ELSTOW GREEN FIELD PETITION

Moot Hall and Elstow Abbey

Elstow is Bedfordshire's most historic village with its Abbey Church, built in 1078 by William the Conqueror's niece Countess Judith and our 15th Century Moot Hall. John Bunyan was born nearby and was baptised and married in Elstow Abbey. Elstow is a unique piece of our heritage which must be preserved for present and future generations to enjoy, including many visitors from the USA and other countries.

At present Elstow is under threat of disappearing into urban Bedford and losing its separate identity as a village, because the narrow green strip of land dividing Elstow from Bedford is included in Bedford Borough Council's Bedford Development Framework, listing 300 sites with housing development potential.

Since August 2008 I have been campaigning for this Council owned strip of land to be removed from the list of sites and have had meetings with the Mayor of Bedford and Planners, without success. Therefore I started a petition and so far 220 residents in Elstow and elsewhere have supported my campaign and signed the petition.

On 1 April after the demise of Bedfordshire County Council ownership of Moot Hall and Elstow Village Green transferred to Bedford Borough Council so I hoped that the Mayor and officers might have a change of heart as the new landowners - no such luck!

All Parish Councils were asked in February to invite the Mayor to visit them. Therefore in March Elstow Parish Council invited him to the Annual Elstow Parish Open Meeting on 16 April, requesting him to address resident concerns on the Elstow green field issue and to bring a planning officer with him. The Mayor turned up one hour late, dressed casually, without a planning officer or briefing notes and gave bland and inadequate responses to questions from the public. The residents present were underwhelmed by his apparent indifference to their concerns.

The Campaign will continue and I will not rest until this site is removed from the site list in Bedford Development Framework. We also hope to persuade the Borough Council to allow us to create a proper park with trees, benches, landscaping and play equipment for use of local residents, including all the elderly people in the Bunyans Mead sheltered complex which backs on to this small green field.

If you support my campaign please sign my petition in Elstow Post Office or respond to this Blog.

Tomorrow the Bedford Unitary Election Campaign starts so I may be blogging and tweeting less often until after Thursday 4 June.

MOOT HALL AND SEALED KNOT LIVING HISTORY

Sealed Knot Living History Event and Moot Hall Key Handover Ceremony




On Sunday Elstow Village Green was the setting for a Sealed Knot Living History event with people in 17th century dress and Cromwellian solders marching across the Green. In the afternoon the ownership of Elstow's 15th Century Moot Hall was formerly handed over by me, as Elstow's former County Councillor, to my Borough colleague Councillor Barry Huckle who accepted the key to Moot Hall on behalf of Bedford Borough Council. In the photograph above you can see me with Clive Arnold, the Curator of Moot Hall and Barry just before the official key handover. The Sealed Knot soldiers paraded in front of us while the ceremony took place.

Moot Hall was originally a market hall and now houses a museum dedicated to John Bunyan a fine collection of 17th Century furniture. John Bunyan lived in Elstow most of his life and was baptised and married in Elstow Abbey. In 1644 he joined Cromwell's Roundhead Army at 16 years old to fight the King so it is appropriate that the Sealed Knot held their Living History event in Elstow.

Elstow is North Bedfordshire's most historic village with its 11th Century Abbey Church, founded by William the Conqueror's niece Countess Judith, Moot Hall and the 16th Century timbered houses in the High Street. In 1950 Moot Hall was given by Sam Whitbread to Bedfordshire County Council and was restored for the 1951 Festival Britain. Also in 1951 a special stone was placed in Harrowden near Elstow, to mark the birthplace of John Bunyan in 1628.

SEALED KNOT LIVING HISTORY - SUNDAY 5 APRILl

Sealed Knot Crest

On Sunday 5 April the Sealed Knot Society are putting on a Living History Display on Elstow Green 11am - 4pm. The Society cele5brated their 40th Anniversary in 2008 and they stage Civil War enactments. John Bunyan joined Cromwell's Roundhead Army aged 16 in 1644 and fought the Cavaliers.

The Programme includes a 10am Service at Elstow Abbey, a Living History Camp starting at 11am and Sealed Knot Regimental Training Drill and Display at noon. In the afternoon there are Children's events and at 3pm a special key ceremony at Moot Hall.

Moot Hall is a medieval market house and meeting hall containing a Bunyan Museum and which was owned by Bedfordshire County Council until its demise on 31 March. As I was the County Councillor for Elstow & Wilstead and Vice Chairman of Bedfordshire County Council, I have been invited to hand over the key to Moot Hall formally to Bedford Borough Council on Sunday. My fellow Borough Councillor, Barry Huckle will receive the key.

Tea and cakes will be served in the Elstow Abbey church hall in the afternoon and there will also be a 17th Century barbecue outside the vicarage from noon onwards. .

Please bring your family to Elstow on Sunday for a great day out.

BEDFORD CELEBRATES UNITARY CREATION

Moot Hall


Today Wednesday 1 April 2009 Bedford Borough Council becomes a single Unitary Council. The new Council has published a 'One Council' booklet on all the services covered by the Council, with useful telephone numbers. Pictured above is Borough Hall, formerly County Hall, the new Bedford Borough Council HQ and the Council logo.

One of the new Council's strategies is to create a Healthy Bedford. Everyone aged 60+ is eligible for free swimming at all the Borough swimming pools. Also for one week 1-7 April free access will be provided for everyone to a range of Council run sports facilities, eg casual swimming, badminton, squash and football. For more information have a look at the Borough Council website www.bedford.gov.uk.

Bedford Borough has a history which spans over 1,000 years and I was delighted to see a photograph of Elstow village's Moot Hall in 'One Council'. On Sunday 5 April 2009 Elstow is hosting a Sealed Knot Civil War re enactment on the village green. In the afternoon at 3.00pm I will hand over the key of Moot Hall, fomerly owned by the County Council to Bedford Borough Council in a short formal ceremony. The Sealed Knot celebrated its 40th Anniversary in 2008 and this will be a real Family Fun Day from 11am - 4pm next Sunday.

SAVE OUR GREEN FIELDS CAMPAIGN

Today I met the Mayor of Bedford with six other Conservative Councillors to raise our concerns about controversial proposals to build 1,400 houses on 19 areas of Borough Council land including Elstow. On Wednesday I had a private meeting with the Head of Economic Development to discuss the proposal to build 15 houses on the narrow strip of land separating Elstow village from Bedford.

The Mayor was generally sympathetic to our concerns but he declined to remove any of the controversial sites from the proposed Bedford Development Framework.

Elstow is an historic village with its 11th Century Abbey Church, its 16th Century Moot Hall, housing a museum of John Bunyan memorabilia and old timbered houses. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrims Progress, was born and married in Elstow. This proposal threatens the very existence of our tiny historic village (300 houses) which would disappear into urban Bedford (pop.80,000).

I shall continue to campaign to remove the Elstow site from the Bedford Development Framework before it goes out to public consultation in August 2009. Your comments are welcome.

SAVE OUR ELSTOW HERITAGE

Bedford Borough Conservatives have launched a 'Save Our Green Fields' Campaign to challenge controversial proposals to build 1,400 houses on 19 areas of public land.

Elstow is one area earmarked for housing. The proposal is to build 15 houses on the narrow green strip which divides historic Elstow village from urban Bedford. It is totally unnecessary when sites are already earmarked for 16,270 houses, many of which will not be built for years due to the current credit crunch.

If housing is built on this green space Elstow village will vanish into urban Bedford, destroying an historic heritage which stretches back over 900 years to the building of Elstow Abbey as a Benedictine Monastery in 1098.

John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's Progress and Bedford's most famous son was born in Elstow in 1628 and married in Elstow Abbey. We also have the famous 16th Century Moot Hall shown above and wonderful timbered 16th Century houses in Bunyans Mead. John Bunyan would turn in his grave at this shortsighted proposal to submerge tiny Elstow with just 300 houses into urban Bedford with a population of 80,000 people.

Bedford Borough Council is not due to commence formal public consultation on its proposals until August 2009. However Bedford Conservatives have already forced the Council to withdraw its plans to build houses on Mowsbury Golf Course and reduced the original number of land development proposals from 20 to 19.

Please join me in my campaign to stop the Council ruining our beautiful village and persuade the planners to withdraw these housing development proposals immediately.

JOHN BUNYAN and ELSTOW

John Bunyan was a 17th Century preacher, born in Elstow village and baptised and married in Elstow Abbey. Bunyan was imprisoned in Bedford Gaol for his beliefs and in 1678 he wrote Pilgrim's Progress, the most widely read book in the world after the Bible. This stained glass window in the Bunyan Meeting Free Church became famous during Terry Waite's imprisonment in the Middle East when a Bedford resident sent him this photograph on a postcard - and it arrived safely.

Elstow Abbey was a Benedictine Nunnery founded by Countess Judith, a niece of William the Conqueror in 1078 and became Elstow Abbey Church in 1539 after the Dissolution of the Nunnery in 1539 by Henry VIII. His Seal is still in the Abbey.

I represent Elstow and Wilstead on Bedfordshire County and Bedford Borough Councils. I am also Chairman of the Trustees of the Friends of Elstow Abbey, who have raised £37,000 in 12 years towards Abbey repairs. We have just donated 2,000 towards organ repairs and plan to run a Music Festival starting on Saturday 1 November with a Concert by the Flitwick Singers, a Christmas Concert by Hitchin Town Band on Monday 1December and an Organ Recital on Saturday 31 January.

Another historic Elstow building is the 15th Century Moot Hall, built on Elstow Green as a Market House. It houses many John Bunyan artifacts, including the door of the County Gaol where Bunyan was imprisoned and a 16th Century living room.

Every year we have Elstow May Fair on Elstow Green. This year the Fair was opened by Nadine Dorries, our local MP and hosted by our Patron, Charles Whitbread and me. The large crowds made good use of the new wooden Elstow May Fair bench, donated by Bedford Borough Council and myself and installed in time for the 2008 May Fair.