OTBNews_01_2012_V4:Layout 1
24/8/12
17:22
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• MOT’s
• Servicing
• Air conditioning
• Car sales
• serving the people of Arlesey
for around 100 years
your friendly local car servicing and maintenance specialists
the ‘village’
rlesey today is very different from its beginnings in the 9th and
10th century. From the Danish settlement and the entries in the
Doomsday Book it has grown in different stages. In the early twentieth
century times these places were referred to as Church End, Mid Village
and Green End. New Town, a new settlement referred to the terrace
houses south of the football club.
A
Arlesey has a long history in the brickmaking industry but today there is very little
outward evidence of its huge impact on the
town. At one time there were six brick
making factories along the river and
railway, plus a cement works and gas
works; Arlesey was one of the wealthiest
places in this part of Bedfordshire. The
chimneys that stood proud over the town
could be seen for miles and have been
referred to as the ʻSeven Sistersʼ.
The railway has always had a huge
influence on the town and this boosted the
efficiency of the brickworks with easy
access to London and the north via its two
mainline stations. Although the shutting of
many stations in the 1960ʼs saw the town
without a station, a new one was opened
on 3rd October 1988, on the site of the
previous Arlesey and Henlow station.
The town also boasted nineteen public houses, of which, sadly, there
are only four left plus Arlesey Social Club in the High street. The oldest
remaining pub is the White Horse, built in 1805.
Arlesey has some older historic houses, such as the Edgeworth
House, Arlesey House, Chase House and St Peters School plus more
still being used as homes and businesses. One notable omission from
the list is Arleseybury and its grounds. Built in the early 1800ʼs it stood
just to the west of the War Memorial where the Chase Hill Road estate
is now. The old ʻburyʼ was built by Sir John Jackson for his family, after
demolishing the older Arlesey Place. The site that covered many acres
included a sunken garden, a heated greenhouse and walled garden.
Arlesey Service Garage
74 Stotfold Road, Arlesey, Beds. SG15 6UX • Telephone: 01462 731284
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www.onthebuttonarlesey.co.uk