Dunstable
51.886027777778 - 0.52102777777778Koordinaten: 51 ° 53 'N, 0 ° 31 ' W
Dunstable [ dʌnstəbəl ] is a town in Bedfordshire ( Central Bedfordshire ) in the south of England with 33,805 inhabitants ( 2001). It is located on the eastern slopes of the Chiltern Hills. Here the chalk hills form steep escarpments, which are visible from afar. Until 1974 Dunstable had the status of a municipal borough, since it is a municipality ( civil parish ) in the district of Central Bedfordshire immediately west of Luton.
History
Dunstable is located at the intersection of two unused already in Roman times highways: The Watling Street ( London Wroxeter, the highway A5 today follows its route ) and the Icknield Way ( from Buckinghamshire to Norfolk ). The Romans called the place at this intersection Durocobrivis.
Since Dunstable a day's ride from London is removed, it seemed to be a overnight stop for travelers, so here taverns and inns were built. Even today, the old crossings are at a few pubs to recognize for carriages. One of the oldest pubs in the city is the Saracens Head, whose name recalls the Crusader period and its bottom is below the street level, since the latter has gradually increased by Neupflasterungen over the centuries. In 1132 the abbey church of St. Peter was built. In Dunstable was a so-called Eleanor Cross, one of several stone crosses which Edward I had erected along the route in the 1290s years in memory of his late wife, Eleanor of Castile, on the one had returned her body to London. 1531 divorced King Henry VIII in St. Peter's Church of Dunstable from his first wife Catherine of Aragon; because this divorce was not recognized by the Catholic Church in Rome, this divorce led to the formation of an independent Church of England. In Dunstable were made in 1642 the first battles between royalist and parliamentary forces in the English Civil War.
1848 Dunstable was a rail connection to the London and North Western Railway, 1858 was a link via Luton to Hatfield added, which was operated by the Great Northern Railway. 1965 British Rail closed the station of Dunstable for passenger, making the city one of the largest places of England without its own railway station.
Dunstable has long been important market town in Bedfordshire, but was overtaken by and by the neighboring Luton. In the 20th century, especially the printing industry and the automotive industry dominated the economy of the city, but caused the closure of some company at the end of the 20th century for a difficult economic situation. The remaining farms concentrate mainly on the industrial estate in Woodside on the eastern outskirts. On the motorway network Dunstable is connected by the M1 motorway that connects London with Leeds and east passes to Dunstable, where it divides this city of Luton, otherwise grown together with the settlement terms Dunstable.
Attractions
- Dunstable Downs, the cliffs of the Chiltern Hills, which are popular with hang-gliders
- Whipsnade Wildlife Park, an outdoor enclosure
- Priory Church of St. Peter, the old abbey church
- Waulud 's Bank, a prehistoric Henge in Leagrave Park Luton
- Luton Museum & Art Gallery
Sports
Dunstable is home of the football club Dunstable Town FC, which plays in the English Southern League. In addition, the Dunstablians come (actually Dunstablians Rugby Football Club ) from the city, a rugby club in the Midlands Division One, which plays its home games at Bidwell Park.
Personalities
- Gary Cooper, actor (1901-1961), grew up in Dunstable
- Una Stubbs, actress and dancer ( b. 1937 )
- Nikki Iles jazz pianist and Akkorderonistin ( b. 1963 )
- Spike Breakwell, comedian ( b. 1968 )
- Faye Tozer, singer of Steps ( b. 1975 )
Twin Cities
- Bourgoin- Jallieu (France)
- Porz ( Germany, Municipality of Cologne)
- Brive- la -Gaillarde (France)