Leagrave
| Leagrave | |
|---|---|
 Leagrave
|
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| Leagrave shown within Bedfordshire | |
| Population | 12,910 11,998 (2011 Census.Ward) |
| OS grid reference | TL0523 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LUTON |
| Postcode district | LU3, LU4 |
| Dialling code | 01582 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| EU Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Leagrave is a former village and now a suburb of Luton in Bedfordshire in the northwest of the town. Due to its 35-minute connection by train from Leagrave station into London it is home to significant numbers of commuters, with almost two million using the train station each year. Leagrave station also has connections to Bedford in the north and Brighton in the south by Thameslink. Junctions 11 and 12 of the M1 are close at hand as well as Luton Airport.
The first settlement in the area was Waulud's Bank which is a Neolithic D-shaped enclosure in Leagrave Park at the source of the River Lea and is now a protected monument. Waulud's bank consists of a bank and external ditch of around 7 hectares with a turf reveted chalk and gravel bank (built from the excavated ditch material). The ditch itself is about 9 m wide and 2 m deep. Finds at the site have included neolithic Grooved Ware and flint arrow heads. It is a similar site to Durrington Walls and Marden and the site was later re-used in the Iron Age and during the Roman occupation.
The Icknield Way, a pre Roman road, passes though Leagrave. Local road names give away its location, 'Roman Road' runs from Oakley Road to Marsh Road. On the other side of Marsh Road as the road enters Limbury it continues as 'Icknield Road' where there is a gap before the road continues as Icknield Way.
The River Lea (or Lee) starts in Leagrave before making its way eventually to the Thames, joining in London. The Lee crosses Leagrave Common and receives a number of tributaries including Knapps Brook, which joins from culverts under the railway embankment and Toddington Road, Lewsey Brook and Houghton Brook. Knapps Brook is a combination of brooks from East End, Houghton Regis and from the Lewsey Estate near the old Lewsey Farm. The river once formed one boundary of the Danelaw. Leagrave Marsh used to be a popular place for the Luton hatters on their (rare) days off and was, consequently, known as "Blockers' Seaside". The hatmaking industry originally relied on straw plaits, made by farmers' wives, bought and collected by a "plaitman" and brought into the Luton hat factories to be made into straw hats. A new artwork has been unveiled in the area, reflecting on this former activity.
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Wikipedia