About Luton, Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire's biggest town

Luton sits at the northern edge of the Chiltern Hills, about 30 miles north of London. It is the largest town in Bedfordshire and one of the most diverse places in the country, with neighbourhoods such as High Town, Bury Park, Stopsley, Leagrave, Limbury and Wigmore each keeping their own character.

The town became a borough in 1876. Since 1997 it has been run by a single unitary council, Luton Borough Council, which looks after everything from bins and roads to libraries and parks.

The hat town

Luton's story is tied to hats. In the 1800s the town had more than 400 hat factories, most of them making straw hats, and a handful are still working today. The football club is still nicknamed the Hatters, and the streets around Bute Street and Guildford Street are known as the Hat District, where red-brick former factories have found new life as studios, workspaces and the Hat Factory Arts Centre.

Wardown House, Museum & Gallery holds what The Culture Trust describes as the most complete headwear and hat industry collection in the world - a good first stop if you want to understand how the town grew.

Town centre landmarks

Luton Town Hall, with its pale stone clock tower, overlooks St George's Square. The current building dates from the mid-1930s; its predecessor was gutted by fire during the Peace Day riots of July 1919. Nearby, St Mary's Church is one of the town's oldest buildings and easy to spot by the chequerboard of flint and stone on its tower.

Getting around

Trains on the Thameslink route stop at Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and Leagrave, putting central London within easy reach. London Luton Airport is on the town's eastern edge, linked to Parkway station by the Luton DART shuttle. Local buses cover most neighbourhoods, and the busway runs towards Dunstable and Houghton Regis.

Those neighbouring towns sit in Central Bedfordshire, a separate council area. This directory focuses on Luton itself and the businesses serving the wider Luton district.