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The land spread all the way to railway from the High Street. A local
myth says there was a tunnel from the Bury to St. Peterʼs church, no
evidence of this has come to light.
Another of its major influences and employers for 139 years was the
Three Counties Asylum (Fairfield Hospital) with its tram link to the
Three Counties station at the southern end of the town. The hospital
was opened in 1860 and the first patients were
admitted on the 8th March, six men and six
women were transferred from Bedford. The site
closed in 1999 and was sold to a London
based developer for housing.
The one thing to keep in mind living here is
that no matter where you are in the town,
within five minutes you can be walking in
open countryside, so it is the ideal place for
an outdoor pursuit whether it is cycling,
walking, running, photography or football
there are areas around for people to get to
easily. Recently the Hicca Way footpath
opened, and with help of local landowners
and some dedicated volunteers Arlesey has
a footp ath from the north by the A507
bypass which links through to Ickleford,
Hitchin and Charlton. This combined with
The Kingfisher Way that goes from Baldock
to Biggleswade passing the north of Arlesey
and the various accesses around Hitchin
there is scope to get to most places in the
area without using roads at all. Along the
way there are many watering holes and
places of interest for a detour too.
Arleseyʼs brickmaking past will soon be reflected by the building
of some brick entrance signs in Hitchin Road and Stotfold Road.
These are being co-ordinated by Arlesey Town Council, but built and
funded by private companies. Work is due to start on these soon,
so that they can be made part of the celebrations for the Queenʼs
Diamond Jubilee.
Along with a new town centre, Arlesey could have new or
refurbished industrial sites, new
roads and over 1000 new houses.
This development needs to be
shaped by residents to get the best
for the town, and ongoing
consultations are planned.
Today, Arlesey has approximately
2600 houses, an estimated
population of around 6000 people,
and the town is on the verge of largescale changes which could add
another 50% to its size. This coupled
with the extension
of the platforms on the railway station
will give rise to more commuter
access for the area.
The town has a strong sense of
community and is still referred,
by many local people, as the ʻVillageʼ,
despite having had Town status for
many years.
The fact that Arlesey still has a
ʻVillage Hallʼ shows it doesnʼt want to let
go of the value of this.
• Classic Greene King ales
• Large family garden
• Food
• Texas hold’em poker
thursday nights
• Sunday night Quiz plus
‘Play Your Cards Right’
• Live music timetable
• Weekly and sunday
food menus
85 Church Lane, Arlesey, Beds. SG15 6UX • Telephone: 01462 612536
web: www.oldoakarlesey.co.uk • email: [email protected]
• Large screen TV
for major events
• Old Oak golf society
• Pool & darts
www.onthebuttonarlesey.co.uk
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