Arlesey
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2008-06-23T20:40:46Z
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Reverted to revision 214842712 by [[Special:Contributions/86.134.89.114|86.134.89.114]]; Specfic ref. ([[WP:TW|TW]])
{{infobox UK place|
|country = England
|latitude= 52.006976
|longitude= -0.265355
|official_name= Arlesey
|population = 5,440 (2005 est) <ref>{{cite web | publisher=[[Bedfordshire County Council]] | url=http://www.bedscc.gov.uk/CouncilAndDemocracy/Statisticsandcensus/FactsAndFigures/PopulationEstimatesAndForecasts.aspx | title= Population Estimates and Forecasts - Table 5.6 - Towns and parishes in East Mid Bedfordshire | accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref>
|shire_district= [[Mid Bedfordshire]]
|shire_county = [[Bedfordshire]]
|region= East of England
|constituency_westminster= [[North East Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)|North East Bedfordshire]]
|post_town= ARLESEY
|postcode_district= SG15
|postcode_area=SG
|dial_code= 01462
|euro= [[South East England (European Parliament constituency)|South East England]]
|os_grid_reference= TL190357
}}
'''Arlesey''' is a small industrial town and [[civil parish]] in the district of [[Mid Bedfordshire]] in [[Bedfordshire]]. It is located on the border with Hertfordshire, about three miles north-west of Letchworth Garden City, four miles north of [[Hitchin]] and six miles south of [[Biggleswade]]. [[Arlesey railway station]] provides train services to [[London]], [[Peterborough]], [[York]] and [[Edinburgh]]. [[Arlesey Town F.C.|Arlesey Town Football Club]] and [[Arlesey Athletic F.C.|Arlesey Athletic Football Club]] have their grounds to the south of the town.
The [[Domesday book]] mentions Arlesey as a [[market town]] and the longest town in Britain<ref>{{cite web | publisher=Wikimaps | url=http://wikimapia.org/1006098/ | title= Arlesey Town, renonound for being the longest town in Britain | accessdate=2008-02-20}}</ref>, currently noted for having the longest highstreet in Britain<ref>{{cite web | publisher=Mid Bedfordshire district council | url=http://www.midbeds.gov.uk/Business/Good_for_Business/Town_Centres_in_Mid_Beds.aspx | title= Mid Bedfordshire Town Centres | accessdate=2008-02-20}}</ref>.
St Peters Church, situated in the Church End part of the town, was built in the [[11th century]] by the monks of [[Waltham Abbey (abbey)|Waltham Abbey]]. Arlesey is also the site of [[Etonbury Castle]], of which little traces remain.
[[Arlesey Old Moat and Glebe Meadows]] nature reserves are just north of the town.
Major employers in Arlesey used to be the [[Fairfield Hospital (Arlesey)|Fairfield Hospital]] (now re-developed as housing) and the former brickworks (producers of the Arlesey Whites bricks seen in many local buildings). Some of the clay pits used by the brickworks are now lakes and there are also two disused Portland Cement Company chalk pits, one of which is the Blue Lagoon, which hosts fishing and sailing clubs. Although the lake is private, large numbers of people go there to swim. There have been a number of drownings that have been reported in the national news. In 2001 three children died when the car they were in was accidentally driven into the lake.<ref>{{cite web | publisher=Bedford Today | url=http://www.bedfordtoday.co.uk/bed-news/Lagoon-plunge-driver-is-charged.283705.jp | title= Lagoon plunge driver is charged | accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref> Most recently a teenager drowned while swimming in April 2007.<ref>{{cite web | publisher=BBC News | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/beds/bucks/herts/6569123.stm | title= Drowned teenager named by police | accessdate=2008-02-11}}</ref>
Gothic Mede [[Lower School]] has around 200 pupils aged 5 to 9. Younger children can attend the adjoining Arlesey [[Nursery School]].
The [[Arlesey Bomb]] [[fishing]] weight was developed in the town.
==Famous people from Arlesey==
* [[Roland Legate]] - former professional footballer - Luton Town F.C. - 1950s/60's
* [[Bill Kitchener]] - former professional footballer - West Ham United F.C., Torquay United F.C. - 1960s/70's
* [[Pat Kruse]] - former professional footballer - Leicester City F.C., Torquay United F.C., Brentford F.C. - 1960s/70's
* [[Scott Houghton]] - former professional footballer - Tottenham Hotspur F.C., Luton Town F.C., Peterborough United F.C., etc. - 1980s/90's
* [[David Kitson]] - professional footballer - Cambridge United F.C., Reading F.C., - 2002/2007+
==Local Links==
* [http://www.arleseytc.co.uk Arlesey Town Council] Local resources
* [http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Bedfordshire/ArleseyRollofHonour.html War Memorial] Details of those soldiers listed
* [http://www.placeopedia.com/?11355 Arlesey on Placeopedia] See nearby places with Wikipedia articles
* [http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/Arlesey Arlesey] on [[OpenStreetMap]]
* [http://arleseyscouts.blogspot.com/ 1st Arlesey Scouts]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Places in Bedfordshire}}
[[Category:Towns in Bedfordshire]]
[[Category:Parishes of Bedfordshire]]
{{Bedfordshire-geo-stub}}
[[vo:Arlesey]]
Arlesey is a town