Round Green

Round Green is a suburb in the north-east of Luton. The area is roughly bounded by Bradgers Hill to the north, People's Park, Richmond Hill and Turners Road South to the south, Wardown Crescent and Elmwood Crescent to the west, and Vauxhall Way to the east.

Round Green

The Jolly Topers public house, Hitchin Road
Round Green
Location within Bedfordshire
Population11,950 [1]
OS grid referenceTL095225
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLUTON
Postcode districtLU2
Dialling code01582
PoliceBedfordshire
FireBedfordshire and Luton
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament

History

Formerly a small hamlet between Biscot, Leagrave and Stopsley, Round Green is one of the oldest parts of Luton, with references to the area dating back to 1170.

The area originally called Cowridge End stretches from what is now Old Bedford Road up to Birchen Grove in the North and down to Crawley Green in the south. The area was officially assumed into the boundary of Luton in 1933.

In 1908, the Luton Tram Service started up, with route one terminating at Round Green (starting out in Park Street). The tram service in the town was short-lived, and in 1931 the council decided to replace the trams with buses.[2]

Local Area

The local area is focused on the Stockingstone Road to the Hitchin Road roundabout, where two local pubs, the Jolly Topers and The Round Green Tavern are situated within 20 metres of each other. A small shopping area down Hitchin Road heading towards Luton has the local amenities such as the grocer's, newsagent, etc., and the local garage and childcare centre. In 1985 a travel agency called Double S Travel moved into what is the oldest building in Round Green. Built in 1902 it had views all the way down Stockingstone Road and up Montrose Avenue to the Biscot Mill windmill some two miles away.

Culture and community

Culture

Architecture and historic buildings

There is a Grade II-listed water tower on Hart Lane which is one of the most prominent points on Luton's skyline if looking eastwards from the centre. The building was erected in 1900 following a drought that affected the Stopsley area and is a counterpart to a similarly aged water town on West Hill Road in New Town.

Community facilities

Groups and societies

The Luton Co-Operative Club is based on Stockingstone Road and is a member's club featuring a bar and sports facilities.[3]

Parks and open spaces

There are relatively few parks and open spaces in the Round Green area due to the proximity of People's Park in High Town and other large spaces in the Crawley area. There is a small children's play area situated between Abbots Wood Road and Hart Lane which also serves as the largest green space as well as a wooded area at the northernmost point of Hitchin Road.

Pubs and bars

The Hitchin Road roundabout is home to the only trading pub in the area, The Jolly Topers, which has stood on the junction since the 18th century.[4] The Jolly Topers has long been a central core of the Round Green community and has been the site of many inquests in the early years of the business.[5] Historically, a large horse-chestnut tree stood next to the roundabout outside the Jolly Topers pub; it had presided over the area for 150 years. However, in 2001, after heavy winds blew down its branches, it was deemed hazardous to leave standing. The tree was taken down and has recently been replaced.

Roughly 20 meters away on the other side of the roundabout was the site of The Round Green Tavern which closed in the late 2010s and has since been repurposed as an estate agents office and residential properties. Meters away from the Round Green Tavern was the site of the Royal Oak pub which closed in the late 2000s and is now a veterinarian clinic.[6]

The Somerset Tavern on the corner of Somerset Avenue and Crawley Green Road was another large pub in the area which has also closed, being renovated into residential flats in the late 2000s.

Education

There is one primary school in Round Green, Richmond Hill West School on Sunridge Avenue. The school is the east site of the Richmond Hill Primary School (the other being in the Wigmore area) and is a Special Education-focused school.

There are no secondary schools in Round Green; most of the area is within the catchment areas of either Stopsley High School or Ashcroft High School.

Religious sites

Churches

Both St. Anne's Church and St. Christopher's Church unusually share equal standing within the Parish of St. Annes, which is within the Diocese of St Albans.

  • St. Anne's Church, Hart Lane[7]
  • St. Christopher's Church, Felix Avenue[8] - the church also operates as the Romanian Orthodox church for the area.[9]

Former sites
  • A methodist chapel was situated on the junction of Ramridge Road and Hitchin Road opposite the Jolly Topers public house until at least 1901. The building was on the site of the Round Green Tavern which ceased business in the late 2010s.[10]
  • Two more Methodist chapels existed on a site in Turners Road South. The first existed between 1911 and 1957 before a more modern chapel building emerged in 1959, connected to the 1911 building. The church as a whole was closed in 1997 and the modern chapel building was demolished shortly after. The 1911 structure still stands to this day and was most recently used as a nursery.[11]

Sport and leisure

Luton Indoor Bowling Club is based just off Stockingstone Road in their purpose-built indoor bowling facility. The club was established in 1988 and their building was officially opened by Diana, Princess of Wales in the same year. [12]

Next to Luton Indoor Bowling Club is another bowling green - an outdoor facility operated by the Co-Op Luton Bowls Club.[13]

Politics

Round Green is part of the larger Round Green ward, which also contains parts of Ramridge End and Tin Town. The Councillors for Round Green ward are Cllr David Chapman (Liberal Democrats), Cllr Mark Rivers (Labour) and Cllr Tahmina Saleem (Labour).

The ward forms part of the parliamentary constituency of Luton South, and the MP is Rachel Hopkins (Labour). Round Green is situated within the East of England (European Parliament constituency).

Map of Luton showing Round Green

Local attractions

Local newspapers

Two weekly newspapers are delivered free to all houses in Round Green, with news about Luton and the surrounding area.

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References
  1. Luton Borough Council, Population Estimates and Forecasts, estimate for Round Green ward in 2007. The count in the 2001 Census was 10,868.
  2. History of the trams in Luton
  3. http://coopsportsandsocial.co.uk/the-club/
  4. Jolly Topers - Round Green Luton Bedfordshire
  5. http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/CommunityArchives/Luton/LicensedinLuton/TheJollyTopersPublicHouseStopsley.aspx
  6. http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/CommunityArchives/Luton/LicensedinLuton/TheRoyalOakPublicHouseRoundGreenStopsley.aspx
  7. https://directory.luton.gov.uk/kb5/luton/directory/service.page?id=2xB4rFc72zI
  8. https://www.stalbans.anglican.org/venue/st-christophers-church-luton/
  9. http://www.parohialuton.co.uk/
  10. http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/CommunityArchives/Luton/NonconformityinLuton/TheWesleyanMethodistChapelRoundGreen.aspx
  11. http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/CommunityArchives/Luton/NonconformityinLuton/TheWesleyanMethodistChapelRoundGreen.aspx
  12. http://www.luton-ibc.org.uk/club-officials/
  13. https://www.bowlsengland.com/club/co-op-luton/
  • Local History Book - The Story of Round Green by Barbara M. Benson
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