The Home Page

for the Blunham World Wide Web Site.

(Established October 1995).

This site has moved to Blunham.com
if you have any "bookmarks" that link to this page, please
amend them to Blunham.com

This page will remain, but all the rest will be found at
their new home, along with (eventually) many more photographs
on the more spacious new web-server.

Blunham Playgroup Village Hall

Links to other sites (Mainly Genealogical)   Links to other local websites

Welcome to our village and our web-site. I hope you find something of interest to you on this site whether you live in Blunham, or have an interest in the village from afar. There are no "frames" or scripts on this site - just plain text and photographs which should come to you rapidly even if (like me) you are using a 56K modem.

Blunham is a small village in Bedfordshire and is where my family and I live. It is about 40 miles north of London and about 2 miles north of Sandy (of RSPB fame). The village has about 400 houses of all sorts, some of which date from the 17th century. Below are links to a series of photographs of the village, starting at the two hump back bridges on Tempsford road leading from the A1 (the London-Edinburgh road), and then re-starting at the northern end (Grange Road), then working down the High Street, up The Hill to the southern end of the village on Barford Road. Unless otherwise stated, the photographs were taken by me or my family and you are welcome to use them for your own personal non-commercial use. If you are thinking of using them for any other purpose, please see the conditions of use page.

1. The two hump-back bridges over the River Ivel and the Mill stream.
2. Approaching Blunham, looking at the end of the High street with Grange road to the right.
3. Entering Blunham with the High street to the left and Grange road to the right.
4. Halfway down Grange Road, looking north and looking south.
5. Looking south from Grange Road into the High Street with Red House Farm on the right, and from roughly the same place, looking north down Grange road (complete with our Samoyed).
6. Two more views further down Grange road: View 1 (with our Samoyed again!), and View 2
7. Looking south down the High Street from the northern end of the village with Pound Close on the right.
8. Pound close from the High Street, and further in to the Close.
9. The "Georgian" houses on the left hand side of the High Street in the summer, and the same view in the spring when the daffodils are in bloom.
10. Looking into Brickhill Close from the High Street.
11. Looking north up the High Street from the School.
12. The village School showing a part of the older school building.
13. The thatched older part of the School.
14. Looking south down the High Street, towards the two pubs (The Salutation and The Horseshoes) from the school, with the entrance to Wellsfield between them.
15. A composite photograph of the bungalows on Wellsfield.
16. Looking towards The Horseshoes from The Hill, with Park lane on the right, and from the same location (but in spring), looking up The Hill.
17. Another view looking further up The Hill.
18. The half timbered and thatched houses at the bottom of The Hill, from Park Lane.
19. The Church, the Old Rectory the War Memorial, from Park Lane.
20. Another view of the War Memorial showing the names from WWII as well.
21. Looking into the other end of Park Lane from The Hill.
22. A view down Station Road from the top of The Hill.
23. Barford Road taken from the top of The Hill, with Walnut Close on the right.
24. A further view of Barford road towards the end of the village.
25. The Blunham Playing Fields Association have their own playing field with Cricket and Football pitches, and an area for small children with swings and climbing frames etc.
26. In the village we have various enterprises: The Post Office, The butcher's shop, Carryhome Toys, The village store, the best Fish and Chip shop for miles around, and Harry How makes excellent (cheap) fence post hole borers.
27. We also have a Village Hall, where the Teddybears' Mother and Toddler Playgroup meets 3 times a week, and other functions such as dances, jumble sales, etc. are held.
28. In the recent past, we used to have three pubs in the village, but the third (The White Horse) is now a private house.
29. The nearest river to Blunham is the River Ivel which forms part of the "Kingfisher Way".
30. Looking along the Ivel towards the hump back bridges.
31. Fishing on the River Ivel.
32. Two views of the River Ivel at The Trap, one in spring and the other in winter (by Tim Sharrock)
33. A view of the Church and The Old Rectory from The Trap (by Tim Sharrock)
34. On a separate page you will find a selection of photographs showing the old Blunham from 80 to 100 years ago. The old photos were supplied by various people, including Ionie Brennan (Australia), Charlie Harding, Joan Skelton and Frank Reed (all of Blunham).
35. Some photographs of individual houses:
36. The Old Farm House (3 The Hill)
37. The Old Post Office, now a private house.
38. Battle Cottage for the Battle family in Australia.
39. 77, The Hill (by special request).
40. Red House Farm (for Derek to make wallpaper with). :-)
41. Fountains and its garden especially for Lorna in Israel. (by Tim Sharrock).
42. 99-105 High Street for Steve and Sue.

• After the completion of the Parish Council Millenium project to restore the Cemetery Chapel (some people wanted to knock it down rather than spend the money), an open day and an exhibition of "Bygone Blunham" was held on the 23rd of September 2000. A total of 155 signed the visitors book (and not everyone who went signed), and I believe a good day was had by all who attended. Here are some photographs of the Chapel:
  • The inside of the Chapel before the clean-up, showing the coffin trestles and the lectern etc.
  • The workers (Parish councillors) clearing up before the doors open on the open day.
  • The Councillors supervising the Chairman.
  • The side and rear of the Chapel during the open day
  • The front of the Chapel during the open day
  • The inside of the Chapel during the open day
• Doug Chambers has written some comments on the above photos, and some of his memories of Blunham from the point of view of WWII evacuee.
• Don't forget that there is another web site dealing with Blunham and maintained by Steve Harris, which has some more photographs along with short histories relevant to the village and links to interactive maps showing where the village is.
• For the Genealogists or Historians there are also some pages on the Genuki site dealing with Blunham of the 19th century including names of some of the people.
• If you have an interest in the names Vincent, Gauge or Barker in the village then Carol Twite would love to hear from you. Please drop me a line through my email page and I will put you in contact with her.
• If you have an interest in the Payne family who lived at Blunham house for several generations, then David McPhee would like to hear from you. You will find his email address and his Payne information on his web page, along with very old pictures of Blunham House

Please remember that this page is no longer kept up to date, and you should use the new web-site at Blunham.com for current information.

Colin Hinson
This page last updated: 10th February 2004