Stopsley

Ceremonial countyRegionCountryEnglandSovereign stateUnited KingdomPost townLUTONPostcode districtLU2Dialling code01582PoliceBedfordshireFireBedfordshire and LutonAmbulanceEast of England UK Parliament 51°53′56″N 0°23′46″W / 51.899°N 0.396°W / 51.899; -0.396

Stopsley is a suburb in the north-east of Luton, Bedfordshire, England. The area is roughly bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Vauxhall Way and Turners Road North to the south, Bradgers Hill to the west, and Cannon Lane, Stapleford Road and Brays Road to the east.

Etymology

Frederick Davis, writing in 1965 believed the name of Stopsley to come from Scrobbale, (in Saxon;) Scrapes or Scroppeslie, (in Norman;) Shrubsley, (in English.;) meaning a hill covered with scrobbes (shrubs or underwood.) Most modern etymologists consider the name to be made up of two elements 'Stopp' and 'ley'. dating between AD 750 and AD 950. The ending comes from the Old English 'leah' meaning a wood or clearing in a wood. 'Stopp' was a personal name and indicated ownership of the wood or clearing. It appears as 'Stopeslegh in Soca de Luton' in a (Latin) law record, dated 1440.^[2]

Originally a hill-top village settlement, on 1 April 1896 it became a civil parish, formed from part of the parish of Luton Rural, on 1 April 1933 most of the urbanised part of the parish of Stopsley became part of Luton when the boundaries were extended, with the rural areas going to Hyde and Streatley with Sharpenhoe.^[3] In 1931 the parish had a population of 1474.^[4]

Local area

The centre of Stopsley is made up of a variety of shops around a village church. From a distance the skyline is dominated by Jansel House, an office block built in 1961 which houses the Luton VAT office over a parade of shops at street level. One of Luton's two cemeteries, The Vale, is located nearby on the Hitchin Road.

Politics

Stopsley is part of the larger Stopsley ward which also includes Putteridge and part of Ramridge End. The ward is represented by Cllr David Wynn (Liberal Democrats) and Cllr Richard Underwood (Liberal Democrats).^[5] The ward forms part of the parliamentary constituency of Luton South and the MP is Rachel Hopkins (Labour Party).

Local attractions

Dunstable Downs Chiltern Hills Leighton Buzzard Light Railway Luton Museum & Art Gallery The hat Factory Luton Hoo Mossman Collection Someries castle Stockwood Craft Museum Stockwood Park Wardown Park Waulud's Bank Whipsnade Tree Cathedral Whipsnade Wildlife Park Woodside Farm and Wildfowl Park Wrest Park Gardens

Education

Stopsley includes the specialist Sports College, Stopsley High School. Notable alumni include professional cricketer Monty Panesar. In the 1960s, Stopsley Infant and Junior School pupils included Alec Jeffreys, who went on to discover the DNA genetic fingerprint. He is now Professor of Genetics at Leicester University and was Knighted in 1994. Another pupil, David Renwick, created the television series 'One Foot in the Grave' and 'Jonathan Creek'. Both went on to study at Luton Grammar School and Luton Sixth Form College.

Gallery

• 
  Stopsley War Memorial
• 
  The Sportsman Public House in Stopsley
• 
  Luton Conservative Club in Stopsley
• 
  Parish Church of St.Thomas in Stopsley
• 
  Stopsley Common

References

Further reading

• James Dyer, The Stopsley Book, Book Castle, 2nd Edn. 2005, ISBN 1-903747-65-1.
• James Dyer, The Stopsley Picture Book, Book Castle. 2002, ISBN 1-871199-94-8.
• Keith T. Norcott, Chalk on my Shoes, Book Castle, 2006, ISBN 1-903747-68-6