Luton

Sister cities

• Bergisch Gladbach
• Wolfsburg
• Eskilstuna Municipality
• Bourgoin-Jallieu
• Spandau

History

Luton is believed to have been founded by the Anglo-Saxons sometime in the 6th century. Its name first appears in the 8th century as Lygetun, meaning "town on the River Lea". The Domesday Book records Luton as Loitone and as Lintone. In 1121 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester started work on St Mary's Church in the centre of the town. The work was completed by 1137. A motte-and-bailey castle which gives its name to the modern Castle Street was built in 1139 but demolished by 1154. The hat making industry began in the 17th century and became synonymous with the town. The town grew: in 1801 the population was 3,095, but by 1850 it was over 10,000 and by 1901 it was almost 39,000. Newspaper printing arrived in the town in 1854. The first public cemetery was opened in the same year and Luton was made a borough in 1876. Luton's hat trade reached its peak in the 1930s, but severely declined after the Second World War and was replaced by other industries. In 1907, Vauxhall Motors opened the largest car plant in the United Kingdom in Luton, during the Second World War, it built Churchill tanks as part of the war effort. Despite heavy camouflage, the factory made Luton a target for the Luftwaffe and the town suffered a number of air raids. 107 died and there was extensive damage to the town (over 1,500 homes were damaged or destroyed). The original town hall was destroyed in 1919 during Peace Day celebrations at the end of the First World War. Dr. John G. Dony, author of The Flora of Bedfordshire, told his history students (he taught at Luton Grammar, predecessor of Luton Sixth Form College) in the 1950s that he had broken the last intact window of the old town hall during the 1919 riots. Local people, including many ex-servicemen, were unhappy with unemployment and had…

Geography

The town is situated in a gap at the far east of the Chiltern Hills and is built on the River Lea, which Luton is named after. The town is the most populous settlement in Bedfordshire followed by Bedford. Luton forms a conurbation with the town of Dunstable, which is located to the west on the opposite side of the M1 motorway, and also includes Houghton Regis. Luton is situated north-west of London, north-west of St Albans, west of Stevenage, north-east of Aylesbury, south of Bedford, (about 66 – 145 million years ago) and deposits laid at the southernmost points of the ice sheet during the last ice age (the Warden Hill area can be seen from much of the town). Bedfordshire had a reputation for brick making but the industry is now significantly reduced. The brickworks at Stopsley took advantage of the clay deposits in the east of the town. There are few routes through the hilly area for some miles, this has led to several major roads (including the M1 and the A6) and a major rail-link being constructed through the town. Luton has a temperate marine climate, like much of the British Isles, with generally light precipitation throughout the year. The weather is very changeable from day to day and the warming influence of the Gulf Stream makes the region mild for its latitude. The average total annual rainfall is with rain falling on 117 days of the year. The local climate around Luton is differentiated somewhat from much of South East England due to its position in the Chiltern Hills, meaning it tends to be 1–2 degrees Celsius cooler than the surrounding towns – often flights at Luton airport, lying above sea level, will be suspended when marginal snow events occur, while airports at lower elevations, such as Heathrow, at above sea level, continue to…