Wootton & Stewartby

Wootton and Stewartby sit within the Borough of Bedford, linked by local roads and shared services. Wootton is the larger settlement, with a village centre that contains shops, a parish council, and local schools that serve families across surrounding estates. Stewartby lies immediately to the south-east and was laid out as a company village for brickworkers; its street plan and many houses reflect that origin. Both places have pubs, community halls and regular bus services into Bedford town, and day-to-day life is centred on local facilities rather than tourism.

The industrial past shaped the landscape: clay extraction for the brickworks left a chain of pits now flooded and used for water sports and wildlife observation, and remnants of the brickworks appear in building fabric around the village. Parts of the area sit within the Marston Vale regeneration zone, where woodland and lakes are being managed for recreation and nature. Local groups run volunteer projects, and community events mark the year at village halls and greens, keeping the social ties that developed when the brickworks were in regular operation.