Sitting in the north-east of Luton, Bedfordshire, Stopsley occupies a position roughly bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Vauxhall Way and Turners Road North to the south, Bradgers Hill to the west, and Cannon Lane, Stapleford Road, and Brays Road to the east. Once a hilltop village in its own right, it has since been absorbed into the wider town while retaining something of its original character around a central cluster of shops and a village church.
Origins and History
The name Stopsley has been traced to Old English roots, combining ‘Stopp’ – a personal name indicating ownership – with ‘leah’, meaning a wood or clearing in a wood. This dating falls between AD 750 and AD 950. An earlier theory, put forward by Frederick Davis in 1965, linked the name to the Saxon word ‘scrobbes’, meaning shrubs or underwood on a hill. A Latin law record from 1440 records the place as ‘Stopeslegh in Soca de Luton’. Stopsley became a civil parish on 1 April 1896, having been formed from part of the parish of Luton Rural. By 1 April 1933, as Luton’s boundaries expanded, the urbanised portion of the parish was absorbed into the town, while rural areas passed to Hyde and Streatley with Sharpenhoe. The parish population in 1931 stood at 1,474.
Local Area and Landmarks
The centre of Stopsley is built around its village church and a variety of shops. The skyline from a distance is dominated by Jansel House, an office block constructed in 1961 that houses the Luton VAT office above a parade of street-level shops. The Vale, one of Luton’s two cemeteries, lies nearby on the Hitchin Road. For those looking further afield, the surrounding area has a wide range of attractions including Stockwood Park, Wardown Park, Waulud’s Bank, Luton Hoo, Someries Castle, Whipsnade Wildlife Park, Dunstable Downs, and the Chiltern Hills.
Education and Notable Alumni
Stopsley High School, a specialist Sports College, is one of the area’s educational institutions. Among its notable alumni is cricketer Monty Panesar. Stopsley Infant and Junior School also has a remarkable record: in the 1960s, its pupils included Alec Jeffreys, who later discovered the DNA genetic fingerprint and became Professor of Genetics at Leicester University, receiving a knighthood in 1994. Another former pupil, David Renwick, went on to create the television series ‘One Foot in the Grave’ and ‘Jonathan Creek’. Both Jeffreys and Renwick later studied at Luton Grammar School and Luton Sixth Form College. Politically, Stopsley falls within the Stopsley ward – which also covers Putteridge and part of Ramridge End – and is part of the parliamentary constituency of Luton South, currently represented by Rachel Hopkins of the Labour Party.