Park alongside it, and an ASDA distribution centre has opened at the Kempston end of it since the turn of the millennium. The proposed Bedford Western Bypass will cut through Kempston Rural, crossing the Great Ouse between the urban area and Church End. In 2003 Bedford Borough Council adopted a planning brief for the land close to the Western bypass that proposes the construction of 1,000 new homes (The planning brief (10MB pdf file)). Work is also due to begin shortly on the construction of a new stretch of the A421 from Kempston to Junction 13 of the M1 motorway, which will be a dual-carriageway running parallel to the existing road, which will be retained for local use. The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive. ... For other uses, see ASDA (disambiguation). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The M1 motorway heading south towards junction 37 at Barnsley. ...

References

• Bedfordshire Parish Surveys Historic Landscape and Archaeology : Kempston. published by Bedfordshire County Council (1984).
• 8000 Years: A Kempston History edited by HA Carnell, T Booth and HG Tibutt (1966) Reprinted by Kempston Town Council 1985.
• Bedford Borough Council website.

External links

• Map from multimap.com
• Aerial photo from multimap.com

Kempston also was the brand name of a popular joystick and interface for the ZX Spectrum. For other uses, see Joystick (disambiguation). ... The Sinclair ZX Spectrum was a home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research. ...