Just over a mile north-east of Luton town centre, Round Green is a suburb and ward of the Borough of Luton, sitting within the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire. Its rough boundaries run from Bradgers Hill to the north, People’s Park, Richmond Hill, and Turners Road South to the south, Wardown Crescent and Elmwood Crescent to the west, and Vauxhall Way to the east. The area originally carried the name Cowridge End, stretching from Old Bedford Road north to Birchen Grove and south to Crawley Green.
History and Origins
Round Green is among the oldest parts of Luton, with references to the area dating back to 1170. It developed as a small hamlet between Biscot, Leagrave, and Stopsley before being formally absorbed into Luton’s boundary in 1933. In 1908, Luton’s tram service launched with route one terminating at Round Green, starting from Park Street. The trams proved short-lived, and by 1931 the council had replaced them with buses. On Hart Lane, a Grade II-listed water tower built in 1900 rises prominently on the eastern skyline. It was erected following a drought in the Stopsley area and is a counterpart to a similarly aged tower on West Hill Road in New Town.
Pubs, Parks, and Community
The Jolly Topers on the Hitchin Road roundabout holds licensing records going back to 1822, making it the last surviving public house in Round Green. A murder inquest took place there in 1867. A horse-chestnut tree that had stood outside for 150 years was removed in 2001. The Round Green Tavern on the opposite side of the roundabout closed in the late 2010s and has since been converted into an estate agent’s office and residential apartments. The Royal Oak, first mentioned in 1850, closed in the late 2000s and now operates as a veterinary clinic. The Somerset Tavern on the corner of Somerset Avenue and Crawley Green Road was converted to residential flats in 2009. Green space in Round Green is limited, partly because People’s Park in High Town is close by. A small children’s play area sits at Abbotswood Park between Abbots Wood Road and Abbey Drive, and a wooded area lies at the northern end of Hitchin Road. The Luton Co-Operative Club on Stockingstone Road provides a members’ bar and sports facilities for the local community. Richmond Hill Primary, a special school on Sunridge Avenue with a second site in Wigmore, is the main educational institution within the ward.