Biggleswade Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Bedfordshire, and around 40 miles north of London, is the town of Biggleswade. Geographically Biggleswade is situated on the east bank of the River Ivel in close proximity to the historic Great North Road, also known as Ermine Street. The name 'Biggleswade' is thought to derive from 'Biceil', an Anglo-Saxon personal name, and 'Waed', a Saxon name for ford or shallow river crossing. A settlement is believed to have existed here from as early as the 5th century. A market charter was granted to Biggleswade by King John in the early 13th-century. Industry was primarily agricultural. By 1631 there were five fairs with corn, livestock, and plait markets up to the 20th century. Owing to its location along the Great North Road, Biggleswade had a bustling industry as a coaching stop in the era prior to the railways. A few former coaching inns remain in the town to this day, the oldest of which is The White Hart, dating from the 17th century. This is featured around the 5-and-a-half-minute mark, and again around the 9-minute mark. In 1785 a great fire broke out in Biggleswade, destroying nearly one third of the town. The fire claimed over 100 houses and nine maltings. It took reportedly around four hours for the townspeople to bring the flames under control. In 1850 the railway arrived in Biggleswade with a station opened by the Great Northern Railway. Today it is situated on the East Coast Main Line with direct services between Peterborough to the north and London Kings Cross to the south, as well as Horsham via London St Pancras. The inventor Daniel Albone was born in Biggleswade in 1860. He is famed for creating the first successful light farm tractor, and the Ivel Safety bicycle. The term 'safety bicycle' comes from the 1880s in reference to a bicycle with normal-sized wheels, as opposed to the iconic and somewhat hilarious penny-farthings of the time. In 1961 the Biggleswade A1 bypass opened. Naturally, this reduced traffic in the town centre considerably. 👇 SUBSCRIBE TO 4K EXPLORER FOR NEW VIDEOS EVERY WEEK 👇 https://www.youtube.com/4KExplorer?su... Filmed: 26th February 2022 Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/uAY9WsrNs8dKqg6G6 Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 Hitchin Street 2:19 High Street 5:40 Market Place 9:12 Station Road 11:18 High Street