The Postcard
A postally unused Frith's Series postcard. The card, which is a glossy real photograph, has a divided back.
Ampthill
Ampthill is a town in Bedfordshire, England, between Bedford and Luton, with a population of 8,100.
In 1219 King Henry III granted a charter for a weekly market to be held on a Thursday. In 2019 the market celebrated 800 years.
Henry VIII was a frequent visitor to Ampthill Castle, and it was there that Catherine of Aragon lived from 1531 until divorced in 1533, when she was moved to Kimbolton. The castle was built in the 15th. century by Sir John Cornwall, later Lord Fanhope, from ransoms acquired after the Battle of Agincourt.
Today a park remains just north of the town centre, site of Ampthill's former castle, where Henry VIII would come and hunt. It was in the castle's Great Dining Room that Queen Catherine defiantly received news of the end of her marriage. A cross erected in the 1770's marks the site of this important building which is set within Ampthill Great Park, a Capability Brown landscape.
In the mid-1780's, John Fitzpatrick, the 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory, led a campaign to improve the town centre. He created the current market place, erected the water pump and built a new clock tower (visible on the left of the photograph).
Lord Upper Ossory was also responsible for a cross commemorating Catherine of Aragon, with an inscription by Horace Walpole, and a row of thatched cottages built between 1812 and 1816 to house his estate workers.
On the death of Lord Upper Ossory in 1818, Ampthill Park became the seat of Lord Holland in whose time Holland House in Kensington, London, became famous as a gathering place for intellectuals.
During WWII there was a farming camp near Ampthill where volunteers recovered sugar beet and were accommodated in tents in the grounds of a nearby country mansion.
Recent years have witnessed substantial development in Ampthill and the surrounding area. The former site of the old Ampthill Brewery in the Bedford Street area was substantially redeveloped in 2006/2007, with the demolition of a Shell petrol station, shopping arcade and small Budgens supermarket, to make way for a new Waitrose supermarket, an improved town car park and a development of shops and apartments known as Oxlet House.
Ampthill is one of the most expensive places to buy a house in Bedfordshire. In a survey, it was found that the majority of Ampthill's workers are employed locally, with around 20% working in Ampthill itself, and most of the remainder travelling to nearby centres of employment such as Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes. Around 13% of workers commute from Ampthill to London daily.
The survey also found that the turnover of residents was low, most having been in Ampthill for well over a decade.
Culture and Community of Ampthill
Ampthill hosts its own annual festival weekend in the summer. This event includes two music events: a live rock music event "AmpRocks", which has hosted acts such as Razorlight and Toploader, and the "Ampthill Park Proms", where classical music is performed by bands such as the Ampthill Orchestra, Ampthill Band and Redborne Jazz Band from the local upper school. This event is held in Ampthill Great Park, where a temporary soundstage is erected to entertain local residents.
The event also includes the Ampthill Gala, which begins with a parade of floats around the town, built and manned by local schools and communities. The parade ends at Ampthill Cricket Club, located just outside of Ampthill Great Park, where a variety of stalls set up by local charities and businesses can be found, as well as a number of fairground attractions.
The Ampthill Festival was first held in 1981, and has returned almost every year since.
Ampthill Park was the burial place for the golden hare in the Kit Williams treasure hunt Masquerade near the cross-shaped monument to Catherine of Aragon, at the precise spot touched by the tip of the monument's shadow at noon on the day of either the March or September equinox.
Houghton House
Houghton House was built in 1621 by Mary, Countess of Pembroke and sister of the poet Sir Philip Sidney. In 1675, the house may have provided the inspiration for 'House Beautiful' in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress.
It is thought that Bunyan's work is loosely based on his own journey between Bedford and Luton, and the steep slope leading into Ampthill could have been the model for the 'Hill of Difficulty'.
Houghton House passed to the Duke of Bedford in 1738 and became a ruin after the removal of the roof in 1794.
Notable People of Ampthill
- Notable 20th.-century architect Sir Albert Richardson lived in Ampthill from 1919 until his death in 1964 at Avenue House, 20 Church Street.
- Brian Clemens, screenwriter and producer of many famous action/adventure TV series including The Avengers and The Professionals lived at Park Farm until his death in January 2015. One episode of The Avengers, "Noon Doomsday", was filmed there in July 1968.
- Raymond Austin, AKA Raymond DeVere-Austin Baron of Delvin, film and television director, screenwriter, novelist and producer, restored an Elizabethan cottage in Millbrook. He lived there for many years until he moved to America in 1969, where he directed and produced many American TV shows. he was a known philanthropist and benefactor in Bedfordshire.
- Lewis Ludlow, Gloucester Rugby back-row forward, also originally hails from Ampthill.
The White Hart
The White Hart in Ampthill (on the right of the photograph) is still going strong to this day.
Once an 18th century coaching inn, The White Hart is situated in the north of the Georgian market town. This historic Grade II listed building, which may date back as far as the 16th. Century, continues to be a prominent destination in Ampthill.
Features include a wall mural above the bar’s fireplace of the Prince of Wales feathers, created by local artists in 1646, whilst the 1930's dining room was built towards the end of the Arts and Crafts era.