Clifton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

. The original

hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...

of Clifton is named after it. The original "hundred" comprised: The Parishes of

Arlesey Arlesey ( ) is a town and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. It is near the border with Hertfordshire, about north-west of Letchworth Garden City, north of Hitchin and south of Biggleswade. Arlesey ra ...

; Campton-Cum- Shefford;

Chicksands Chicksands is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Campton and Chicksands in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The village is on the River Flit and close to its parish village of Campton and the tow ...

; Clifton;

Henlow Henlow is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The name Henlow is believed to derive from the old Eng ...

; Holwell;

Meppershall Meppershall is a hilltop village in Bedfordshire near Shefford, Bedfordshire, Shefford, Campton, Bedfordshire, Campton, Shillington, Bedfordshire, Shillington, Stondon and surrounded by farmland. History The village and the manor house are ment ...

; part of Shillington; Lower

Stondon Stondon is a civil parish located in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The parish includes the settlements of Lower Stondon and Upper Stondon. The name derives from the Old English words ''stān'' and ''dūn'', and ...

; Little Holwell;

Stotfold Stotfold is a town and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England. The town covers and the River Ivel passes through the town. The population of the parish at the 2021 census was 9,014. The wider built-up area ...

; Upper

. The first recorded reference to Clifton is in 944 when it is referred to as Cliftune. Clifton is also mentioned in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book ( ; the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book") is a manuscript record of the Great Survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

. The entry reads: ''Cliftone: William de Cairon from Bishop of Lincoln, Eudo FitzHubert and

Nigel d'Aubigny Nigel d'Aubigny (''Neel d'Aubigny'' or ''Nigel de Albini'', died 1129), was a Norman Lord and English baron who was the son of Roger d'Aubigny and Amice or Avice de Mowbray. His paternal uncle William was lord of Aubigny, while his father was a ...

; Leofwin from St. Benedict's of Ramsey; Alwin from

Countess Judith Judith of Lens (born Normandy, between 1054 and 1055 - died Fotheringhay, c. 1090) was a niece of William the Conqueror. She was a daughter of Lambert II, Count of Lens and Adelaide of Normandy (Countess of Aumale), the sister of William ...

. 2 mills.'' All Saints Church, built in the 14th and 15th centuries was heavily restored in the nineteenth century. Clifton village is now a popular place to live as a consequence of its good transport links and proximity to the railway station at

. Clifton was voted Bedfordshire Village of the Year in 2003, 2005 and 2009. It is today largely residential, but in the past it was a centre for

straw plaiting Straw plaiting is a method of manufacturing textiles by braiding straw and the industry that surrounds the craft of producing these straw manufactures. Straw is plaited to produce products including straw hats and ornaments, and the process is u ...

. The original All Saints school was a "Straw Plait School" where children were expected to learn to plait straw from as young as four years of age. They would also be taught to read. There was also once a small factory producing bottled drinks. Harwoods Mineral Water Factory operated from 1880 until 1947. Harwoods produced Hops Bitters, Cherry Cider, Stone Ginger Beer, Lime Juice and Soda, and Ginger Ale and sold them to the pubs and shops of all the surrounding villages.

Samuel Whitbread Academy Samuel Whitbread Academy is an Upper School and Sixth Form with Academy status serving the rural communities around the small market town of Shefford in Central Bedfordshire. Its school campus includes a nursery school and facilities for adul ...

is also located in the village of Clifton. Clifton was visited by the

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

and

Prince Philip Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

on 17 November 2006 as part of a visit to reopen the school. Facilities in Clifton include a lower school, butcher, post office/village store and two public houses (The Golden Lion and The Admiral). There is also an Indian restaurant, garage, petrol station and a hairdresser. There is a small group of businesses located in converted farm buildings at Clifton Bury farm. At the northern edge of the village is Clifton Cricket Club which plays at the Claybridge Ground. Football is played at the Recreation ground. The Community Centre, with its large car park, is located at the Northern end of the Recreation Ground. All Saints’ Church Hall is situated in Stanford Lane. There is a duckpond in the centre of the village. English actor

Ben Whishaw Benjamin John Whishaw (born 14 October 1980) is an English actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Ben Whishaw, various accolades, including three British Academy Television Awards, two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Aw ...

was born and grew up in Clifton.

Geography

Clifton is located in the valley of the

River Ivel The River Ivel is a north-flowing river in the western part of east of England. It is primarily in Bedfordshire; it is a tributary of the River Great Ouse and has sources including in the Barton Hills. Course The river Ivel has four headwate ...

which used to be navigable through the village. The highest point in the village is 62m above sea level at Hitchin Hill.

Education

Clifton Primary School is in the community. It is in the catchment zone for

, which has an upper school and sixth form. - Map is on p. 35/35.

References

External links

Clifton pages
at the

Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service The Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service is a county record office, holding archival material associated with Bedfordshire and Luton. Established in 1913 by George Herbert Fowler (1861-1940) as the Bedfordshire Record Office, it w ...

Village Web site

Clifton Weather
{{authority control Villages in Bedfordshire Civil parishes in Bedfordshire Central Bedfordshire District