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Sandy, the fastest-growing town in
Bedfordshire, has become the county's town of the nineties. Now mid way through its second important development phase since the war, the town will
see its population rise by 50 per cent over the decade, from I0,000 in 1990 to 15,000 by the year 2000.
There
are good reasons for Sandy's increasing popularity. The town has always offered an attractive combination of country lifestyle and accessibility.
London is only 45 minutes by train. Other major employment centres including Stevenage, Hitchin, Bedford and Cambridge are all within easy reach.
On the industrial front, Sandy's Sunderland Road Industrial Estate is due to expand on 11 acres of nearby
land and a second major business park is planned by a private consortium on land west of the A1, itself due for upgrading to motorway status
after 2000.
While development is taking place on one hand, tremendous effort is going into
improving the local environment and amenities. The new lvel Valley Countryside Project is one of the most important environmental schemes ever seen
in Mid Bedfordshire.
Sandy is surrounded by rich and varied countryside, both in terms of its landscape
and the wildlife it supports. Ranging from the flat, open farmland and ancient meadows of the river valley floor to the rolling wooded hills and
heathland of the Greensand Ridge, the local countryside is an extremely valuable natural resource. A resource which, thanks to the efforts of the
Ivel Valley Countryside Project, more and more people are beginning to discover and enjoy.
Established in
April 1993, the lvel Valley Countryside Project is a joint initiative between Bedfordshire County Council, Mid Beds District Council, The wildlife
Trust for Bedfordshire and the Countryside Commission. The Project works with other interested parties to ensure the local countryside is:
·Accessible to local people and visitors
·More attractive to look at and a haven for wildlife
·Kept alive for future generations
Since its launch, the Project has worked with a range of different public, private and voluntary sector partners.
These include local companies, such as Banks of Sandy, Abbey Corrugated, and St Albans Sand and Gravel; local councils, such as Sandy Town Council;
local schools, such as Sandye Place Middle; and many farmers, landowners and volunteers. Thanks to the support of these and other partners, the
Project has already made significant progress on each of its aims and raised over £1 00,000 in sponsorship for practical action on the ground.
Examples of some of the Project's work in the Sandy area include the development of the 'Kingfisher Way' - a
20 mile walk from Baldock to Tempsford along the River lvel, to be launched next spring with an accompanying walk leaflet. Working with the support
of local volunteers, improvements on the Sandy section of the route include replacing stiles with kissing gates and erecting new timber signposts
together with the development of a conservation project to encourage breeding otters to return to the valley.
Sponsorship from Jordan's Cereals and support from local landowners and volunteers has helped provide habitat improvements including the construction of artificial dens or holts.
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Countryside Project
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The Project manages the Sandcast Wood,
opposite Sandye Place Middle School, as a nature reserve and education resource for local schools.
Noted for
being one of the few surviving examples of wet willow woodland in the County, the site, along with adjoining meadowland, is being managed with the
support of the Middle School, Town Council and local volunteers for wildlife and public enjoyment. Working with the support of the landowner, kissing
gates have been installed for ease of access and a school's education pack produced.
The Warren
Villas Nature Reserve, to the south of Sandy has been launched and is managed in partnership with St Albans Sand and Gravel and The Wildlife Trust
for Bedfordshire. This riverside site is already attracting significant wildlife interest including, large numbers of overwinterinq wildfowl, up to
10 different species of dragonfly and damselfly, and resident grebe, warbler and finch species.
The
Project is proud of these achievements, and looks forward to being able to build on them with the continued support of its public, private and
voluntary sector partners. Only by working with the support of others can the Project hope to achieve its aims and create a better environment for
this and future generations.
For further information on the Project and how you, as an individual or organisation, can help, please call the Project Team: Joel Carre and lan Johnson on (01767) 601042.
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History
A long and fascinating history continued to unfold in Sandy after the Roman invaders left the town early in the fifth century. In early English times, Sandy formed part of the kingdom of Mercia and the Manor of Sandeia is recorded in the Doomsday Book as being the area we now know as Sandy.
The present day parish of Sandy, excluding Beeston, still traces the same area as the original 4,000-acre
Manor. By 1290 it had split into three smaller estates: a smaller Sandy Manor still under the Beauchamps and two under local monasteries: Hasells
under Chicksands Priory and Girtford under Cauldwell Priory, Bedford.
The thirteenth century also
offers the earliest record of a church in Sandy - in 1240, William de Beauchamp is recorded as granting a church in the town to Cauldwell Priory.
Almost a century later, a chantry was established. Records give the date of 1332 as being when a chapel was endowed for the chanting of masses.
From the mid 14th century, Sandy Manor descended to the Catlen family and then by marriage to Lord Spencer, whose son was created Earl of Sunderland.
In 1670 it was acquired by Sir Humphrey Monoux of Wootton, a descendant of a lord Mayor of London and one of the Justices who committed John Bunyan to prison.
His son, Louis, rebuilt Sandye Place, now the site of a middle school, while another, as rector, built
the rectory. Ownership of Sandye Place passed through several names in the 19th century, including Brandreth, Foster and Edgcumbe.
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Girtford and Hasells Manors had passed to
the Crown at the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539 under Henry Vlll. The King gave Girtford to John Burgoyne in 1541 and Hasells to Francis
Pygott in 1542.
Hassells Hall, which stands in a wooded park north east of Sandy, dates back to 1660 but was
enlarged extensively twice during the 18th century after passing into the Kingsley family and then in 1748 by marriage to the Pym family. Lord and
Lady Pym still live on the estate. Hassells Hall was saved from demolition in 1979 and has since been converted to 12 houses and flats.
A century later a son of Sir Robert Peel, the former Prime Minister and founder of the police, bought the
neighbouring estate and built The Lodge, a fine residence in 200 acres and now the headquarters of the RSPB.
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Hassells Hall
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Beeston, mentioned in the Domesday Book,
is now in Sandy parish but was originally part of Northill.
The manorial rights have been held over the
centuries by several private individuals, notably in recent times by Baron Godfrey Thornton, Allen Jeeves, Albert George Jeeves and now Sandy Town
Council, as successors in title to Sandy Urban District Council, which acquired the freehold of The Green in 1956.
A new Turnpike Trust set up in 1725 brought improvements to the Great North Road and in 1758 came the completion of the lvel
Navigation Scheme, taking coal lighters from Tempsford through Biggleswade to Shefford.
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Sandy Station circa 1908
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This was followed a century later by the
building of the Great Northern Railway and afterwards the Sandy to Potton Railway built by Captain William Peel.
The line was later taken over by the Bedford and Cambridgeshire Railway, eventually linking Oxford to Cambridge. At that
time, Sandy had three stations: two on the existing site, one for each railway, and one at Girtford on the Bedford line. Each had its own
station master
The explosion in communications throughout the two centuries allowed Sandy to fully
exploit its best asset, the acres of rich farming land surrounding the town.
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Market gardening thrived as growers were able to
transport produce quickly from the fields to the town and on down the Great North Road and later on the railway to the London markets.
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During the late 18th century almost allthe land cultivated in Sandy was in open fields with names such as Austred, Belland, Chester, Down, Low, Kenwick, Mead and
Middle - from where the present-day Middlefield Industrial Estate in Sunderland Road takes its name.
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By the turn of this century, many of the
town's present landmarks were in evidence: Potton Road cemetery was opened in 1891; the Conservative Club was built the same year and enlarged in
1897 to include a large concert hall and facilities to house the town's lending library. The Town Hall, interestingly never used as a town hall,
now the Roundabout Club, was built in 1906 and by 1920 three schools were listed.
The population of Sandy
grew steadily from 1,115 in 1801 to 2,118 in 1861 and 3,110 in 1901. Sandy Parish Council was created in 1894 and Sandy Urban District Council
formed in 1927 conferring 'town' status on Sandy.
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Sandy Square circa 1910
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Reorganisation in 1974 saw the demise of UDCs and the formation of Sandy Town Council.
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Roman Sandy
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Sandy was Possibly Bedfordshire's most
important Roman town and compared in size to other small Roman towns throughout the empire. This is one of several fascinating conclusions which
historians have reached following further work in the areas of Stratford Road and the Warren Villas Quarry.
A
three year £250,000 excavation had already revealed a substantial Roman settlement in the Chesterfield area. The Iron Age settlement at Sandy was
transformed by the construction of a road between Baldock and Godmanchester and the excavations exposed the remains of timber buildings, a gravel road
and working areas.
The wealth of other finds included the now well-known sculpture of three
figures. Sandy's character as a market place and farming settlement was quick established, as was the extent to which the inhabitants had access to
goods from as far away as the Alps and Italy. Furthermore, the discovery of coins, brooches and a small ivory panel from a jewellery box indicated
the level of wealth and commercial activity, which took place nearly 1,000 years ago.
Following further
working, the presence of a mansio, an inn and stable where imperial courtiers could change their horses and find accommodation on long journeys,
now seems certain. Information from one of the surrounding farms shows that barley and spelt wheat were grown, and grape pips and flax seeds
suggest vineyard and linen production nearby.
Cattle, sheep and goats were formed and secondary products such
as wool and bone objects were probably made in the town. Today it is possible to gain a clearer picture of the close relationship between the town
of Sandy, the road and its hinterland, hence its probable importance on a county and regional level.
The
growth of information about Roman Sandy, from the archaeological assessment and from extra work in the region, has led to the preparation of a book
on the Roman town, with publication expected in 1997. The book will concentrate not only on the story of recent excavations but on the previous
discoveries to provide a history of the town, including origins of Sandy and the Iron Age evidence for settlement before the Roman invasion in AD
43. Funds for long term storage and curation of finds have also been found and there are plans for displaying objects.
A visit by the Potton Barbershop Harmony Group has provided the opportunity for the Town Council to present to its sister authority
in Sandy, Utah, a commemorative set of replica Roman vessels based on pottery found in the town. There were five pots in all with examples of
imports from the Rhine, as well as more local wares from the Nene Valley. A copy was also made of the large Iron Age pedestal urn that was found in
1990.
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Places of Interest
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SHUTTLEWORTH COLLECTION
Old Warden Aerodrome, Biggleswade
Telephone: (01767) 627288
The Shuttleworth Collection attracts visitors from all over the
world to its fine collection of some 30 historic aeroplanes, about half of which are the sole surviving examples of their marque. Founded in the
1920's by the late Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth, the Collection includes a Spitfire, a De Havilland Tiger Moth, a Gloster Gladiator and a 1909
Bleriot. Many of these take to the air during the regular flying days which are held throughout the summer. While best known for its aircraft, the
Collection also includes a range of early cars, including an 1898 Panhard Levassor, as well as bicycles, motorcycles, fire engines and horse-drawn
vehicles.
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SWISS GARDEN
Old Warden
Next
door to the Shuttleworth Collection is the Swiss Garden, built in the early I9th century by the Ongley family. The gardens comprise eight acres of
shrubberies, ponds, groves, winding paths, trees and plants, many of which are from unusual and exotic locations. The garden derives its name from
its most notable feature, the Swiss Cottage, an attractive rustic looking building containing elaborate filigree work formed from pine cones.
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THE LODGE
Potton Road, Sandy, Beds
Telephone: (01767) 680551
Better known as the national headquarters of the Royal Society for
the Protection of Birds, the lodge nestles in woodland just of the Sandy to Potton Road. The Lodge has been the RSPB's headquarters since 1961 but
dates back to 1870 when it was built for a younger son of Sir Robert Peel, the famous Victorian Prime Minister. The house is surrounded by more
than I00 acres of gardens, woodland and heath which are managed as a reserve for wild birds. An information centre, picnic area and nature trails
make this very popular for visitors.
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ST SWITHUN'S CHURCH
High Street, Sandy, Beds
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Built of locally quarried sandstone, St
Swithun's Church dates back to the 14th century. However, in recent times the church has been rebuilt and enlarged so much that little of the
original material remains. inside are several wall monuments to two of the town's most important families, the Pym and Monoux families, as well as a
large marble statue of Captain Sir William Peel, who built the former Sandy to Potton Railway. The churchyard includes the grave of Sir Frederick
Liddell, whose sister, Alice, inspired Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland.
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