History of Luton facts for kids

Luton is a busy town in the south of Bedfordshire, England. It has a long and interesting history.

Luton's Early Days

The very first people lived in the Luton area a very long time ago. We know this because scientists found old camps from the Paleolithic period. This was about 250,000 years ago! After the ice age, people came back around 8000 BC. These Mesolithic people settled near Leagrave.

Even more signs of people come from the Neolithic period (4500–2500 BC). Many Neolithic burials have been found at Galley Hill. A huge, ancient monument called Waulud's Bank was built around 3000 BC. It's a type of henge, which is a circular earthwork. From then on, many people lived here.

The first town nearby was a small Roman settlement called Durocobrivis at Dunstable. In Luton itself, Romans lived in scattered farmhouses. There were also some bigger buildings found at Limbury, Wigmore, and Park Street.

Luton officially started in the 6th century. Saxon people built an outpost by the River Lea. They called it Lea tun, which means "farm by the Lea".

Luton is mentioned in the Domesday Book from 1086. It was called Loitone or Lintone. Around 700–800 people lived there then. Most people worked in farming.

Building St Mary's Church

In 1121, Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester started building St Mary's Church. It was finished by 1137. This church is still a big part of Luton's town centre today.

A type of castle called a motte and bailey castle was built in 1139. It was built during a time of fighting called The Anarchy. This castle gave its name to 'Castle Street'. It was taken down in 1154. Today, a store called Matalan stands on that spot.

During the Middle Ages, Luton had six water mills. These mills used the river to grind grain. Mill Street in the town centre is named after one of them.

The Story of Falkes de Breauté

King John (who lived from 1166 to 1216) hired a soldier named Falkes de Breauté. Falkes was a mercenary, meaning he fought for money. King John gave Falkes the land of Luton. Falkes also got to have his own special symbol, called a coat of arms. He chose a mythical creature called a griffin. This is why the griffin became linked with Vauxhall and Luton.

By 1240, the town was called Leueton. Luton had a yearly market in August for nearby villages. As the town grew, a second market was allowed in October from 1338.

In 1336, a huge fire destroyed much of Luton. But the town was quickly rebuilt.

New Industries and Wars

Farming changed in the 16th century. People started making bricks around Luton. Many old wooden houses were then rebuilt using bricks.

Luton saw two small battles during the English Civil War. This war was between the Parliamentarian soldiers and the Cavalier soldiers (who supported the King). In 1645, Parliamentarian soldiers attacked Cavaliers, killing four. In 1648, more fighting happened in a pub.

The 17th century brought a new industry: hatmaking. By the 18th century, making hats, especially straw hats, was the most important industry in Luton. Today, hats are still made in the town, but on a smaller scale.

The first Luton Workhouse was built in 1722. A larger one was built in 1836.

Luton Hoo, a big country house south of town, was built in 1767. Not much of the original house is left. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1843.

Luton in the 19th Century

Luton grew a lot in the 19th century. In 1801, about 3,095 people lived there. By 1850, it was over 10,000, and by 1901, almost 39,000!

Connecting by Rail

Luton got its railway connection a bit later than other towns. Major railway lines were built nearby in 1838 and 1850, but they missed Luton. A branch line finally reached Dunstable in 1848. Ten years later, in 1858, it was extended to Bute Street Station in Luton.

Later, this line went all the way to Welwyn. From 1860, you could travel directly from Luton to King's Cross. Another railway line, the Midland Railway, opened in 1867. This connected Luton to St Pancras in London and to the Midlands.

Town Improvements

Luton got gas lighting in 1834. The first town hall opened in 1847.

Newspapers started being printed in Luton in 1854. That same year, the first public cemetery opened. After a serious illness outbreak in 1848, Luton got a water company. By the late 1860s, it had a full water and sewer system.

The first covered market was built in 1869. Luton became a borough in 1876. This meant it had its own local government. The football club was started in 1885.

Luton in the 20th Century

In the 20th century, the hat-making business became less important. New, modern industries took its place. In 1905, Vauxhall Motors opened a huge car factory in Luton. It became the biggest car plant in the UK.

In 1914, Hewlett & Blondeau built a factory in Leagrave to make airplanes. This factory later became Electrolux in 1926. This led to more light manufacturing businesses in the town.

In 1904, two councillors, Asher Hucklesby and Edwin Oakley, bought the land that became Wardown Park. They gave it to the people of Luton. The main house became Luton Museum. The park became one of the town's main public parks.

Luton had a tram system from 1908 to 1932. The first cinema opened in 1909. A Carnegie Library opened in 1910. It cost £10,000 to build. Important people like US Ambassador Whitelaw Reid and Andrew Carnegie himself came to the opening. By 1914, Luton's population reached 50,000.

The Town Hall Fire

The original town hall was destroyed in 1919. This happened during celebrations for the end of the First World War. Many local people, including soldiers who had just returned from the war, were unhappy about unemployment. They were also refused permission to use a local park for their celebrations. So, they stormed the town hall and set it on fire. A new town hall was finished in 1936. Luton Airport opened in 1938. The council owned and ran it.

Luton During World War II

During World War II, the Vauxhall factory helped with the war effort. It built Churchill tanks. The factory was carefully hidden so enemy planes couldn't easily see it. Because of the Vauxhall factory, Luton was a target for the Luftwaffe (German air force). The town had many air raids. 107 people died, and over 1,500 homes were damaged or destroyed.

Other factories in Luton, like SKF (which made ball bearings), also helped a lot with the war. Even though a bomb landed at the SKF Factory, it didn't cause much damage.

After World War II, many old, poor quality houses were removed. New council houses were built in areas like Farley Hill, Stopsley, Limbury, Marsh Farm, Leagrave, and Hockwell Ring.

The M1 opened in 1959. It runs along the western edge of the town. In 1962, a new library was opened by the Queen. In the late 1960s, a large part of the town centre was cleared. A covered shopping centre, the Arndale Centre, was built there. It opened in 1972. The Arndale Centre was renamed The Mall Luton in 2006.

In 1993, Luton's college became the University of Luton. After joining with other schools, it became the University of Bedfordshire in 2006.

A new train station, Luton Airport Parkway, opened in 1999.

In 2000, Vauxhall announced they would stop making cars in Luton. The factory closed in March 2002. At its busiest, it employed over 30,000 people.

Luton in the 21st Century

The Mall shopping centre was made much bigger between 2007 and 2013. The area around it, St George's Square, was also updated.

The Luton to Dunstable Busway opened in 2013. It uses the route of an old railway line.

A new high-tech office park called Butterfield Green was built near Putteridge Bury in the 2010s. The old Vauxhall factory site is being redeveloped into a new area called Napier Park.

Digging Up Luton's Past

Archaeologists dug up the ground before the University of Bedfordshire campus was rebuilt. They found signs of a castle built by Falkes de Breauté. This was between 1216 and 1221. Even though it was called a castle, it was probably more like a strong, fortified manor house. It had a moat (a ditch filled with water) and an earth bank around it.

One old document says that Falkes de Breauté blocked the nearby river. This was probably to keep water in his moat. But it caused big floods for the church's crops and buildings! Falkes was a very powerful man. He didn't care much about the complaints. He even said he wished the damage had been worse.

The shape of the moat and bank could still be seen in the 1800s. It looked like a rectangle. Earlier digs found the moat on one side and traces of wooden buildings.

Underneath the old Student Union building, they found remains of 19th-century buildings. Below those, they found well-preserved medieval features. These included ditches, postholes, and large pits. They found things like clothes pins and pottery from the 12th–13th centuries. This proves that people were active here when Falkes de Breauté's castle was around.

Most of the pottery was Hertfordshire Greyware. This was the local pottery of that time. There were at least two pottery kilns (places where pottery is made) near Luton. These were in Hitchin and near Toddington.

Archaeological digs at Waulud's Bank in 1953, 1971, and 1982 showed that the site dates to around 3000 BC. This was during the Neolithic period. But there was also proof of earlier hunting and fishing in the area from the Mesolithic period.

How Luton Was Governed

The old parish of Luton was very large. It covered about 15,435 acres. From medieval times until the 1800s, a group called the parish vestry was in charge of local government.

In 1850, a Local Board of Health was created for the town. This was Luton's first urban local government. It only covered the built-up area of the town. The board held its first meeting in August 1850.

A Town Hall was built in 1847. It was in a main spot at the top of George Street. A private company built it, but the local board later rented it for meetings. The local board bought the building in 1874.

In 1876, Luton became a municipal borough. This meant it had its own borough council. The new council took over the jobs of the old local board. The first mayor of Luton was William Bigg.

A special symbol called a coat of arms was given to the new council in 1876.

After the Town Hall burned down in 1919, the council used other buildings for 17 years. The lecture theatre in the Carnegie library was used as the council meeting room. A new town hall was finally built on the old site. It opened in 1936.

Over time, some nearby areas like Leagrave, Limbury, and Stopsley became part of Luton borough.

In 1964, Luton became a County Borough. This meant it handled most of its own local government jobs. Then, in 1997, Luton Borough Council became a unitary authority. This made it even more independent in running the town.

See also

• Luton power station

Images for kids

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  St Mary's Church, Luton town centre

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  A map of Luton from 1888

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  George Street, looking North West towards the town hall in the early 20th Century

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  George Street, looking South East towards market hill in the early 20th Century

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  Winston Churchill in a Churchill tank during a visit to Luton

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  Luton Town Centre

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  Luton Town Hall (1847–1919)