Bramingham

Bramingham is a suburb of Luton in Bedfordshire. The area is situated in the north of the town and is roughly bounded by the A6 to the east, Great Bramingham Wood to the west, the edge of Luton to the north, and Icknield Way to the south.

Bramingham
Bramingham Location within Bedfordshire
Population	8,310 (Also includes part of Warden Hill) [1]
OS grid reference	TL 0733 2592
Civil parish	Bramingham
Unitary authority	Luton
Ceremonial county	Bedfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Luton
Postcode district	LU3
Dialling code	01582
Police	Bedfordshire
Fire	Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Luton North

History

Until the end of the 20th century Bramingham consisted of Great Bramingham, a small hamlet consisting of Great Bramingham Farm and a few scattered houses on Great Bramingham Lane, and Little Bramingham Farm, a farm near Bramingham Wood. Little Bramingham farmhouse still stands, located on Leamington Road, and is now a grade II listed building.[2]

The area grew rapidly in the 1990s to become part of Luton, expanding to meet Warden Hill in the east and Marsh Farm in the west.

Local Area

The housing in the area is mainly low density suburban housing built in the typical 90s new build style, a traditional style with many incorporating mock timber frames or arched windows. A few 19th century cottages remain on Great Bramingham Lane.

At the centre of Bramingham is a parade of shops, a large Sainsbury's supermarket, a medical centre, Bramingham Park Church, and a pub - The Brim and Crown (formerly The Bramingham). Also in the area are Bramingham Primary School and a campus of Barnfield College.[3]

On land of the former Great Bramingham Farm is Keech Cottage Hospice, a care charity for both adults and children.[4]

There is also a large business park centred on Enterprise Way.

Geography

Bramingham is in the north of Luton, roughly 5 miles from the town centre. Neighbouring areas are Limbury and Runfold to the south, Marsh Farm to the west, and Warden Hill to the east. North of Bramingham is still open countryside, although there are plans for a North Luton Bypass to be built, and infill housing between Bramingham and the new road.[5]

Bramingham Wood

Bramingham Wood is a natural woodland which forms the boundary between Bramingham and Marsh Farm. In 1985 The Woodland Trust, a nationwide charity took over the management and subsequently the ownership of the wood from the private owners. The wood covers approximately 45 acres (180,000 m²) and has been classified as an ancient woodland that is, it has known to have been in existence for at least 400 years and has probably been a woodland for much longer.

After the Trust took over the wood, the Bramingham Wood Volunteers were formed who carry out much of the work on behalf of the Trust. A network of paths through the wood have been created.

The wood has a spectacular spring bluebell display and also pink campion flourishes in the cleared areas.

Politics

Bramingham is part of the larger Bramingham ward, which also contains Warden Hill, and is represented by Cllr Gilbert Campbell (Conservative) and Cllr David Johnston (Conservative), who is the Conservative Leader at Luton Borough Council.

The ward forms part of the parliamentary constituency of Luton North, and the MP is Kelvin Hopkins (Labour). Bramingham is within the East of England (European Parliament constituency).

Map of Luton showing Bramingham ward

Local Attractions

Key
	Abbey/Priory/Cathedral
	Accessible open space
	Amusement/Theme Park
	Castle
	Country Park
	English Heritage
	Forestry Commission
	Heritage railway
	Historic House
	Mosques
	Museum (free/not free)
	National Trust
	Theatre
	Zoo

Bramingham Woods Dunstable Downs Chiltern Hills Leagrave Park Leighton Buzzard Light Railway Luton Museum & Art Gallery the hat Factory Luton Hoo Mossman Collection Someries castle Stockwood Craft Museum Stockwood Park Wardown Park Waulud's Bank Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Whipsnade Zoo Woodside Farm and Wildfowl Park Wrest Park Gardens

Local Newspapers

Two weekly newspapers are delivered free to all the houses in Bramingham. However they are not specific to Bramingham. They are:

• Herald and Post - Delivered every Thursday
• Luton and Dunstable Express- Delivered every Sunday

References

1. Luton Borough Council, Population Estimates and Forecasts Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine, estimate for Bramingham ward in 2007. The count in the 2001 Census was 7,584.
2. "Little Bramingham Farm".
3. "Map of facilities in the area".
4. "Keech Cottage".
5. "Bypass plans".

External links

• Bramingham Primary School