LBDAHS

A tree in Church Square, Leighton Buzzard, covered in lights.

Merry Christmas to one and all! We hope that you have lots of history fun! #LocalHistory

A stone church with a Norman style tower in the background, flanked by 3 large redwood trees. In the foreground gravestones in a churchyard covered in snow.

St Mary’s Church, Old Linslade on a very snowy day! Recent paint analysis puts the construction into the late 11th century.

Lots of Christmases celebrated here over the years! Even today services are held at Christmas.

Photo kindly lent by committee member Pauline.

Canal barges trapped in ice on the Grand Union Canal. Boys playing with snowballs and a group of girls probably doing the same. Large house in the background.

Thanks to committee member Pauline for this photo! A very icy cold Grand Union Canal in Linslade. Date possibly late 19th century. The tow path now runs alongside Tesco, then it would have been the Battlesden Carriage Company. #CanalHistory #LocalHistory

Overheard at last night’s meeting - @sarahhistory.bsky.social being given a snippet for her new book! Apparently the mill she is researching used to bake a special size loaf for workers at Vauxhall, Luton. Vauxhall has been part of Beds history for so long, sad to see it go. #LocalHistory #Vauxhall

The Post Office, Leighton Buzzard. 18th century, 2 storey, with large windows.

The photo in this post dates from about 1915 and is of Leighton Buzzard Post Office in Church Square.
The photo was taken in December 1918, the Leighton Buzzard Observer reported that while the War had ended, so many men from Leighton had been lost in it that Christmas celebrations were muted.

A black and white photo of a mill pond surrounded by trees in the background. In the foreground is a broken fence with a young boy standing next to it.

This lovely photo is of the old Southcott Millpond all iced over. This pond is still there, but is very overgrown and no longer resembles the photo. There is hope however, as it could be restored to its former glory! The photo probably dates back to the 1900s.

Photo kindly provided by Pauline Hey

A picture of demolished houses and walls with intact houses in the background.

A post for windy weather!

In 1950 Linslade was hit by a tornado. 200 houses were damaged with roofs ripped off and walls demolished. It bypassed Leighton which suffered a torrential rainstorm instead! The cost of the damage to Linslade was £24,000. #tornadowatch #LocalHistory #Buckinghamshire

The Market Cross in snow Leighton Buzzard. The photo is black and white and taken with the shops behind. The cross is 5 sided and reached by a set of stone steps.

A snowy picture of the Market Cross. Date unknown. Commissioned in the 15th century by Alice Chaucer, Duchess of Suffolk, the stone for the 5 sided cross is the same that was used for Eton College. #Winter #LocalHistory

A three storey manor type building, with a hedge and two red phone boxes.

This house was once the Cedars School, now Leighton Middle. Before that it was the home of Mary Norton, children’s author. She lived there as a child and it was the inspiration for ‘The Borrowers’. #Bedfordshire #ChildrensBooks #Borrowers #LocalHistory

A wooden church door with intricate swirly design pattern made from iron.

This is a door in All Saints. The ironwork is by Thomas of Leighton in the 13th century. Thomas also made the ironwork for the tomb of Queen Eleanor in Westminster Abbey! This can be viewed even today. He was paid £13 for the work! #WestminsterAbbey #Bedfordshire #LocalHistory

Leighton Church Square looking lovely with the tree lights. The building to the right is the Judges Chambers and you can just see All Saints 190ft spire in the distance. To the left is one of our brutalist buildings, the oldest pub and the Post Office, once a school.

LBDAHS was set up to highlight the history of Leighton Buzzard and the surrounding area. A Domesday market town, once a Royal Manor, Holy Well (Linslade), WW2 home to Q Central - world’s largest communications centre, 60 Group Radar and a 190ft medieval church spire! All this and so much more!

William Barker was born in Leighton Buzzard, 1809. Joining the 17th Lancers he was part of the Charge of the Light Brigade! He became the highest ranking officer left mounted, had his horse shot beneath him crushing his leg, all the while taking his men into battle! He died in 1900 in Leighton.

Display of photos of Leighton Buzzard in WW2

In #Dunstable this morning for #BedfordshireDay and what went on in Beds during WWII! We have our display on #QCentral and #LeightonBuzzard during the war!

A picture of a pub with a red door in the centre, 2 windows either side, one a bay. Three windows upstairs. Squished between 2 buildings. A two storey extension added to one end.

The Red Lion in Leighton Buzzard dates back to at least the 18th Century, though records really begin in 1843. The first owner recorded in 1876, as Richard Samuel. He sold the pub in 1888 and by 1891 it was owned by William Webster. It was sold on in 1933 for £2500. Picture from Beds Archive 2008.

The Monolith surrounded by poppy wreaths. #LocalHistory

This weekend of remembrance we recognise all those that played a part in the wars. From men fighting to those of Q Central, from the sand quarries to the airfields. We will remember them, and those that still lay down their lives to protect us. #Remembrance