Limbury

Limbury, or using the full name Limbury-cum-Biscot, was a civil parish in Bedfordshire before becoming part of Luton and has a long history dating back before the Norman conquest of England.At the end of the nineteenth century, Limbury was a small hamlet approximately two miles from Luton, near Leagrave village, at that time it consisted of just a few cottages and just two farms, today Limbury boasts a population of 7,540.HistoryThe first settlement in the area was Waulud's Bank which is a Neolithic D-shaped enclosure located in Leagrave Park at the source of the River Lea and is now a protected monument. Waulud's bank consists of a bank and external ditch of around 7 hectares with a turf riveted chalk & gravel bank (built from the excavated ditch material). The ditch itself is approximately 9 m wide and 2 m deep. Finds at the site have included neolithic Grooved Ware and flint arrow heads. It is a similar site to Durringtom Walls and Marden and the location was later re-used in the Iron Age and again during the Roman occupation.The Icknield Way, a Roman road passes though Limbury. Local road names give away its location, 'Roman Road' in Leagrave runs from Oakley Road to Marsh Road. On the other side of Marsh Road, the road continues as 'Icknield Road' as it enters Limbury then eventually the road continues on as Icknield Way.Moated houses still existed in Limbury at the beginning of the 20th century, the Moat House at Biscot is the only one remaining (now a pub/restaurant), the building is reputed to be the oldest secular building in South Bedfordshire. During 2007 the Moat House had the roof rethatched.