Tuesday, June 2, 2009

A Short History of Luton Bedfordshire

A large town located in Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, Luton dates from a Saxon settlement established on the River Lea during the 6th century. Listed as Loitone in the Domesday Book, Luton developed as a mostly agricultural town. In 1240 the town was called Leueton, though most of the town was later destroyed by a great fire (1336). The arrival of a brick-making industry in the 16th century, led to most of its houses being rebuilt in brick rather than the traditional wood. Luton has for a long time been associated with hat-making and this industry in fact started during the 17th century, but had declined by the early 20th century, being largely replaced by an emerging car manufacturing industry, as Vauxhall Motors opened a new plant in 1905, at the time the largest car manufacturing factory in the UK. Map of Luton.