Luton ( or locally ) is a
town and unitary authority of
Bedfordshire, England
,
32 miles (51 kilometres) north of London
.
Luton,
along with its near neighbours of Dunstable
and Houghton Regis
, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area
with a population of over 230,000.
Luton is home to
Blue Square
Premier team
Luton Town Football
Club, whose history includes several spells in the top flight
of the English league as well as a
Football League Cup triumph.
They play
at Kenilworth
Road
stadium, which has been their home since
1905.
London Luton
Airport
, opened in 1938, is one of England's major
airports. During the
Second
World War it doubled as an
RAF
base.
The
University of
Bedfordshire
is based in the town.
The
Luton
Carnival
, held on the
late May bank holiday, is the largest
one-day carnival in Europe.
The town was for many years famous for hat-making and was also home
to a large
Vauxhall Motors factory;
the head office of Vauxhall Motors is still situated in the town.
Car production at the plant began in 1905 and continued until 2002,
but commercial vehicle production remains.
History
Early history
The earliest settlements in the Luton area were at Round Green and
Mixes Hill, where
Paleolithic
encampments (about 250,000 years old) have been found.
Settlements re-appeared after the ice had retreated in the
Mesolithic period around 8000 BC.
Traces of these
settlements have been found in the Leagrave
area of the modern town. Remains from the
Neolithic period (4500-2500 BC in this
area) are much more common. A particular concentration of Neolithic
burials has been found at Galley Hill.
The most prominent
Neolithic structure is Waulud's Bank
- a henge dating from around
3000 BC. From the Neolithic onwards, the area seems to have
been populated, but without any single large settlement.
The first
urban settlement nearby was the small Roman town of
Durocobrivis at Dunstable, but Roman remains in Luton itself consist only of
scattered farmsteads.
The foundation of Luton is usually dated to the 6th century when a
Saxon outpost was founded on the
River Lea, Lea tun. Luton is
recorded in the
Domesday Book as
Loitone and also as
Lintone. Agriculture
dominated the local economy at that time, and the town's population
was around 700-800.
The Wenlock chapel within St
Marys
In 1121
Robert, 1st Earl of
Gloucester started work on St Mary's Church
in the centre of the town. The work was
completed by 1137. A
motte and
bailey type castle which gives its name to the modern Castle
Street was built in 1139. The castle was demolished in 1154 and the
site is now home to a
Matalan store. During
the
Middle Ages Luton is recorded as
being home to six
watermills. Mill Street,
in the
town centre, takes its name from
one of them.
King John (1166-1216) had hired a
mercenary soldier,
Falkes de Breauté, to act on his
behalf.
(Breauté is a small town near Le Havre
in France.) When he married, Falkes de Breauté
acquired his wife's house which came to be known as "Fawkes Hall",
subsequently corrupted over the years to "Foxhall", then
"Vauxhall". In return for his services, King John granted
Falkes the manor of Luton. He was also granted the right to bear
his own
coat of arms and chose the
mythical
griffin as his
heraldic emblem. The griffin thus became associated
with both Vauxhall and Luton in the early 13th century.
By 1240 the town is recorded as Leueton. The town had a market for
surrounding villages in August each year, and with the growth of
the town a second
fair was granted each October
from 1338.
In 1336, much of Luton was destroyed by a great fire, however the
town was soon rebuilt.
The
agriculture base of the town changed
in the 16th century with a
brick making
industry developing around Luton, many of the older wooden houses
were rebuilt in brick.
17th century
During the
English Civil War of
the 17th century , in 1645,
royalists
entered the town and demanded money and goods.
Parliamentary forces arrived and during the
fighting four royalist soldiers were killed and a further
twenty-two were captured. A second skirmish occurred three years
later in 1648 when a royalist army passed through Luton. A number
of royalists were attacked by parliamentary soldiers at an inn on
the corner of the current Bridge Street. Most of the royalists
escaped but nine were killed.
18th century
The
hat making industry began in the 17th
century and became synonymous with the town. By the 18th century
the industry dominated the town. Hats are still produced in the
town on a much smaller scale.
Luton Hoo
, a nearby large country
house was built in 1767 and substantially rebuilt after a fire
in 1843. It is now a luxury hotel.
19th century
A map of Luton from 1888
The town grew strongly in the 19th century. In 1801 the population
was 3,095. By 1850 it was over 10,000 and by 1901 it was almost
39,000. Such rapid growth demanded a railway connection but the
town had to wait a long time for one.
The London and Birmingham Railway
(L&BR) had been built through Tring
in 1838, and
the Great
Northern Railway was built through Hitchin
in 1852, both bypassing Luton, the largest town in
the area. A branch line connecting with the L&BR
at Leighton
Buzzard
was proposed, but because of objections to release
of land, construction terminated at Dunstable in 1848.
It was
another ten years before the branch was extended to Bute Street
Station
, and the first train to Dunstable ran on 3 May,
1858. The line was later extended to Welwyn and
from 1860 direct trains to King's
Cross
ran. The Midland
Railway was extended from Bedford to St
Pancras
through Leagrave
and Midland Road station
and opened on 9 September 1867.
Luton received a gas supply in 1834.
Gas
street lights were erected and the first
town hall was opened in 1847.
Newspaper printing arrived in the town in
1854. The first public cemetery was opened in the same year.
Following a
cholera epidemic in 1848 Luton
formed a water company and had a complete water and sewerage system
by the late 1860s. The first covered market was built (the Plait
Halls - now demolished) in 1869. Luton was made a
borough in 1876. A professional football club - the
first in the south of England - was founded in 1885 following a
resolution at the Town Hall that a 'Luton Town Club be
formed'.
The crest
also includes a hand holding a bunch of wheat, either taken as a
symbol of the straw-plaiting
industry, or from the arms of John Whethamsteade, Abbott of
St
Albans
, who rebuilt the chancel of St Mary's
Church in the 15th century.
20th century
In the 20th century, the
hat trade
severely declined and was replaced by other industries.
In 1905,
Vauxhall Motors opened the largest
car plant in the United
Kingdom
in Luton. Electrolux built a household appliances plant
which was followed by other light engineering businesses.
In 1904
councillors Asher Hucklesby and
Edwin Oakley purchased the estate at Wardown Park
and donated it to the people of Luton.
Hucklesby went on to become Mayor of Luton.
The main house in the
park became Luton Museum & Art
Gallery
.
The town had a
tram system from 1908 until 1932
and the first
cinema was opened in
1909. By 1914 the population had reached 50,000.
The original town hall was destroyed in 1919 during Peace Day
celebrations at the end of
World War I.
Local people including many ex-servicemen were unhappy with
unemployment and had been refused the use of a local park to hold
celebratory events.
They stormed the town hall setting it alight
(see Luton Town
Hall
). A replacement building was completed
in 1936.
London Luton Airport opened in 1938, owned and operated by the
council.
In
World War II, the Vauxhall Factory
built
Churchill tanks as part of the
war effort. Despite heavy camouflage, the
factory made Luton a target for the
Luftwaffe and the town suffered a number of
air raid. One hundred and seven
died and there was extensive damage to the town (over 1,500 homes
were damaged or destroyed). Other industry in the town, such as
SKF which produced
ball
bearings, made a vital contribution to the war effort. Although
a bomb landed at the SKF Factory no major damage was caused.
Post-war,
the slum clearance continued and a
number of substantial estates of council
housing were built, notably at Farley
Hill
, Stopsley
, Limbury
, Marsh
Farm
and Leagrave (Hockwell
Ring
). The
M1 motorway
passed just to the west of the town in 1959. In 1962 a new library
(to replace the cramped Carnegie Library) was opened by the
Queen in the
corner of St George's Square.
In the late 1960s a large part of the town centre was cleared to
build a large covered shopping centre, the
Arndale Centre, which was opened in 1972.,
becoming the first shopping mall in Europe. It was refurbished and
given a glass roof in the 1990s.
The town centre still has some of the
old hat factories
In 2000, Vauxhall announced the end of car production in Luton; the
plant closed in March 2002. At its peak it had employed in excess
of 30,000 people. Vauxhall's headquarters remain in the town, as
does its
van and light
commercial vehicle factory.
21st century
A major regeneration programme for the town centre is underway,
which will include upgrades to the town's bus and train stations as
well as improvements to the town's urban environment. St George's
Square has been rebuilt and reopened in 2007. The new design won a
Gold Standard Award for the Town Centre Environment from the annual
British Council of Shopping Centres awards.
Work is beginning on an extension to the Mall shopping centre
facing St Georges Square, The Mall has already let the largest of
the new units to TK Maxx.
Planning applications for a much larger
extension to The Mall Arndale shopping centre (In the Northern
gateway area - Bute Stret, Silver Street and Guildford Street) and
also for a new centre in Power Court (close to St Marys
Church) have been submitted. On the edge of Luton
at Putteridge
Bury
a high-technology office park, Butterfield Green, is under
construction. The former Vauxhall site is also to be
re-developed as a mixed use site called Napier Park. It will
feature housing, retail and entertainment use, including a new
casino.
Governance
Logo of Luton Unitary Authority
The town is situated within the historic county of
Bedfordshire, but since 1997 Luton has been an
administratively independent
unitary
authority. The town remains part of Bedfordshire for
ceremonial purposes.
Parliamentary representation
Luton is represented by two
Members of Parliament.
The
constituency of Luton North
has been held by Kelvin
Hopkins (Labour) since 1997. Luton South has
been held by
Margaret Moran (Labour)
also since 1997. Luton is within the
East of
England .
Local council
Lutonians are governed by
Luton
Borough Council. The town is split into 19
wards, represented by 48 councillors.
Elections are held for all seats every four years, with the most
recent local elections held in May 2007 and the next due in May
2011. The Council is controlled by the Labour group, who have 26
Local Councillors (a majority of 5). The next largest party is the
Liberal Democrats with 17 seats, followed by the Conservative Party
with 5 seats.
| Position |
Current Representatives |
| Members of
Parliament |
Kelvin Hopkins, Labour, elected 1997 Margaret Moran, Labour, elected 1997
|
| Borough Council
Members |
Waheed Akbar, Labour Mohammed Ashrad, Labour
Mohammad Ayub, Labour Joan Bailey, Labour Morel Benard, Labour
Norris Bullock, Labour Jacqui Burnett, Labour Gilbert Campbell,
Conservative Peter Champman, Liberal Democrats Jenny Davies,
Liberal Democrats Roy Davies, Liberal Democrats Roy J Davis, Labour
Michael Dooling, Liberal Democrats Mohammed Farooq, Labour Katie
Foord, Conservatives David Franks, Liberal Democrats Michael
Garrett, Conservatives Robin Harris, Labour Doris Hinkley, Liberal
Democrats Mahmood Hussain, Labour Qurban Hussain, Liberal Democrats
Lynda Ireland, Labour Tahir Khan, Labour Michelle Kiansumba, Labour
Khtija Malik, Labour Clive Mead, Liberal Democrats Barry Neale,
Liberal Democrats Martin Pantling, Liberal Democrats Lawrence
Patterson, Liberal Democrats Anna Pedersen, Liberal Democrats Abdur
Raquib, Labour Mohammed Riaz, Labour Sheila Roden, Labour Sid
Rutstein, Liberal Democrats Raja Saleem, Labour Tom Shaw, Labour
Mick Siederer, Liberal Democrats Hazel Simmons, Labour Margaret
Simons, Conservative Lakhbir Singh, Labour Alan Skepelhorn, Liberal
Democrats Chris Smith, Liberal Democrats Desline Stewart, Labour
Andy Strange, Liberal Democrats Dave Taylor, Labour Sian Timoney,
Labour John Titmuss, Conservatives Don Worlding,
Labour
|
|
Town Crest
The town crest: granted 25th July
1876.
In 1876 the town was granted its own coat of arms.
The wheat sheaf was used on the crest to represent
agriculture and the supply of wheat
straw used in the local hatting industry (the straw-plaiting
industry was brought to Luton by a group of Scots under the
protection of Sir John Napier of
Luton
Hoo). The bee is traditionally the emblem of
industry and the hive represents the straw-plaiting industry for
which Luton was famous.
The rose is from the arms of the Napier
family, whereas the thistle is a symbol for
Scotland
. An alternative suggestion is that the rose
was a national emblem, and the thistle represents the Marquess of
Bute, who formerly owned the Manor of Luton Hoo.
Geography
Luton is
located in a break in the Eastern part of the Chiltern
Hills
. The Chilterns are a mixture of chalk from the Cretaceous
period (about 65-146 million years ago) and deposits laid at the
southernmost points of the ice sheet
during the last ice age (the Warden Hills
area can be seen from much of the
town).
Bedfordshire had a reputation for brick making but the industry is
now significantly reduced.
The brickworks at
Stopsley took advantage of the clay deposits in the east of
the town.
The
source of the River Lea, part of
the Thames
Valley
drainage basin, is in
the Leagrave area of the town. The
Great Bramingham Wood surrounds
this area. It is classified as
ancient
woodland; records mention the wood at least 400 years
ago.
There are few routes through the hilly area for some miles, this
has led to several major roads (including the
M1 and the
A6) and a major rail-link being
constructed through the town.
Climate
Luton has
a temperate marine climate, like much of the British Isles
, with generally light precipitation throughout the
year. The weather is very changeable from day to day and the
warming influence of the Gulf Stream makes the region mild for its
latitude. The average total annual rainfall is 584 millimetres
(23 in) with rain falling on 109 days of the year.
Areas
The Victorian expansion of Luton focused on areas close to the
existing town centre and railways. In the 1920s and 1930s growth
typically was though absorbing neighbouring villages and hamlets
and infill construction between them and Luton. After the Second
World War there were several estates and developments constructed
both by the local authority such as Farley Hill or Marsh Farm, or
privately such as Bushmead.
'More about Places
within Luton
Demography
The
United Kingdom Census
2001 showed that Luton had a population of 184,371, a 5.8%
increase from the last census meaning that Luton is the 27th
largest
settlement in the UK. Of this, 43,324 were under 15, 131,660
were between 16 and 74 and 9387 were over 74. The
Office for National
Statistics mid-year estimate of the 2007 population is 188,800.
However, the Luton Borough Council Research and Intelligence Team
criticise this figure as understating the recent immigration from
Eastern Europe, and they estimate the true figure to be in the
region of 203,800.
| Population
since 1801 - Source: A Vision of Britain through Time |
| Year |
1801 |
1851 |
1901 |
1911 |
1921 |
1931 |
1941 |
1951 |
1961 |
1971 |
1981 |
1991 |
2001 |
| Population Luton |
2,985 |
11,067 |
31,981 |
49,315 |
57,378 |
66,762 |
84,516 |
106,999 |
132,017 |
162,928 |
163,208 |
174,567 |
184,390 |
Local inhabitants are known as
Lutonians.
Ethnicity
Luton has seen several waves of immigration. In the early part of
the 20th century Irish and Scottish people arrived in the town -
these were followed by Afro-Caribbean and Asian immigrants. More
recently immigrants from Eastern Europe have made Luton their home.
As a result of this Luton has a diverse ethnic mix, with a
significant population of Asian descent, mainly Pakistani (9.8%),
Bangladeshi (4.3%) and Indian (4.2%). The 2005 Office of National
Statistics figures revealed that town had a white population of 68%
(of which white British amounted to 61.3%).
| Luton:
Ethnicity: 2005 Office of National Statistics
estimates |
|
Luton % |
East of England % |
England % |
| White |
68.0 |
92.8 |
89.1 |
| Mixed |
2.8 |
1.4 |
1.6 |
| Asian or Asian British |
19.3 |
3.1 |
5.3 |
| Black or Black British |
7.9 |
1.6 |
2.7 |
| Chinese or Other Ethnic Group |
2.0 |
1.1 |
1.3 |
| Total |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
Religion
According to the
United
Kingdom Census 2001, 60% of the inhabitants in Luton are
Christian and 15% are
Muslim.
The full statistics are as follows:
| Religion |
Luton % |
National % |
| Christian |
59.6% |
71.7% |
| Muslim |
14.6% |
3.0% |
| Hindu |
2.7% |
1.1% |
| Sikh |
0.8% |
0.6% |
| Jewish |
0.3% |
0.5% |
| Buddhist |
0.2% |
0.3% |
| Other |
0.3% |
0.3% |
| No religion |
14.1% |
14.8% |
| Religion not stated |
7.2% |
7.7% |
Economic activity
Of the town's working population (classified 16–74 years of age by
the
Office for National
Statistics), 63% are employed. This figure includes students,
the self-employed and those who are in part-time employment. 11%
are retired, 8% look after the family or take care of the home and
5% are unemployed.
Economy
Luton's economy has, traditionally been focused on several
different areas of industry including
Car
Manufacture, engineering and
millinery. However, today, Luton is moving towards
a service based economy mainly in the
retail and the
airport
sectors, although there is still a focus on light industry in the
town.
Notable firms with headquarters in Luton include:
Notable firms with offices in Luton include:
Shopping
The main
shopping area in Luton is centred around The Mall
Arndale
. Built in the 1960s/1970s and opened as an
Arndale Centre, construction of the
shopping centre led to the demolition of a number of the older
buildings in the town centre including the Plait Halls (a Victorian
covered market building with an iron and glass roof). Shops and
businesses in the remaining streets, particularly in the roads
around Cheapside and in High Town, have been in decline ever since.
George Street, on the south side of the Arndale, was pedestrianised
in the 1990s.
Contained within the main shopping centre is the Market, which
contains butchers, fishmongers, fruit and veg, hairdressers, tattoo
parlours, ice cream, flower stall and T-shirt printing as well as
eating places.
Another
major shopping area is Bury
Park
where there are shops catering to Luton's ethnic
minorities.
Food and drink
Luton has a diverse selection of restaurants -
English,
Italian,
Chinese,
Indian,
Caribbean,
Thai and
Malaysian to name a few.
No area of the town
is specifically restaurant-orientated, but in some areas (such as
Bury
Park) there is a concentration of Asian
restaurants.
There are pubs and clubs in the town centre. A number of these
cater for the town's student population; however, there are still a
number of traditional
pubs in the
town.
Transport
Luton has
excellent transport links and is situated less than 30 miles
north of the centre of London, giving it
good links with the City
and other
parts of the country via the motorway
network and the National Rail
system. Luton is also home to London Luton
Airport, one of the major feeder airports for London and
the southeast. Luton is also served by a bus service run by
Arriva and a large
taxi network. As a
Unitary Authority,
Luton Borough Council is responsible
for the local
highways and public transport
in the Borough and licensing of Taxis.
Education
University of Bedfordshire -
Luton
Luton is
one of the main locations of the University of
Bedfordshire. A large campus of the university is in Luton
town centre, with a smaller campus based on the edge of town in
Putteridge
Bury, an old Victorian manor house.
The other
main campus of the university is located in Bedford
.
The town
is home to Luton Sixth Form College
and Barnfield
College. Both have been awarded Learning & Skills
Beacon Status by the
Department for
Children, Schools and Families.
Luton's schools and colleges have also been earmarked for major
investment in the government scheme
Building Schools for the
Future programme, which intends to renew and refit buildings in
institutes across the country. Luton is in the 3rd wave of this
long term programme with work intending to start in 2009.
There are 98 educational institutes in Luton - seven
Nurseries, 70
Primary schools (9
Voluntary-Aided, 2
Special Requirements), 13
Secondary Schools (1 Voluntary-Aided, 1
Special Requirements), four
Further
Educational Institutes and four other Educational
Institutes.
Culture and leisure
Sport
Sport In Bedfordshire
Luton is the home town of
Luton Town Football Club who have recently
been relegated from the football league, one below the 4th flight
of the English league structure. Their
nickname, "The Hatters", dates back to when Luton
had a substantial
millinery
industry.
Speedway racing was staged in Luton in the mid 1930s.
The town has three rugby union clubs -
Luton Rugby Club who play in
National 3 Midlands,
Vauxhall Motors RFC who play
in London 3 NW and
Stockwood Park who play in
Midlands 4 SE.
Wardown Park
Wardown Park is situated on the
River Lea in Luton.
The park has sporting
facilities, is home to the Luton Museum
& Art Gallery and contains formal gardens. The park is
located between
Old Bedford Road and the A6,
New
Bedford Road and is within walking distance of the town
centre.
Stockwood Park
Stockwood Park is a large municipal park near Junction 10 of the
M1.
The park houses the craft
museum
, the Mossman Collection
and the period formal gardens which are all free of
charge for visitors. There is an athletics track, an 18-hole
golf course, several rugby pitches and areas of open space.
The park was originally the estate and grounds to Stockwood house,
which was demolished in 1964.
Carnival
Luton Carnival is the largest one-day carnival in Europe. It usually takes place
on the late May Bank Holiday. Crowds can reach 150,000 on each
occasion.
The
procession starts at Wardown
Park and makes its way down New Bedford Road, around the
Town Centre via St George's Square, back down New Bedford Road and
finishes back at Wardown Park. There are music stages and
stalls around the town centre and at Wardown Park.
St. Patrick's Day
The
festival celebrating the patron saint of Ireland
, St Patrick, is held on
the weekend nearest to March 17. Now on its 9th year, the
festival includes a parade, market stalls and music stands as well
as Irish themed events.
Theatre
Luton is home to the Library Theatre, a 238 seat theatre located on
the 3rd floor of the town's Central Library. The Theatre's
programme consists of local amateur dramatic societies, pantomime,
children's theatre (on Saturday mornings) and one night shows of
touring theatre companies.
Museums
Luton Museum
Luton Museum and Art Gallery is housed in a large Victorian mansion
in Wardown Park on the outskirts of the town centre. The museum
collection focusses on the traditional crafts of Bedfordshire,
notably lace-making and hat-making. There are samples of local lace
from as early as the 17th century.
The
Wenlock Jug, a rare example of a jug cast, was almost sold to New
York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art
for £750,000 but was export-stopped in October
2005 by culture minister, David Lammy,
based on a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export
of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, run by the
Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
Stockwood Craft Museum
Based in
Stockwood
Park
, Luton, the collection of rural crafts and trades
held at Stockwood Park Museum was amassed by Thomas Wyatt Bagshawe,
who was a notable local historian and a leading authority on folk
life. Bagshawe was born in Dunstable in 1901 and became a director of the family
engineering firm.
The collection only contains examples from Bedfordshire and the
borders of neighbouring counties, giving the collection a very
strong regional identity.
Mossman Collection
The
Mossman Carriage collection is held at Stockwood Park, Luton and is the largest and most significant
vehicle collection of its kind in the country, including originals
from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
The Mossman collection of horse drawn vehicles was given to Luton
Museum Service in 1991. It illustrates the development of
horse-drawn road transportation in Britain from Roman times up
until the 1930s.
Local attractions
Twin towns
Luton participates in international
town
twinning; its partners are:
! style="background: #FFFFFF; color: #000000" ! |
! style="background: #FFFFFF; color: #000000" ! |
! style="background: #FFFFFF; color: #000000" ! |
! style="background: #FFFFFF; color: #000000" ! |
! style="background: #FFFFFF; color: #000000" ! |
Notable Lutonians
People who were born in Luton or are associated with town.
By birth
- Mick Abrahams, guitarist for
Jethro Tull
- David Arnold, composer
- John Badham, film director
- Clive Barker, sculptor and
artist
- Jonathan Barnbrook, graphic
designer, typographer
- Leon Barnett, footballer
- Kevin Blackwell, goalkeeper,
football manager
- Danny Cannon, screenwriter,
director and producer
- Ian Cashmore, actor
- Ben Copperwheat, print
designer/artist
- Steve Dillon, comic artist
|
- Kerry Dixon, footballer
- Kevin Foley,
footballer
- Sean Gallagher, actor
- Liam George, footballer
- John Gosling, musician
- Arthur Hailey, novelist
- Neil Halstead, musician
- Monty Panesar, cricketer
- John Payne, musician
- Phil Read, motorcycle racer
- David Renwick, scriptwriter
|
- Stu Riddle, footballer
- Emma Rhodes, artist and
illustrator
- Vaughan Savidge, announcer
- Billy Schwer, boxer
- Andy Selway, drummer
- Will Smith,
cricketer
- David Stoten, artist
- Mark Titchner, artist
- UK Decay, band
- Paul Young, singer
- Dean Brill, footballer
By association
Media
Newspapers
Two weekly newspapers are delivered free
to all the houses in Luton. They are:
There are also two other newspapers in circulation around Luton:
- Luton News, the Herald & Post's
sister paper which is published every Wednesday.
- Lutonline, a monthly newspaper
produced by the local council. Usually delivered with the The Luton
And Dunstable Express.
Radio
Television
- Local-News TV is a local news
channel for Bedfordshire and Luton. The channel is broadcast solely
over the internet with content available on-demand.
- Anglia Television the ITV
franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region, which Luton
is a part of.
Media references
In the TV series One Foot in
the Grave there are often references to places within
Luton. The script-writer David Renwick
was brought up in the town.
The town was mentioned several times in the seminal sketch show
Monty Python's Flying
Circus. In one sketch a rather half-hearted hijacker
demands that a plane headed for Cuba be diverted to Luton. Luton is
one of the constituencies returning a "Silly Party" victory in the
famous sketch Election Night
Special. In the Piranha
Brothers sketch Spiny Norman lived in a hangar at Luton
Airport. A 1976 episode of the sci-fi series
"Space: 1999" was called the The Rules of Luton, inspired by the town
name.
References
- Dyer J, Stygall F, Dony J, The Story of Luton, Luton,
1964, p 20
- Dyer ibid, p 23
- Dyer ibid, p 31
- Dyer, ibid, p 141
- Dyer, ibid, p 142
- Churchill Tanks at Vauxhall
- Deaths during WWII
- See book Luton at War volume II,compiled by The Luton
News, 2001, ISBN 1-871199-49-2
- tant-car-hire.co.uk/england/luton.html Arndale opened in
1972
- Vauxhall closure
- St Georges Square on Luton Council Site
- Award won by St Georges Square
- Website for the development of Power Court
- Map of soil distribution in Beds
- ISBN 1-871199-94-8
- KS01 Usual resident population: Census 2001, Key
Statistics for urban areas
- 2001 Census
- Office for National Statistics, Table 8 Mid-2007 Population estimates (Excel
spreadsheet within zip file).
- Luton Borough Council, Population Estimates and Forecasts, estimate
for Bramingham ward in 2007.
- " New headquarters for easyJet at London Luton
Airport." Easyjet.
Retrieved on 27 September 2009.
- " customer services & other faqs." Monarch Airlines.
Retrieved on 27 September 2009.
- " Luton." Thomson UK. Retrieved on 27 September
2009.
- " Corporate contact information." Vauxhall Motors.
Retrieved on 2 September 2009.
- Barnfield Newsletter
- BBC - Beds Herts and Bucks - Why Don't You -
Luton's turning green!
- St patrick's festival
- St Patrick's Day party is coming to Luton - Luton
Today
External links
|
- aerospace
-Spandau
Top topics
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Misc
Search
.png/13px-Museum_icon_(red).png){kind=icon}
Galley and Warden Hills Nature
Reserve
