Brickhill Timeline
c.1750: Brickhill Farm House mentioned in 'a terrier'. A terrier being a register of landed property.
1807: John Foster of Brickhill House wrote a pamphlet, 'Observations on the Agriculture of North Bedfordshire'. There is a copy of this pamphlet in The Heritage Library, Bedford Central Library.
1824: The American, Washington Irving, author of 'Rip Van Winkle' visits Brickhill House.
1946: Brickhill House destroyed by fire on Boxing Day.
1954: Bedford Borough Council purchases Brickhill Farm.
1956: Planning for Brickhill Estate reaches an advanced stage. It was decided that the estate would consist of 900 houses, two churches garage and a group of shops.
1961: Brickhill County Priory School opens in October with The Bird in Hand Public House opening in December.
1962: Brickhill shopping centre officially opens in January. The shops were seven in number and comprised a self service store, dry cleaners, newsagents and post office, chemists, butchers, hair stylists and a greengrocers.
1976: Kelly's Bedford Directory of 1976, the last published, lists the following shops. Murdoch Norton, grocers; Beswick & Holmes, newsagents and post office; A.R. Miller, chemists; Maria, ladies' hairdresser; F.Harris, butchers; H.F. Keech, fruiterer.
Sources:
- The Newspaper Cuttings Collection at Bedford Central Library
- JONES, A. For the Record: 1945-1974 Land Use and Financial Planning, 1981
