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Coordinates: 52°07′38″N 0°12′55″W / 52.1271°N 0.2152°W / 52.1271; -0.2152
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{{Short description|English town and civil parish}}
''See also [[Potton Island]].''
{{About|the town in Bedfordshire}}
----
{{EngvarB|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
| official_name = Potton
| country = England
| region = East of England
| static_image_name = Potton Library and Market Square.jpg
| static_image_caption = Clock House in Market Square
| population_ref = 5,727 (Parish, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Potton parish |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/admin/central_bedfordshire/E04011976__potton/ |website=City Population |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref><br>{{nowrap|5,230 (Built-up area, 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title=Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/housing/articles/townsandcitiescharacteristicsofbuiltupareasenglandandwales/census2021 |website=Census 2021 |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref>}}


| os_grid_reference = TL2249
{{GBdot|Potton - Bedfordshire}}
| post_town = SANDY
'''Potton''' is a [[town]] in [[Bedfordshire]], [[England]]. Although it was largely destroyed by fire in [[1783]], some historic buildings survived, including the [[thirteenth century]] [[parish church]]. Historically, the town was home to a renowned [[horse fair]].
| postcode_area = SG
| postcode_district = SG19
| dial_code = 01767
| constituency_westminster = [[North East Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)|North East Bedfordshire]]
| civil_parish = Potton
| unitary_england = [[Central Bedfordshire]]
| lieutenancy_england = [[Bedfordshire]]
| coordinates = {{coord|52.1271|-0.2152|display=inline,title}}
}}


'''Potton''' is a town and [[civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in the [[Central Bedfordshire]] district of [[Bedfordshire]], England, about {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} east of the county town [[Bedford]]. The parish had a population in 2021 of 5,727. In 1783 the Great Fire of Potton destroyed a large part of the town. The parish church dates from the 13th century, and is dedicated to St Mary. Potton's horse fairs were some of the largest in the country.
[[Category:Towns in Bedfordshire]]


==History==
'''The Parish Church of St Mary, Potton
The village's name was spelled ''Pottun'' in 960 AD and ''Potone'' in the 1086 [[Domesday book]]. It is derived from the Old English for "farmstead where pots are made".<ref>Mills, A.D. (1998). A Dictionary of English Place-names. Second Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford. p277. {{ISBN|0-19-280074-4}}</ref>
By Mr John Hunt
1987 with additions 1999 & 2003'''


Evidence of early-middle [[Iron Age]] settlement in the form of ditches, a pit and [[sherds]] of pottery was found in 2009 by archaeologists at Vicarage Farm off the B1042 Gamlingay Road.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Keir, W. and Turner, I |title=Archaeological Field Evaluation: Vicarge Farm, Gamlingay Road, Potton |url=https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archiveDS/archiveDownload?t=arch-690-1/dissemination/pdf/albionar1-67448_1.pdf |website=Archaeology Data Service |publisher=Albion Archaeology |access-date=28 September 2019}}</ref> The parish of Potton underwent [[Inclosure Acts|parliamentary inclosure]] twice - once in 1775, and again in 1832.<ref>{{cite web |title=Inclosure Records Conspectus|url=https://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/Guide-to-Collections/Collection-Guides/Maps-and-Land-Records/Inclosure-Records/InclosureRecordsConspectus.aspx |website=Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service |access-date=29 August 2021}}</ref>
Potton parish church is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and is situated on rising ground to the east of the town and just under half a mile from its centre. An ancient right of way known as the Church causeway runs from King Street across the meadows and brook to the western approaches to the church.


===Market and fairs===
==Historical background==
Potton was granted a [[market charter]] by [[King William II of England|William II]] in 1094.<ref name="guide"/> Potton's market was one of the largest in [[Bedfordshire]] in the [[Tudor period|Tudor]] and [[Stuart period|Stuart]] periods, but declined after the Great Fire in 1783.<ref name="guide"/> Corn and straw plait were the principal goods in 1831.<ref name="genuki">{{Genuki|county=BDF|Potton}}</ref>
There may well have been a church at Potton in Saxon times, but one of the first mentions of one is in 1094 when [[Simon de Senlis]], Earl of Northampton granted St Mary's Church to St Andrew's Priory, Northampton. Before this the land was held by [[Countess Judith]] - the niece of [[William the Conqueror.]]


A fair was granted by [[King Henry II of England|Henry II]] in 1227. In 1831, fairs were held in January, April, July and October.<ref name="genuki"/> The town's horse fairs were some of the largest in the country, until they ended in 1932.<ref name="guide"/>
Thereafter, the priors of St Andrew's became Lords of Potton Rectoria, the manor in which the church lay, the incumbents being Rectors of the Parish. In 1394 the prior invested the abbess and convent of [[Minoress]]es of the Order of St Clare, outside Aldgate, London, with the advowson of the church, as well as that of St Swithin's chapel in the town (which was in existence in 1107), the prior retaining the rectorial rights as Lord of Potton Rectoria. After this event the next incumbent (in 1404) and his successors became Vicars of the parish.


The Shambles provided folding market stalls in the town square before brick buildings were put in place by Samuel Whitbread, the Lord of the Manor, in 1797. They became dilapidated in the 1930s and were demolished after the Second World War. A new library was built in their place, incorporating the old clock from the Shambles with illuminated dials and bell. The library building is called Clock House and was opened on 23 July 1956. It serves as a focal point in the centre of the market square.<ref name=appraisal/> In spring 2006, the clock mechanism was replaced with an automatic winding system costing £3,000.<ref name="guide"/>
The Dissolution of the monasteries in the 16th century saw great changes. Potton Rectoria (the Rectory manor) and the right of the rectorial tithes passed into the hands of the Crown. They were leased to various tenants and were sold in 1591 to Rowland Litton. After this the rectory manor and the 'right of tithes' passed by sale in different ways. The former passed into the ownership of several families, including the Burgoynes, Spencers and Whitbreads.


===Great Fire===
In 1917 Samuel Howard Whitbread sold all his manor lands in Potton at auction. The right of the rectorial tithes also passed through several hands and in 1698 it was purchased by Thaxted parish in Essex under a decree in Chancery and in pursuance of the will of William Lord Maynard. Trustees were appointed as 'rectors impropriate' (or lay rectors) who were, and still are, responsible for the upkeep of the fabric of the chancel of the church (a duty that may lapse if an Act of Parliament is passed to abolish lay rectorships). The advowson or right of presentation of the incumbent also passed to the Crown at the Dissolution and was retained. It is presently exercised by the Lord Chancellor as representative of the Crown.
The Great Fire of Potton started in a stack of clover in a field in the area of what is now Spencer Close, in 1783. King Street, half the Market Square and some of the Brook End area were destroyed.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Great Fire of Potton 1783 |url=http://bedsarchives.bedford.gov.uk/CommunityArchives/Potton/TheGreatFireOfPotton1783.aspx |website=Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service |date=22 June 2019 |access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref> It was reported to have burned for a day. Local people raised £6,000 to help those most in need.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} The 13th-century [[parish church]], [[The Parish Church of St Mary, Potton|St Mary's]], survived. Rebuilding after the fire has left the town with a number of Georgian buildings.<ref name="guide">Potton Town Guide (2006)</ref>


===Railway===
The tithes, both rectorial and vicarial, were exchanged for allotments of land by an Act of Parliament in 1815. Tithe Farm (the allotment granted to the rectors impropriate) and Vicarage Farm (the vicar's allotment) were the main areas that followed this exchange, both having been subsequently sold off.
The Sandy and Potton Railway, also known as Captain Peel's Railway, opened on 9 November 1857. It was established by [[William Peel (Royal Navy officer)|Captain Sir William Peel]] VC, who resided at [[RSPB The Lodge|The Lodge]]. When the [[Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)|Great Northern Railway]] came to [[Sandy, Bedfordshire|Sandy]] in 1850, Captain Peel had a branch line built to his estate and on to Potton. The railway's locomotive was named Shannon, after the frigate Captain Peel was commanding. He never saw his railway; he died of [[smallpox]] on 22 April 1858 in [[India]]. The engine itself is in the collection of the [[National Railway Museum]]<ref>[http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/ArchivesAndRecordOffice/CommunityArchives/Potton/CaptainPeelsRailway.aspx Bedfordshire County Council: Captain Peel's Railway] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007004805/http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/ArchivesAndRecordOffice/CommunityArchives/Potton/CaptainPeelsRailway.aspx |date=7 October 2008 }}</ref> and is currently housed at [[Didcot Railway Centre]].<ref>[http://www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/locos/5/5.html Didcot Railway Centre: No.5 Shannon/Jane]</ref> The Potton Barbershop Harmony Club named its male chorus '[[Shannon Express]]' after the locomotive.<ref>[http://www.shannonexpress.org.uk/history.html Shannon Express History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220075934/http://shannonexpress.org.uk/history.html |date=20 February 2009 }}. Potton Barbershop Harmony Club. Retrieved 22 February 2009</ref>


[[File:Former Potton railway station.jpg|thumb|left|Former [[Potton railway station]] buildings, now a house.]]
In October 1916 the vicar of Potton, The Rev R S Bagshaw was instituted at Cockayne Hatley as Rector, with dispensation to hold Potton Vicarage with Cockayne Rectory. In February 1931 the two beneficiaries were permanently united. In March 1973 the United Benefice was joined by Sutton, the incumbent thereafter becoming rector of the united benefices of Potton with Sutton and Cockayne Hatley.
[[Potton railway station]], which opened in 1862 and served the [[Varsity Line]] between [[Oxford]] to [[Cambridge]], was closed in 1968.<ref>[http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/p/potton/index.shtml Subterranean Britannica – Disused Stations: Potton]</ref> The railway was partly to blame for the decline of Potton market but made London accessible for the district's [[market garden]]ers.<ref name="guide"/>


==The church==
===Potton Manor===
Potton Manor was built in the 1860s. It was requisitioned by the armed forces and used as a laboratory during the war and as a car factory by Eva Pokorova and Otto van Smekal.<ref name="timeline"/> The Champion car built in Potton was purchased from the [[National Motor Museum, Beaulieu|National Motor Museum]] by Potton History Society, whose aim it is to restore the vehicle to full working order. The house was finally demolished in the early 1980s.<ref name="guide"/>
The church today consists of a chancel with adjacent south chapel (the latter now part sacristy and part organ chamber), nave, north and south aisles, north transept (Lady chapel) north porch with room above and tower. The earliest parts can be dated to the first half of the 13th century. These comprise parts of the north and east walls of the chancel, the north transept and the wall supporting the chancel arch.
The north and south aisles with their arcades, and the nave are early 14th century. The north porch and tower are 15th century as are also parts of the chancel north wall, and were probably built when the old north vestry (now demolished) was added. The south chapel with its arcade is early 16th century (probably around 1500). The font is plain and appears to be very old, but has not been dated with certainty. In August 2002 the font was moved from the tower arch, where it had been since Victorian times, and placed under the 1994 "900 years window".


===The chancel===
===Land Settlement Association===
In March 1935 the first [[Land Settlement Association]] (LSA) estate of 30 smallholdings was established to the east of the town along the Wrestlingworth, Sutton and Hatley Roads with land donated by [[Sir Malcolm Stewart]], Potton's last Lord of the Manor. Its purpose was to resettle unemployed men from coal mining areas in the north of England. Pig and poultry farming plus horticulture were the main activities, augmented by a central farm. Potton provided the model for a further 20 such estates across the country.<ref name="guide"/><ref>{{cite web |title=The Land Settlement Association |url=https://www.severne.com/lsa/ |website=Severn |date=20 November 2018 |publisher=Peter Clark |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=LAND SETTLEMENT FOR THE UNEMPLOYED |url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/12th-april-1935/16/land-settlement-for-the-unemployed |website=The Spectator Archive |access-date=30 September 2019}}</ref>
The east window has three lights (replacing an earlier one of two lights). The stained glass depicts the Last Supper and was placed there in 1888. The oak reredos was erected in 1907 and the carved angels were added a few years later.
On the south east corner there is a fragment of a piscina, clearly not in its original position. The oak screen and sedilia on the south side were in position in 1899, as also were the main choir stalls, the front stalls being put there in 1902. The arcade that separates the chancel from the south chapel has two bays, and at the western end is a small angled window which, before the south chapel was built, gave light to the seats backing onto the rood screen. A similar window, serving the same purpose is at the opposite side. The organ is situated beneath the western arch of the south arcade and was installed in 1893. It replaced the old instrument which was positioned beneath the tower arch at the west end of the nave.
The windows in the north chancel wall are of different dates. That at the eastern end in early 15th century and has three lights. Its sill has been heightened, presumably to rise above the roof of the old north vestry that was built against the outside wall and was demolished about 1500. A doorway and a piscina on the outside of the chancel wall are other reminders of this old vestry. Just to the left of this doorway is another (now blocked up on the outside) which is slanted, probably to clear the west wall of the old vestry. A small lancet window of 13th century date is part of the earlier fabric and is situated above the door leading to the old vestry.
To its left is another large window of three lights, the coloured glass depicting two scenes of Our Lord with Mary and Martha. To the left of this window is a small cinquefoil single light which, like the one opposite, threw light on the seats backing the old rood screen.
The oak screen beneath the chancel arch was erected in 1921. Two pairs of medieval 'misericord' oak seats back onto the screen, one pair on each side and facing the choir. They serve as clergy stalls.


=== The south chapel===
===Air crash===
On 18 September 1945, a [[B-24 Liberator]] bomber crashed on the southern edge of [[Potton Wood]]. Four men were killed; the place where it fell can still be seen.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potton Liberator KN736 |url=http://www.grahamhague.com/pottonliberator.shtml |website=Graham Hague |access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref><ref name="fc">[http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/recreation.nsf/LUWebDocsByKey/EnglandBedfordshireAmpthillForestPottonWood Forestry Commission: Potton Wood] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081123103406/http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/recreation.nsf/LUWebDocsByKey/EnglandBedfordshireAmpthillForestPottonWood |date=23 November 2008 }}</ref>
The chapel and arcade were built about 1500. The eastern half now serves as a sacristy, the remaining area is almost wholly occupied by the organ chamber. There is a doorway of more recent date on the south wall. The three windows have cinquefoil lights, the one on the east wall has glass which contains a central panel depicting Our Lord breaking bread with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Portraits and photographs of past Vicars are displayed on the walls of the sacristy.


==Geography==
=== The nave and aisles===
Potton is {{convert|10|mi|km|0}} east of the county town of [[Bedford]], {{convert|15|mi|km|0}} south-west of [[Cambridge]] and {{convert|43|mi|km|0}} north of London. The B1042 road links the town to [[Sandy, Bedfordshire|Sandy]] and [[Wrestlingworth]] and the B1040 to [[Biggleswade]] and [[Gamlingay]].<ref>[http://maps.google.co.uk Google Maps]</ref>
The nave has five bays and is early 14th century and contemporary with the north and south aisles. The clerestory has five square headed windows on each side. The south arcade can be dated to about 1310 and has piers of four engaged shafts and pointed arches. The north arcade, dated about 1300, has four octagonal piers and also has pointed arches. The chancel arch is the full width of the nave. The entrance to the medieval rood is high up on the north side of the nave near to the chancel arch. The north aisle has three windows on the north side and one at the west end. Where not modernised they are of 15th century date. The doorway leading to the north porch is 14th century. Another door (now blocked) once provided an entrance into the church from the bottom of the stairway in the north porch.
{{Geographic Location
The names of Rectors and Vicars of Potton (from 1202) are displayed on panels adjacent to this blocked doorway. The arch between the aisle and the north transept is of more recent date. The south aisle has three windows on the south side of 15th century date and one at the west end of later date. The doorway in the south wall used to lead into the south porch which was removed in 1848. The western end of this aisle is now used as the choir vestry.
|title = '''Neighbouring places'''
The window at the eastern end of the south wall has stained glass in three panels and depicts (left to right) the Nativity, the Crucifixion and the Risen Christ with St Mary Magdalene in the garden of Gethsemany. Bronze plaques recording the names of those Potton men who gave their lives in the two World Wars are placed on the south wall and to the left of the doorway. Between this doorway and the memorial plaques is the radiantly coloured stained glass window, designed for 1994 by Mr Carl Russell, commemorating the 900th anniversary of the church. It shows the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove flying from the sun with its golden shafts. There are four angels' trumpets heralding the joy of Pentecost.
|Northwest = [[Everton, Bedfordshire|Everton]]
|Northeast = [[Gamlingay]]
|West = [[Sandy, Bedfordshire|Sandy]]
|Centre = Potton
|South = [[Sutton, Bedfordshire|Sutton]]
|East = [[Cockayne Hatley]]
|Southeast = [[Wrestlingworth]]
}}
'''Area and landscape classification'''


The parish covers an area of about 1,085 hectares. [[Potton Brook]] flows centrally, north to south through the parish and is the dividing point between two [[National Character Areas]] (NCAs) designated by [[Natural England]]. West of Potton Brook lies within The Bedfordshire Greensand Ridge (NCA 90). East of the Brook forms part of The Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands (NCA 88).<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ecological Potential of Potton |url=http://pottonneighbourhoodplan.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/The-Ecological-Potential-of-Potton.pdf |website=Potton Neighbourhood Plan |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref> Central Bedfordshire Council has further classified the landscape into landscape character areas (LCAs). The town and west of the parish lie on the Everton Greensand Ridge (LCA 6C), land surrounding Potton Brook is part of the Dunton Clay Vale (5G) and [[Potton Wood]] and its surrounds are on Cockayne Hatley Clay Farmland (1C).<ref>{{cite web |title=Central Bedfordshire Landscape Character Assessment |url=https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/migrated_images/introduction_tcm3-12988.pdf |website=Central Bedfordshire |publisher=Central Bedfordshire Council |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>
=== The north transept (Lady Chapel)===
Part of the walls and a few other features may be dated to the first half of the 13th century. The window in the north wall, of three panels, is relatively modern, its stained glass depicting the Samaritan woman at the well (left), Our Lord seated (centre) and a lady with a pitcher and a boy with a staff and flagon (right). The window in the east wall is 15th century and has clear glass. A stairway closed by a door with 'V.R. 1837' written in studs, on the south east side leads to the ancient rood. Memorials to departed members of the parish are placed on the walls of the transept. A burial vault exists beneath.
=== The north porch===
The porch is of 15th century date and has entrances to the outside on the west and north sides. A lozenge shaped stone panel, with indents for a brass (now lost), is fixed to the east wall. It represents a memorial to a priest. The stairway in the south east corner leads to an upper chamber which may have been used as living quarters by a visiting or assistant priest. The chamber contains square headed windows on two sides.


'''Altitude'''
=== The tower and belfry===
The tower is 15th century and has four stages and an embattled parapet. The stairway is in the north east comer with access from the bell ringing chamber. On the walls of the chamber are panels; those on the south and west recording benefactors and their benefactions. The earliest benefactions go back to 1558. Other panels on the west and north walls record the provision, in 1838, of increased seating accommodation in the church to 984 persons, various feats of bell ringing, and one recording the re-tuning and re-hanging of the bells in 1982.
There are six bells, the two earliest being cast (or recast) in 1706. In 1982 the bells were taken down and re-tuned at the Whitechapel Foundry, London. At the same time the intermediate floor was cleared of rubble, dust and pigeon droppings and rotten timbers replaced.


The town centre is {{convert|39|m|ft|0}} above sea level. The land slopes from north to south and reaches a high of {{convert|88|m|ft|0}} at Potton Wood in the north-east of the parish.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elevation |url=https://routecalculator.co.uk/elevation |website=Route Calculator |access-date=28 September 2019}}</ref>
===The churchyard===
The burial ground surrounds the church. It was enlarged in 1842. Some of the grave stones (though not always in their original positions) are those of benefactors to the church and can be seen. The oldest is that of John Snitch who died on 12th June 1687. Many of the older stones, particularly those of the 17th and 18th centuries, have partly sunk into the ground and their inscriptions are thus only partly visible. In 1879 burials were discontinued in the old part of the churchyard, and in May 1882 the whole churchyard was closed to burials except for a few vaults and walled or fenced graves. Thereafter all burials have been made at the town cemetery in Sandy Road which opened in 1882. A record of all known burials in the churchyard has been compiled by the Potton History Society. The Churchyard is the responsibility of the Town Council. They undertook a major restoration of the boundary wall in 2003.


'''Geology, soil type and land use'''
===Parish registers and records===
The church registers begin in 1614 and the bishops' transcripts in 1602. The register books to 1812 are deposited at the County Record Office at Bedford. The registers have been published from, 1602 - 1812 in the Bedfordshire Parish Register Series, Volumes 61 and 62. Many of the old churchwardens' books have not survived the passage of time. The earliest extant records, the Overseers of the Poor Account, start in may 1638 and have been published in Bedfordshire Notes and Queries, Volume III, page 272.


The town is mainly surrounded by arable farmland. There are areas of woodland to the south-east of the town at Pegnut Wood, alongside Potton Brook at the north-eastern edge of the town and at Potton Wood in the north-east corner of the parish. There is a sand quarry to the north-west of the town.
===Church property===

The Vicarage was sold in 1983 and a new Rectory has been built on lower ground to the west in 1985. The church hall (originally the church school) was built in 1848 on glebe land on the west of the road that runs past the church near the junction with the causeway. Subsequent renovations and extensions were carried out in 1882, 1897, 1964, and 1972. The hall is used for many activities not only those specifically connected with the church.
Potton lies on [[Potton Sands]]; a geological formation whose strata date back to the [[Early Cretaceous]] age. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. There is a band of alluvium along the course of Potton Brook and a strip of [[gault]] to the east of the town. Potton Wood lies on [[boulder clay]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sheet 204. Geological Survey of England & Wales |url=http://www.largeimages.bgs.ac.uk/iip/mapsportal.html?id=1003300 |website=British Geological Survey |access-date=28 September 2019}}</ref>
A number of other properties that originally belonged to the church, some of them from charitable bequests, have now been sold.

The field at the back of the hall is part of the church's property and is used for church fetes and for other activities, especially during the summer months.
The soil at the centre and west of the parish is of low fertility and is freely draining and slightly acid with a sandy texture. Alongside Potton Brook the soil is loamy and sandy with naturally high groundwater and a peaty texture. East of the brook is a strip of freely draining slightly acid loamy soil. There are highly fertile lime-rich loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage at and to the south of Potton Wood.<ref>{{cite web |title=Soilscapes Viewer |url=http://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/index.cfm |website=LandIS - Land Information System |publisher=Cranfield University |access-date=28 September 2019}}</ref>

==Demography==
At the time of the 2001 census, Potton had 4,473 inhabitants living in 1,869 households. The ethnic origin of 95.5% was British. 73.9% were Christian, 1.3% followed another religion and 24.9% stated no religion or were not religious.<ref>[http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/census/parish-profiles/pp-potton.htm Bedfordshire County Council: Potton parish profile] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106054340/http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/census/parish-profiles/pp-potton.htm |date=6 January 2009 }}</ref>

==Governance==
[[File:Potton Community Centre.jpg|thumb|Potton Community Centre: Town Council's headquarters.]]
There are two tiers of local government covering Potton, at [[civil parish|parish]] (town) and [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] level: Potton Town Council and [[Central Bedfordshire Council]], based at [[Chicksands]].

Potton Town Council has 15 members and meets at the Community Centre in Brook End. The building was formerly the town's fire station and had been built in 1887.<ref name=appraisal>{{cite book |title=Potton Conservation Area Appraisal |date=2009 |publisher=Central Bedfordshire Council |location=Chicksands |page=6 |url=https://www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/migrated_images/potton_tcm3-25079.pdf |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref><ref>[http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.yoyo/yycb_gov_pottontc.htm Bedfordshire County Council: Potton Town Council] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070627235635/http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.yoyo/yycb_gov_pottontc.htm |date=27 June 2007 }}</ref> The town is represented by a single councillor on [[Central Bedfordshire Council]] and by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] Member of Parliament [[Richard Fuller (Bedford MP)|Richard Fuller]] for the [[North East Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency)|North East Bedfordshire]] constituency at the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]].<ref>[http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/commons/postcode/search/l/SG19+2LU.html Find Your MP]{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}.</ref>

==Public transport==
Centrebus (South) runs an hourly, daytime, Monday to Saturday service to Biggleswade and [[Hitchin]] (journey time one hour) via [[Wrestlingworth]] and [[Dunton, Bedfordshire|Dunton]] (service 188) or via [[Sutton, Bedfordshire|Sutton]] (service 190) and to [[Sandy, Bedfordshire|Sandy]] direct (service 188) or via [[Gamlingay]] and [[Everton, Bedfordshire|Everton]] (service 190). Ivel Sprinter runs a return trip each Wednesday to Cambridge (journey time 43 minutes) and every Thursday to [[St. Neots]] (38 minutes).<ref>{{cite web |title=Potton |url=https://bustimes.org/localities/potton |website=Bus Times |access-date=29 September 2019}}</ref>

The nearest railway stations are [[Sandy railway station|Sandy]] and [[Biggleswade railway station|Biggleswade]].

==Public services==
The water supplied by [[Anglian Water]] for the Potton Public Water Supply Zone (RW50) is [[chloramination|chloraminated]] and classed as [[hard water|hard]]. The supply comes from groundwater [[borehole]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Drinking Water Quality Information |url=http://waterquality.anglianwater.com/map.aspx |website=Anglian Water |access-date=30 September 2019}}</ref> There is a [[waste water treatment]] works on Biggleswade Road and a water tower on Hatley Road.

The Eastern Power Area of [[UK Power Networks]] is the [[distribution network operator]] for electricity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Check if you're in our area |url=https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/about-us/areas-we-cover/#itop |website=UK Power Networks |access-date=30 September 2019}}</ref> [[Cadent Gas]] owns and operates the area's gas distribution network.<ref>{{cite web |title=Map: who operates the gas distribution network? |url=https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/key-term-explained/map-who-operates-gas-distribution-network |website=ofgem |access-date=30 September 2019}}</ref>
The two nearest general hospitals are [[Bedford Hospital|Bedford]] (Bedford Hospital NHS Trust) and [[Lister Hospital, Stevenage]] (East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust).
Ambulance services are provided by the [[East of England Ambulance Service]] NHS Trust. [[Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service]] has a station on Bury Hill staffed by retained firefighters.

There is a public library on the Market Square and a post office at Brook End.

==Landmarks==
A memorial cross to Potton men killed in the First and Second World Wars stands in the cemetery, with a brass plaque bearing the same names in the parish church.<ref>[http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Bedfordshire/PottonRollofHonour.html Roll of Honour.com: Potton]</ref>

==Media==
Local news and television programmes are provided by [[BBC East]] and [[ITV Anglia]]. Television signals are received from the nearby [[Sandy Heath transmitting station|Sandy Heath]] TV transmitter. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://ukfree.tv/transmitters/tv/Sandy_Heath|title=Full Freeview on the Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmitter|date=1 May 2004|website=UK Free TV|accessdate=3 December 2023}}</ref>

Local radio stations are [[BBC Three Counties Radio]] on 95.5 FM, [[Heart East]] on 96.9 FM and [[BigglesFM]] is a licensed community radio station which broadcasts from the town on 104.8 FM and online. Full-time broadcasting began in April 2011.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Biggles FM |url=http://static.ofcom.org.uk/static/radiolicensing/html/radio-stations/community/cr000196ba4bigglesfm.htm |website=OFCOM |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref>

The town is served by the local newspaper, The Biggleswade Chronicle. <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britishpapers.co.uk/england-eang/biggleswade-chronicle/|title=Biggleswade Chronicle|date=26 September 2013|website=British Papers|accessdate=3 December 2023}}</ref>

==Sport and leisure==
{{See also|Sport in Bedfordshire}}

The Henry Smith Playing Field off Brook End on the eastern edge of the town has a children's play area and skate park. Events such as Picnic in the Park and the bi-annual Party on Potton are hosted.<ref>{{cite web |title=Henry Smith Playing Fields |url=https://www.pottontowncouncil.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Henry-Smith-Playing-Fields-map_2017_web.pdf |website=Potton Town Council |access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About |url=http://www.partyonpotton.org.uk/pop-front-page/about/ |website=Party on Potton |access-date=20 July 2019}}</ref>

Potton has a [[Non-League football]] club [[Potton United F.C.]], which plays at The Hollow.
Potton Colts is the local youth football club with teams for children aged 6–16.<ref>{{cite web|title=Potton Colts|url=https://www.pottoncolts.co.uk}}</ref>

Potton Town Cricket Club is also based at The Hollow on Biggleswade Road. Both Junior and Senior cricket is played. The adult section runs two teams competing in the Saracens Hertfordshire League on Saturdays and The Bedfordshire Cricket League on Sundays. The club also enter midweek competitions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League|url=http://hertsleague.co.uk/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bedfordshire Cricket League|url=http://bedsccl.play-cricket.com/leaguetables/competitions.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130829203342/http://bedsccl.play-cricket.com/leaguetables/competitions.asp|archive-date=29 August 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

===Potton History Society===
There is an active History Society with a membership of over 100. It meets regularly in the Community Centre in Brook End.<ref>{{cite web |title=Potton History Society |url=https://pottonhistorysociety.org.uk/ |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref>

==Religious sites==
[[File:St Mary's Church, Potton.jpg|thumb|St Mary's Church]]

The [[The Parish Church of St Mary, Potton|parish church of St Mary's]] stands a short distance from the town centre on a small hill. It has a chancel, a nave, aisles and north porch, and a western tower with circular turret containing six bells. A separate cemetery was established in 1880, west of the town on the road to Sandy.<ref name="genuki"/>

==Economy==
Potton had its own brewery from around 1784<ref name="timeline">[http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.digitised_resources/potton_digitisation_timeline.htm Bedfordshire County Council: Potton Timeline] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205020715/http://www.galaxy.bedfordshire.gov.uk/webingres/bedfordshire/vlib/0.digitised_resources/potton_digitisation_timeline.htm |date=5 December 2008 }}</ref> until 1922 when it was bought by the [[Bedford]] brewery of Newland & Nash. This company subsequently closed the brewery in Potton and sold the site to the [[Co-op|Co-operative Society]] (the original buildings remain intact). In 1998 brewing returned to Potton when the Potton Brewery Company was re-established, This subsequently closed but a new brewery is currently being planned. The town is also home to Potton Homes, who specialise in mock Tudor style property developments.

A sand quarry operated by [[Breedon Group|Breedon Aggregates]] lies off The Heath to the north-west of the town.
Deepdale Trees operate an extensive tree nursery off Hatley Road and there is an adjacent poultry farm.

Despite noteworthy local businesses, the town remains very much a commuter town; the majority of people in Potton commute daily to either London, via rail, or to Cambridge.

==Notable people==
{{alumni|residents|date=October 2018}}
* [[Joel Beckett]] (1973- ), actor, born in Potton
* [[Sarah Dazley]] (1819-1843), murderer, known as the "Potton Poisoner";<ref>{{cite web|title=The Potton Poisoner, Wrestlingworth, Beds, UK|url=http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM9BZB_The_Potton_Poisoner_Wrestlingworth_Beds_UK}}</ref> lived in Potton until 1840
* [[Freddie Hinds]] (1999- ), professional [[Association football|footballer]] who plays as a [[Forward (association football)|striker]] for [[EFL Championship|Championship]] club [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.pottonhistorysociety.org.uk/ Potton History Society]
*[https://www.inpotton.com inPotton.com]
{{Bedfordshire}}
{{Places in Bedfordshire}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Potton| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Bedfordshire]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Bedfordshire]]
[[Category:Central Bedfordshire District]]

Latest revision as of 10:37, 15 January 2024

This article is about the town in Bedfordshire. For other uses, see Potton (disambiguation).

Potton
Clock House in Market Square
Potton is located in Bedfordshire
Potton
Potton
Location within Bedfordshire
Population5,727 (Parish, 2021)[1]
5,230 (Built-up area, 2021)[2]
OS grid referenceTL2249
Civil parish
  • Potton
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townSANDY
Postcode districtSG19
Dialling code01767
PoliceBedfordshire
FireBedfordshire and Luton
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Bedfordshire
52°07′38″N 0°12′55″W / 52.1271°N 0.2152°W / 52.1271; -0.2152

Potton is a town and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England, about 10 miles (16 km) east of the county town Bedford. The parish had a population in 2021 of 5,727. In 1783 the Great Fire of Potton destroyed a large part of the town. The parish church dates from the 13th century, and is dedicated to St Mary. Potton's horse fairs were some of the largest in the country.

History[edit]

The village's name was spelled Pottun in 960 AD and Potone in the 1086 Domesday book. It is derived from the Old English for "farmstead where pots are made".[3]

Evidence of early-middle Iron Age settlement in the form of ditches, a pit and sherds of pottery was found in 2009 by archaeologists at Vicarage Farm off the B1042 Gamlingay Road.[4] The parish of Potton underwent parliamentary inclosure twice - once in 1775, and again in 1832.[5]

Market and fairs[edit]

Potton was granted a market charter by William II in 1094.[6] Potton's market was one of the largest in Bedfordshire in the Tudor and Stuart periods, but declined after the Great Fire in 1783.[6] Corn and straw plait were the principal goods in 1831.[7]

A fair was granted by Henry II in 1227. In 1831, fairs were held in January, April, July and October.[7] The town's horse fairs were some of the largest in the country, until they ended in 1932.[6]

The Shambles provided folding market stalls in the town square before brick buildings were put in place by Samuel Whitbread, the Lord of the Manor, in 1797. They became dilapidated in the 1930s and were demolished after the Second World War. A new library was built in their place, incorporating the old clock from the Shambles with illuminated dials and bell. The library building is called Clock House and was opened on 23 July 1956. It serves as a focal point in the centre of the market square.[8] In spring 2006, the clock mechanism was replaced with an automatic winding system costing £3,000.[6]

Great Fire[edit]

The Great Fire of Potton started in a stack of clover in a field in the area of what is now Spencer Close, in 1783. King Street, half the Market Square and some of the Brook End area were destroyed.[9] It was reported to have burned for a day. Local people raised £6,000 to help those most in need.[citation needed] The 13th-century parish church, St Mary's, survived. Rebuilding after the fire has left the town with a number of Georgian buildings.[6]

Railway[edit]

The Sandy and Potton Railway, also known as Captain Peel's Railway, opened on 9 November 1857. It was established by Captain Sir William Peel VC, who resided at The Lodge. When the Great Northern Railway came to Sandy in 1850, Captain Peel had a branch line built to his estate and on to Potton. The railway's locomotive was named Shannon, after the frigate Captain Peel was commanding. He never saw his railway; he died of smallpox on 22 April 1858 in India. The engine itself is in the collection of the National Railway Museum[10] and is currently housed at Didcot Railway Centre.[11] The Potton Barbershop Harmony Club named its male chorus 'Shannon Express' after the locomotive.[12]

Former Potton railway station buildings, now a house.

Potton railway station, which opened in 1862 and served the Varsity Line between Oxford to Cambridge, was closed in 1968.[13] The railway was partly to blame for the decline of Potton market but made London accessible for the district's market gardeners.[6]

Potton Manor[edit]

Potton Manor was built in the 1860s. It was requisitioned by the armed forces and used as a laboratory during the war and as a car factory by Eva Pokorova and Otto van Smekal.[14] The Champion car built in Potton was purchased from the National Motor Museum by Potton History Society, whose aim it is to restore the vehicle to full working order. The house was finally demolished in the early 1980s.[6]

Land Settlement Association[edit]

In March 1935 the first Land Settlement Association (LSA) estate of 30 smallholdings was established to the east of the town along the Wrestlingworth, Sutton and Hatley Roads with land donated by Sir Malcolm Stewart, Potton's last Lord of the Manor. Its purpose was to resettle unemployed men from coal mining areas in the north of England. Pig and poultry farming plus horticulture were the main activities, augmented by a central farm. Potton provided the model for a further 20 such estates across the country.[6][15][16]

Air crash[edit]

On 18 September 1945, a B-24 Liberator bomber crashed on the southern edge of Potton Wood. Four men were killed; the place where it fell can still be seen.[17][18]

Geography[edit]

Potton is 10 miles (16 km) east of the county town of Bedford, 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Cambridge and 43 miles (69 km) north of London. The B1042 road links the town to Sandy and Wrestlingworth and the B1040 to Biggleswade and Gamlingay.[19]

Area and landscape classification

The parish covers an area of about 1,085 hectares. Potton Brook flows centrally, north to south through the parish and is the dividing point between two National Character Areas (NCAs) designated by Natural England. West of Potton Brook lies within The Bedfordshire Greensand Ridge (NCA 90). East of the Brook forms part of The Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands (NCA 88).[20] Central Bedfordshire Council has further classified the landscape into landscape character areas (LCAs). The town and west of the parish lie on the Everton Greensand Ridge (LCA 6C), land surrounding Potton Brook is part of the Dunton Clay Vale (5G) and Potton Wood and its surrounds are on Cockayne Hatley Clay Farmland (1C).[21]

Altitude

The town centre is 39 metres (128 ft) above sea level. The land slopes from north to south and reaches a high of 88 metres (289 ft) at Potton Wood in the north-east of the parish.[22]

Geology, soil type and land use

The town is mainly surrounded by arable farmland. There are areas of woodland to the south-east of the town at Pegnut Wood, alongside Potton Brook at the north-eastern edge of the town and at Potton Wood in the north-east corner of the parish. There is a sand quarry to the north-west of the town.

Potton lies on Potton Sands; a geological formation whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous age. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation. There is a band of alluvium along the course of Potton Brook and a strip of gault to the east of the town. Potton Wood lies on boulder clay.[23]

The soil at the centre and west of the parish is of low fertility and is freely draining and slightly acid with a sandy texture. Alongside Potton Brook the soil is loamy and sandy with naturally high groundwater and a peaty texture. East of the brook is a strip of freely draining slightly acid loamy soil. There are highly fertile lime-rich loamy and clayey soils with impeded drainage at and to the south of Potton Wood.[24]

Demography[edit]

At the time of the 2001 census, Potton had 4,473 inhabitants living in 1,869 households. The ethnic origin of 95.5% was British. 73.9% were Christian, 1.3% followed another religion and 24.9% stated no religion or were not religious.[25]

Governance[edit]

Potton Community Centre: Town Council's headquarters.

There are two tiers of local government covering Potton, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Potton Town Council and Central Bedfordshire Council, based at Chicksands.

Potton Town Council has 15 members and meets at the Community Centre in Brook End. The building was formerly the town's fire station and had been built in 1887.[8][26] The town is represented by a single councillor on Central Bedfordshire Council and by the Conservative Member of Parliament Richard Fuller for the North East Bedfordshire constituency at the House of Commons.[27]

Public transport[edit]

Centrebus (South) runs an hourly, daytime, Monday to Saturday service to Biggleswade and Hitchin (journey time one hour) via Wrestlingworth and Dunton (service 188) or via Sutton (service 190) and to Sandy direct (service 188) or via Gamlingay and Everton (service 190). Ivel Sprinter runs a return trip each Wednesday to Cambridge (journey time 43 minutes) and every Thursday to St. Neots (38 minutes).[28]

The nearest railway stations are Sandy and Biggleswade.

Public services[edit]

The water supplied by Anglian Water for the Potton Public Water Supply Zone (RW50) is chloraminated and classed as hard. The supply comes from groundwater boreholes.[29] There is a waste water treatment works on Biggleswade Road and a water tower on Hatley Road.

The Eastern Power Area of UK Power Networks is the distribution network operator for electricity.[30] Cadent Gas owns and operates the area's gas distribution network.[31] The two nearest general hospitals are Bedford (Bedford Hospital NHS Trust) and Lister Hospital, Stevenage (East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust). Ambulance services are provided by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service has a station on Bury Hill staffed by retained firefighters.

There is a public library on the Market Square and a post office at Brook End.

Landmarks[edit]

A memorial cross to Potton men killed in the First and Second World Wars stands in the cemetery, with a brass plaque bearing the same names in the parish church.[32]

Media[edit]

Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia. Television signals are received from the nearby Sandy Heath TV transmitter. [33]

Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio on 95.5 FM, Heart East on 96.9 FM and BigglesFM is a licensed community radio station which broadcasts from the town on 104.8 FM and online. Full-time broadcasting began in April 2011.[34]

The town is served by the local newspaper, The Biggleswade Chronicle. [35]

Sport and leisure[edit]

See also: Sport in Bedfordshire

The Henry Smith Playing Field off Brook End on the eastern edge of the town has a children's play area and skate park. Events such as Picnic in the Park and the bi-annual Party on Potton are hosted.[36][37]

Potton has a Non-League football club Potton United F.C., which plays at The Hollow. Potton Colts is the local youth football club with teams for children aged 6–16.[38]

Potton Town Cricket Club is also based at The Hollow on Biggleswade Road. Both Junior and Senior cricket is played. The adult section runs two teams competing in the Saracens Hertfordshire League on Saturdays and The Bedfordshire Cricket League on Sundays. The club also enter midweek competitions.[39][40]

Potton History Society[edit]

There is an active History Society with a membership of over 100. It meets regularly in the Community Centre in Brook End.[41]

Religious sites[edit]

St Mary's Church

The parish church of St Mary's stands a short distance from the town centre on a small hill. It has a chancel, a nave, aisles and north porch, and a western tower with circular turret containing six bells. A separate cemetery was established in 1880, west of the town on the road to Sandy.[7]

Economy[edit]

Potton had its own brewery from around 1784[14] until 1922 when it was bought by the Bedford brewery of Newland & Nash. This company subsequently closed the brewery in Potton and sold the site to the Co-operative Society (the original buildings remain intact). In 1998 brewing returned to Potton when the Potton Brewery Company was re-established, This subsequently closed but a new brewery is currently being planned. The town is also home to Potton Homes, who specialise in mock Tudor style property developments.

A sand quarry operated by Breedon Aggregates lies off The Heath to the north-west of the town. Deepdale Trees operate an extensive tree nursery off Hatley Road and there is an adjacent poultry farm.

Despite noteworthy local businesses, the town remains very much a commuter town; the majority of people in Potton commute daily to either London, via rail, or to Cambridge.

Notable people[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Potton parish". City Population. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  2. ^ "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales". Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  3. ^ Mills, A.D. (1998). A Dictionary of English Place-names. Second Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford. p277. ISBN 0-19-280074-4
  4. ^ Keir, W. and Turner, I. "Archaeological Field Evaluation: Vicarge Farm, Gamlingay Road, Potton" (PDF). Archaeology Data Service. Albion Archaeology. Retrieved 28 September 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ "Inclosure Records Conspectus". Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Potton Town Guide (2006)
  7. ^ a b c Potton: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI.
  8. ^ a b Potton Conservation Area Appraisal (PDF). Chicksands: Central Bedfordshire Council. 2009. p. 6. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  9. ^ "The Great Fire of Potton 1783". Bedfordshire Archives and Records Service. 22 June 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  10. ^ Bedfordshire County Council: Captain Peel's Railway Archived 7 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Didcot Railway Centre: No.5 Shannon/Jane
  12. ^ Shannon Express History Archived 20 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Potton Barbershop Harmony Club. Retrieved 22 February 2009
  13. ^ Subterranean Britannica – Disused Stations: Potton
  14. ^ a b Bedfordshire County Council: Potton Timeline Archived 5 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "The Land Settlement Association". Severn. Peter Clark. 20 November 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  16. ^ "LAND SETTLEMENT FOR THE UNEMPLOYED". The Spectator Archive. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  17. ^ "Potton Liberator KN736". Graham Hague. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  18. ^ Forestry Commission: Potton Wood Archived 23 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ^ Google Maps
  20. ^ "The Ecological Potential of Potton" (PDF). Potton Neighbourhood Plan. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  21. ^ "Central Bedfordshire Landscape Character Assessment" (PDF). Central Bedfordshire. Central Bedfordshire Council. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  22. ^ "Elevation". Route Calculator. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Sheet 204. Geological Survey of England & Wales". British Geological Survey. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  24. ^ "Soilscapes Viewer". LandIS - Land Information System. Cranfield University. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  25. ^ Bedfordshire County Council: Potton parish profile Archived 6 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ Bedfordshire County Council: Potton Town Council Archived 27 June 2007 at archive.today
  27. ^ Find Your MP[permanent dead link].
  28. ^ "Potton". Bus Times. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  29. ^ "Drinking Water Quality Information". Anglian Water. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  30. ^ "Check if you're in our area". UK Power Networks. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  31. ^ "Map: who operates the gas distribution network?". ofgem. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  32. ^ Roll of Honour.com: Potton
  33. ^ "Full Freeview on the Sandy Heath (Central Bedfordshire, England) transmitter". UK Free TV. 1 May 2004. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  34. ^ "Biggles FM". OFCOM. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  35. ^ "Biggleswade Chronicle". British Papers. 26 September 2013. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  36. ^ "Henry Smith Playing Fields" (PDF). Potton Town Council. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  37. ^ "About". Party on Potton. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  38. ^ "Potton Colts".
  39. ^ "Saracens Hertfordshire Cricket League".
  40. ^ "Bedfordshire Cricket League". Archived from the original on 29 August 2013.
  41. ^ "Potton History Society". Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  42. ^ "The Potton Poisoner, Wrestlingworth, Beds, UK".

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Potton&oldid=1195809346"