Luton: The Five Minutes Spare Guide

Luton: The Bedfordshire Town with the Airport and a good claim to become a city.

It is home to around 214K people and despite some of the press it has had a very pleasant place with loads of parks and green spaces around and is perched on the banks of the River Lea. Luton also has one of the largest churches in Bedfordshire County, and for those who like to swing a club, there is probably the best Golf Course in the region nearby.

The town has been pretty prosperous throughout the years originally thanks to hat-making. So much so, that the town’s football club, Luton Town F.C. is nicknamed “the Hatters”.  They also have one of the largest one-day carnivals in Europe every summer – so if you are visiting, make it the last Monday of May.

I bet all that has got you are intrigued! So why not join us on our five-minute tour of lovely Luton, starting with the early days, you know before they started making hats!

Luton in the Early Days

Records of Luton begin in the 6^th century, where it is thought to have been established by Anglo-Saxons. This means it’s not the oldest town in England… but it’s up there. It is thought that the town started as a farm on the bend of the river. Eventually, it had become a market area for the nearby villages and settlements. Its position on the river would have been good for trade. Bad for Vikings though.

The Domesday Survey of 1086, noted it had a population of around a thousand people. This was made up of 145 households, making it one of the top 20% largest towns in England and Wales at that time. You can view the entry here, but the land is listed as mostly belonging to King William. There were only two landowners even way back then, thus proving that the 1% have been around for just about as long as British history has.

The Vikings Liked It

The town’s situation at the base of the Chiltern Hills is thought to have given the townsfolk easy access to supplies like flint, granite, and chalk. This also made it fairly attractive to the invading Vikings. King Alfred was faced with the chance to form a treaty with them and he took it. The treaty was known as the Danelaw and involved splitting the land in two. That line went up the River Lea and effectively split Luton in half.

For whatever reason, the town remained peaceful. Somehow, there are very few records of this time. It seems like the people would have killed each other – but actually, a great number of the Danelaw Danes came here looking for better land. Perhaps the quiet, peaceful farmlands of Luton were just what they needed.

A Short-Lived Castle

Around the start of the 12^th century, the town crops up in history again. This time, the 1^st Earl of Gloucester started building things. St. Mary’s Church was erected, he built a castle in 1139 but apparently tore it down less than twenty years later. Reportedly it was never really finished and was needed for protection – but then there was a truce. It’s not specified what the fight was about. In the 13^th century, someone tried to build it again, and again it was knocked down. It was excavated in part in 2002 but it does seem a lot like there should never have been a castle on this land.

There were two hospitals in Luton in the 12^th century, another sign of its importance. Most towns of lesser size would be lucky to have a single one. It was such a successful market town that they started to hold two fairs per year: one in August and one in October. In 1336 it reportedly burned to the ground in a massive fire. The wooden town was rebuilt over the coming years, much of it in stone.

Let’s take a momentary historical break and do some lighter stuff in the interim… just to break things up a bit.

Luton’s Famous People!

Loads of famous people have come from Luton over the years. Here are some of the Five Minutes Spare favourites:

• Singer, songwriter & musician Paul Young was born in Luton in 1956. Best known to us anyway for his great cover of the classic Marvin Gaye song “Wherever I Lay My Hat That’s My Home”
• Authors John Adair and Arthur Hailey were born in Luton. The Later is best known by me anyway for his book Airport which became the classic movie of the same name.
• Cricketer Monty Panesar the famed England Spin Bowler is from Luton
• Paul Sinha, better known as one of the Chasers on the Chase, was Luton born. We even have a few Chase style quizzes on the site as we love the show so much!

Yes: walk around Luton long enough and you are bound to run across someone famous! You can see Ranker for more info. Now back to the history…

Luton in the 19^th Century

Prior to the 17^th century, Luton was subject to a couple of skirmishes in the wars. The first caused 4 deaths, the second saw 9 soldiers die in the streets. If you see any ghosts dressed as 17th-century soldiers kicking about, that’s why. The first bridge was built over the fjord in 1797, largely contributing to Luton’s steady population growth over the next century.

At the turn of the 18^th century, there were only 3,000 people living in Luton. That sounds small, but it was big back then. Up until then, it had made a killing in the hat industry, which isn’t as great as it sounds. The term “mad as a hatter” was a real thing back then. They used mercury to make the hats and it slowly drove them a little loopy. That might be why they had two hospitals.

In the 1850s a newspaper sprung up in town and the population had hit 10K. in 1834 gas lights were added, in ’47 a town hall was built. Cemeteries were added after a cholera outbreak a few years later saw the churchyard’s fit to bursting. That same century saw sewers added, piped water, and a railway. An indoor market, the first Victorian hospital, and baths were added that same century. The football club was started in ’85. The recorded population at the turn of the 19^th century was nearly 40,000 people. Still: nobody thought to make it a city…

The 20th Century Dawns

Trams at the start of the 20^th century but were fast replaced by the bus system. It became home to Vauxhall, who obviously made cars. A chemical development centre sprang up, gas meters were made here before the First World War.

The First World War had a profound effect on Luton. They both drew huge numbers of foreign nationals to the area, having come through London looking for shelter. It also received some return soldiers. During WW1 more than 20,000 soldiers were billeted here, the hospital became a war hospital, and the national fuse manufacturers were based in the area. Luton wasn’t targeted by zeppelins, thankfully. By 1930 there were more than a hundred thousand residents in town.

Unfortunately, Luton was bombed during WWII because it was a centre of manufacturing. The Germans knew the importance of the factories there and attacked. The Vauxhall factory, in particular, made significant contributions to the war effort. It was camouflaged for the majority of the war. It is thought that around 1,500 homes in Luton needed to be rebuilt at the end of the War. Roughly 107 people died.

Interesting Luton Facts

Let’s take a break from the doom and gloom of wars and talk about some of the more interesting Luton facts. Some fun things have happened here… honest!

• Palaeolithic settlements were uncovered here. So although we only know as far back as the 6^th century, Luton has been occupied for some 250,000 years. That’s got to be up there with the oldest places of residence in the UK…
• Luton’s vast industrialization and high rates of employment helped them avoid the commercial damage done by the Great Depression. Luton was eating cake while the rest of Britain was suffering… nice.
• Carmakers Vauxhall were once major employers in the town drastically reduced its operations in the town after the 1970s. Although they were still in play until 2002; that recession ultimately closed them down.
• Luton reportedly creates one of the best ROI’s for landlords. It’s one of the best places in the UK to overcharge for rent. We are only kidding. Today’s mood is cynical.
• Some people in Luton still make hats… that’s over 400 years of millinery and counting!
• It has joined in with the town twinning craze being paired with no less than five; these being Germany’s Berlin-Spandau, Wolfsburg & Bergisch Gladbach, France’s Bourgoin-Jallieu and Eskilstuna from Sweden.
• Finally, we couldn’t leave this section without mentioning the classic Kitsh 1979 Song Luton Airport by Cats UK, which forever immortalised it. Enjoy…

 

 

There now, wasn’t that fun?

Modern Luton

Luton is best known, perhaps, for the emergence of one of the biggest London airports in the area. The airport was opened in 1938 and made contributions of its own towards the war effort. On top of this, the Luton carnival runs for the last Monday in May and attracts thousands each year.

New council housing went up several times at the beginning of the 20^th century, and the ’60s saw Luton accept some of London’s council estate overspill. It was overcrowded and dirty, leading to high crime levels and huge amounts of frustration. This all came to a head during the nineties, when there were riots in the area. Thatcherism had a negative impact on most places where industrialization had previously been a booming provider of work.

Today, the population of Luton must be approaching the 220,000 mark. It remains to be seen if, how, and when, the government plan on making it a city.

So now that you know all the history of the area; what can you get up to in town? Luton attracts visitors every year… but there’s more to this former market town than just a carnival and an airport…

Luton Attractions

If you are having a little holiday in Luton, or if you flew in and have some time to kill before your next flight; here are some of the coolest things to see and do in town.

Historic Attractions and Landmarks

Wardown House has a park attached that is one of the best in town. Asides from the park, you will find that the gorgeous old house actually holds its own museum and art gallery. Some of the exhibits focus on Bedfordshire and Luton through the ages, as well as the regiments that hail from both here and Hertfordshire. There have been a lot of brave soldiers from this area of the country.

If stately homes aren’t your thing, then you can go out and visit Someries Castle, instead. It is found in nearby Hyde and was built by the Wenlock family in the 15^th century. What’s so fascinating about this particular castle is that it was built in brick. In fact, it is one of the earliest examples of a brick building in the UK – and they decided to make a whole castle.

It looks odd by comparison to the sandstone castles we are used to. Legend has it that you can still see the ghost of Sir John Wenlock, the man who had it built, on a dark night…To be fair, there isn’t much left for him to haunt.

The Luton Hoo Estate is a third option for stately homes in the area. They have 1200 acres and a private garden they open to the public. It’s only two miles away from the airport so you should be able to catch a glimpse of it on the way into or out of town. It has been in the hands of the Hoo family since 1903 but they sold it in 1999. Now it is a hotel come stately home hybrid, open to guests willing to pay. Beautiful though, worth the visit.

Sport

As one would expect from a town Luton’s size there are plenty of options here. Let’s start where we usually do by covering the towns football club…

Luton Town FC

If you are a football fan head for Kenilworth Road and enjoy a decent day out. The club currently (2021-22) play in the English Championship (tier two)  and although they did experience a few lean years they have had plenty of success and usually put on a good show at home whoever the opposition. To be fair the local fans are not the friendliest of the bunch, and the stadium does lack the panache of some of the top premier league grounds, however, real football fans won’t mind this. Check out our Luton FC Page for contact details and some general info.

Bedfordshire County Cricket Club

Normally play in Luton at Wardown Park and currently are members of the slightly derogatorily named Minor Counties Western Division. This is effectively tier two cricket but as one would expect it is still county level and high standard. Plenty of eventual A list cricketers has played for the team including the aforementioned Monty Panesar & Former England Test Captain Sir Alastair Nathan Cook.

They have won the Minor Counties Championship twice, in 1970, 1972 and were crowned joint winners in 2004. They also won the MCCA Knockout Trophy in 1999.

Luton Rugby Club

Luton Rugby Football Club, to give them their proper title area Rugby Union side who play in the London Regional league. In 2021-22 they are scheduled to compete in the London 2 North West which is the seventh tier in the RU club pyramid. The club has been around since 1931 and in its time has amassed a fair few honours which you can check out here if you so desire.

Golf

We can’t leave the sporting aspects of the town without mentioning there are several Golf clubs in the locale. Although most of us here are more fans of the nineteenth hole than the game itself we know plenty of staycationer’s love to get in 18 holes so check these out for size:

Stockwood Park Golf Club – this is based in the park so there are plenty of things to keep the non-golfers happy making it our no one choice.

South Beds Golf Club was established way back in 1893 and is a little more formal with dress codes and is probably better suited to the serious amateur. However you can give it a go, just don’t forget your golf shoes or you won’t be allowed on the fairway!

Finally consider Luton Hoo Hotel which has an 18 hole course and a Spa plus hotel facilities for non-golfing partners.

 

Nature and Outdoor Attractions

If you want to get back to nature, then there are also several parks in the area. Check out the Walled Garden for some refreshing summer fun, or travel to Wardown Park and view the grounds as well as the house. The council refers to it as the jewel in the crown of all parks in Luton, which judging by the areal photo below may not be far off!

Also, check out Kidney Wood for a quiet stroll or if you are after something more family orientated Stockwood Park which has play areas and an 18 hole golf course!

The Councils Flickr account has some great shots of these open spaces.

Slightly Further Afield

In Luton, you are in the foothills. A half-hour outside of town you will find yourself in the Barton Hills National Nature reserve where you can see all manner of local wildlife. one of the more unusual things to look for here is the beautiful Pasqueflower, which is sadly rare in the UK now. they bloom around late March to early April. So add Luton to your Eeater itinerary.

As you can see they are stunning flowers and worth the trip alone, look but don’t pick!

 

Shopping in Luton

Retail therapy anyone? Luton has that covered too. The Mall presents some good shopping but you can’t travel all the way here without seeing Luton Market. This is the same indoor market that was built in the 19^th century and was originally used by traders of old. There are 127 different stores in it nowadays so you can kill a few hours here pretty easily. You could also visit the Olde Watermill Shopping Village for some designer goods. Weirdly, it isn’t as old as the indoor market…

Museums and Galleries

The Vauxhall Heritage Centre is open and running in Luton but, if we are quite honest, it doesn’t get much of a good reputation. It is a symbol of something that was once important to the town, only to desert the townsfolk and leave 30,000 of them jobless.

On a lighter note, the Stockwood Discovery Centre is popular with visitors & residents alike. Part museum, part fun place to explore, part gardens, you can find it on London Road. Oddly, as well as a gorgeous garden they also have the largest carriage collection in Europe. They have an outdoor children’s play area and a tearoom. Why not?

Not really a museum but still educational; take the kids over to the Woodside Animal Farm and Leisure Park. This place is like a petting zoo where you can help out, feed the baby animals, and enjoy their play zone. Well… the kids can, you can enjoy the café, instead. They even have cuddling sessions where you can cuddle the animals… we just booked a flight.

Where to Eat, Drink, and Party in Luton?

Luton is home to a half dozen or so casinos, a trend we don’t really want to see spread any farther from the London area than it already has. If you want to lose what little cash you have then the Grosvenor Casino is here for you, at least if you live in Luton. You could also call into the Genting Casino, or to the Caddington Sports and Social Club if you belong to higher realms. You are more likely to find golf at the latter than gambling, mind you.

If you are looking for a high-class establishment to eat in try the Villa Ada for some Mediterranean food. Stopsley Cuisine scores the highest in reviews for Indian food, while Nakorn Thai Restaurant also sees a steady flow of guests.

According to the locals, you can have a really good night out in Flame one of the first gay clubs in town, although After 8 is a great erm… Gentleman’s club. The Edge also gets a great following on Facebook.

If you just want a cocktail, try the Steak out bar, you can get a great feed while. You are there. The Red Lion is where you want to go for a good hearty pint though, without all the shenanigans.

Things to do with the Kids in Luton

What do you do if you have kids? You ask five Minutes Spare for your local areas of interest! Some of the best things to do with kids in Luton include:

• The Orbital Trampoline Park – you’ve seen those massive trampoline parks on TV? Luton has one! Take the kids to visit for the afternoon of a lifetime!
• The Futures Fun Factory – this is a mixture of games and fun activities, indoors, for the kiddies. It’s soft play but not all of it. Good for mixed ages.
• Inspire: Luton Sports Village – this place is where you will find the community pool. They also have fitness classes and a kid’s pool.
• You will find Delta Force Paintball in the area. Not great for the younger kids but definitely a possible future keeper for the teens.
• Cineworld – and if all else fails, give them a score each and send them to the cinema. Works every time.

Who knows? After all that sports and entertainment you may end up with a future Olympian on your hands!

Other Notable Attractions in Luton

There are so many sights to see in Luton that we didn’t really know where to start. We tried our best to cover everything. Here are some of the bits we had to miss out:

• The Luton War Memorial – those who want to pay tribute to the brave heroes from Luton can do so here, in a ceremony, every 11/11.
• St Mary’s Church – built all the way back when as one of the first churches in town. St Mary’s is still there and is still serving the Parish. Pop in and stand on ancient sacred ground for a breather.
• Wrest Park – this place is a sort of walk through time in the form of a garden. Like a plant museum except there aren’t dead plants. They study the evolution of gardening and are run by English Heritage.

So you can always find something to your taste in this town! If you can’t, London is a handful of miles south and well within stumbling-home distance.

How to get there?

By Road

Luton is connected to the rest of the country by the M1. Follow it heading north out of London and south from just about everywhere else.

By Rail

Luton is on the Thames Link Railway, you can head to Luton Station and get a taxi to anywhere else.

By Air

We already mentioned Luton Airport, but thought we would include a link for the truly lazy.

By Sea

Luton is not on the coast but the River Lea does run through it. You may be able to get there by canal boat…?

Got Five Minutes?

If you find you still have some free time on your hands, head on over to Five Minutes Spare HQ and enjoy another of our fabulous guides.