Kempston, United Kingdom
Kempston is a town of 19,873 people in England, United Kingdom.
Why visit Kempston
Townapedia lists 6 museums and landmarks, 18 parks and trails, 74 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Bedford Bridge, Bedford Civic Theatre, Moot Hall and Bedford Castle.
Weather in Kempston
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Kempston
Kempston is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England, situated around 2 miles (3.2 km) south-west of Bedford town centre. It had a population of 19,330 in the 2011 census, and forms part of the wider Bedford built-up area. The River Great Ouse separates it from the Queen's Park area of Bedford.
From the Wikipedia article Kempston (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos of Kempston
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Things to do4
Bedford Bridge
Bridge · 1.9 mi
Bridge in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, UK
Bedford Civic Theatre
Cinema and theater · 1.9 mi
Former theatre in Bedford, England
University of Bedfordshire Theatre
Cinema and theater · 3.1 mi
Theatre on the Polhill Campus of the University of Bedfordshire, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England
Universal United Kingdom Resort
Monument and historic site · 1.8 mi
Planned Universal Studios theme park in Bedford, England
Museums and landmarks6
Bedford Castle
Monument and historic site · 2.1 mi
Castle in Bedfordshire, England, UK
John Bunyan Museum and Library
Museum · 2.1 mi
Biographical museum in England, United Kingdom
The Higgins Bedford
Museum · 2.1 mi
Art gallery and museum in Bedford, England, United Kingdom
Statue of John Bunyan
Monument and historic site · 2.1 mi
Statue in Bedford, England
Parks, trails and playgrounds18
Bromham Lake Nature Reserve
Park · 2.5 mi
Local nature reserve in Bedfordshire, England, UK
6 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes74
Café Dhaba
Restaurant · Indian · 0.9 mi
Anglia Way, Great Denham
Tu-Fr 16:00-23:00; Sa 13:00-23:00; Su 13:00-22:00
The Cafe Grill
Cafe · Breakfast, Burger, Cake, Coffee Shop, Grill, Sandwich, Sausage
14 Bunyan Road
Tu-Sa 09:00-17:00; Su 09:00-16:00
AFC Kempston Rovers Football Club
Bar and pub · 0.9 mi
Hillgrounds Road, Kempston
The Fletton Brick
Bar and pub · British · 0.8 mi
Fletcher Road, Kempston
Su-Th 08:00-00:00; Fr-Sa 08:00-01:00
62 more on the map.
History
The name Kempston derives from the Primitive Welsh word camm meaning 'crook' or 'crooked' and the Old English tūn meaning 'settlement'. This refers to the town's location on a crook-like bend on the River Great Ouse.
Until the 19th century Kempston was a mainly rural parish. It was one of the largest in Bedfordshire with an area of 5,025 acres (20 km2) at the time of enclosure in 1804, and was in Redbournestoke Hundred. Historically there was no central village, but instead settlement was divided between a number of hamlets called "Ends", including Up End, Bell End, Wood End and Box End. Kempston's parish church, All Saints, was in Church End, which was not the largest end but was fairly central to the parish. In the 19th century East End, Bell End and Up End began to coalesce into a larger settlement. In 1870 developers began to attempt to develop land on the road from Kempston to Bedford under the name "Kempston New Town". Construction was slow at first, but the new district soon began to expand steadily and Kempston acquired a more urban feel. A permanent military presence was established in the town with the completion of Kempston Barracks in 1876.
Read more of the history
On 1 April 1896 the parish was divided into "Kempston" (in Kempston Urban District) 1,255 acres (5.08 km2) and of Kempston Rural 3,770 acres (15.3 km2). The Urban District was based on East End, Up End and Kempston New Town all of which are in the north eastern part of the parish close to Bedford, and had 86.8% of the total population at the 1901 census. Kempston Rural was three times larger, but remained sparsely populated. Church End, with Kempston's original parish church, was included in the Kempston Rural parish and remains a small hamlet today.
A gravel pit was opened at Hill Grounds in the 1860s and the area around Bunyan Road was known as 'Gravel End' in 1877. The growth of the area of Kempston formerly known as 'Up End' is thought to be due largely to the employment opportunities presented by the gravel pits in this area, including that at Hill Grounds. From around 1910 until the early 1930s the Kempston gravel pit railway served the Hill Grounds pit.
The growth of Kempston's population levelled off in the early decades of the 20th century, with a rise of just 12% between 1901 and 1931, but it then began to expand rapidly. The 1951 population of just under 10,000 was 60% higher than that of 1931; in the second half of the 20th century, the population nearly doubled. In 1974 Kempston Urban District was abolished and Kempston parish was renamed "Kempston Urban" and became part of the Borough of Bedford but with a separate town council with minor powers. On 25 March 1975 the parish was renamed back to "Kempston". For borough election purposes the town is divided into four wards called Kempston Central and East, Kempston North, Kempston South and Kempston West. Kempston Rural remains a civil parish and is part of Turvey Ward for borough election purposes.
From the History section of Kempston on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Kempston
Education
There are four primary schools in the urban area: Balliol Primary School, Bedford Road Primary School, Camestone School and Springfield Primary School. Kempston Rural Primary School serves Kempston Rural. There are two secondary schools in Kempston: Kempston Academy and Daubeney Academy.
Grange Academy, Ridgeway School and St John's School are all located in Kempston. These are special requirements schools for pupils from all over Bedford Borough.
From the Wikipedia article Kempston, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Kempston
Roy BabbingtonBritish bassistPhoto: Tore Sætre, CC BY-SA 4.0
Louis ClarkBritish composer and conductor (1947-2021)Photo: Alterna2 http://www.alterna2.com, CC BY 2.0
Alf BartonBritish socialist politicianPhoto: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain- Arthur Coombcricketer (born 1929)
- Frances Lathamancestor of many Rhode Island governors and deputy governors
- Elisha BeadlesQuaker and writer (1670 -1734)
- W. T. GodberEnglish agriculturalist (1904-1981)
Born in Kempston, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay2
Churches and places of worship31
Abbey Church of Mary St Helena
Church · Anglican · 1.3 mi
Church End, Elstow
Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Clapham, Bedfordshire
Church · 3.1 mi
Shopping15
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries20
Healthcare9
Map of Kempston
182 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
London Luton Airport (LTN) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Bedford 2 mi northeast, about 3 min by car
- Sandy 9 mi east, about 14 min by car
- Newport Pagnell 10 mi west, about 15 min by car
- Milton Keynes 12 mi southwest, about 19 min by car
- Saint Neots 12 mi northeast, about 19 min by car
- Luton 17 mi south, about 27 min by car
- Northampton 19 mi northwest, about 30 min by car
- Royston 21 mi east, about 33 min by car
- Saint Ives 23 mi northeast, about 38 min by car
- Tring 23 mi south, about 37 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Kempston
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Local news
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Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- KempstonBarracksWarMemorial, Simon Speed, Public domain
- KempstonWarMemorial, Simon Speed, Public domain
- Pledgers bakery, Kempston (51007388827), Joybot, CC BY-SA 2.0
- KempstonOuseSunset, Simon Speed, CC0
- BedfordRoadLowerSchoolKempston, Simon Speed, Public domain
- Bedford Bridge (1), Peter_Glyn, CC BY-SA 3.0
- CivicTheatreBedford, Simon Speed, Public domain
- UOB-Campus, Kriscollins at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Moot-hall, Shritwod at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- BitvauBedfordu1224, Matthew Paris, Public domain
- BedfordBunyanChurchMuseum, Simon Speed, Public domain
- BedfordGalleryBedford, Simon Speed, Public domain
- BedfordParkLakeSwan, Simon Speed, Public domain
- Priorycountrypark, Robin Drayton, CC BY-SA 2.0
- StPaulsChurchBedford, matthew Hunt from Bedford, United kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- All saints church kempston, Unknown author, Public domain
- Bedford, Bedfordshire DSCF2907, sludgegulper, CC BY-SA 2.0
- The Parish Church of the Transfiguration, Kempston, Bedford, Alex, CC BY-SA 4.0
- All Saints Parish Church, Bedford, Alex, CC BY-SA 4.0
- St Leonards Church Centre Bedford, Alex, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hill Rise, Bedford 3, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bromham Lake 6, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- SMART SHOP FASTER EASIER SAFER (50311470648), Joybot, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Not thistles... burdock! (50218036731), Joybot, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Street-level photo, wasd42, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, photomaps, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, sk53, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, wasd42, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, wasd42, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, photomaps, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, photomaps, CC BY-SA 4.0
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