Wilden, Bedfordshire
Village in Bedfordshire, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wilden is a village and civil parish located in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. The population of 399 in the 2011 Census was estimated at 392 in 2019.[3]
| Wilden | |
|---|---|
  Wilden Location within Bedfordshire | |
| Population | 399 (2011 Census)[1] |
| OS grid reference | TL096551 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | BEDFORD |
| Postcode district | MK44 |
| Dialling code | 01234 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
Heritage
John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales describes Wilden as it was in 1870–1872:
"WILDEN, a parish in the district and county of Bedford; 5 miles NE of Bedford r[ailway] station. It has a post-office under Bedford. Acres, 2,160. Real property, £2,765. Pop[ulation], 501. Houses, 112. The property is subdivided. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely. Value, £400.* Patron, Mrs. Chalk. The church is good; and there are an Independent chapel, an endowed school with £47 a year, and charities £26."[4]
Famous person
The scholar and Bible translator Francis Dillingham died in Wilden in 1625.[5]
Amenities
The village has a 14th–15th century Grade I listed Anglican church dedicated to St Nicholas.[6] There is a Baptist Chapel in Great Barford Road, with Sunday services held there three times a month. The chapel was probably founded in 1806, although its old Church Book has been lost.[7]
Wilden Primary School is a Voluntary Aided Church of England school. It recently had 59 pupils, and a pre-school section for 10. It dates back to the 17th century and was rebuilt in the 19th. Additions were made in 1972, 1993, 2004 and 2013. It serves as a lower school within a group of schools called St Albans Cluster.[8][9]
There are five Grade II listed buildings in the village.[6] The single pub is called the Victoria Arms, but is now long term closed.[10]
Wilden is served by a daytime bus service: Grant Palmer No. 27S between Bedford and Ravensden. It runs four times a day on Monday to Saturday.[11]
