Stotfold

Stotfold is a small town and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire.

In the 19th century, Stotfold was regarded as a wealthy place. The saying was that to live in Stotfold, one has to have £100 and a pig. The town is divided by a long road, High Street, which separates the north side from the south. There are two parks and a recreational ground, plus a Multi-Use-Games-Area (MUGA) and a football pitch.

Stotfold is thought to have gained its name from the northern drovers breaking their journey south at this point on the A1 Great North Road and penning their horses (stots) in enclosures (folds) before continuing their journeys southwards.

The River Ivel runs through the town. Stotfold covers 2207 acre and the current population, according to the 2001 census, is 6,190.

The church of St Mary's dates back to Norman times.

Stotfold Watermill
Stotfold Watermill stands on the River Ivel and is one of four mills in Stotfold that were recorded in the Domesday Book. It is the only working mill left in Stotfold and is a grade II listed watermill. The Mill was fully restored after being burnt down on 15th December 1992. The Mill opened to the public in May 2006 with the formal opening taking place October 2006 followed shortly after by a visit from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on 17th November 2006. It has a 4.4 metre wide overshot corn mill waterwheel which is the widest in the country and is currently open to the public with a tea room on alternate weekends in season (March to October) and on special event weekends. The Mill is a charity run by the Stotfold Mill Preservation Trust. All moneys raised are used for the continual upkeep and restoration of the Mill and of the local area. Its major fundraiser is the annual Stotfold Mill Steam and Country Fair which takes place in May and attracted around 8500 visitors raising approximately £20000 in 2010.

New estates
Building work continues to expand the town, with new areas such as Mill View and Fairfield Park. Fairfield Park is on the site of the old Fairfield Hospital, covering a very large area, south of Stotfold and to the east of Arlesey. The old hospital has been converted into luxury apartments, with hundreds of new homes being built in the grounds of the former mental health institute.

Construction has also begun on 850 new homes in the 'Land South of Stotfold' development. This was originally expected to be completed by 2013, with the inclusion of a new lower school, industrial area and shop, but is now expected to have a later completion date due to the current recession.

In late 2008, the then Mid Bedfordshire District Council came underfire from the public and the government due to rejecting complaints from the community about a gypsy site being erected in Stotfold. As the public believed the travellers site would cause more damage to the village, the council called some of the 3,000 residents opposing the idea "racists" and discarded their complaints, a story that made both the local and national press. As of early 2011, no settlement in where the gypsy site is to be built has yet come to fruition.

Famous residents
Olympic and world champion track cyclist, Victoria Pendleton, was brought up in Stotfold. In 2007, the cycle track between Arlesey and Stotfold was renamed in her honour.