A busy village with its own pub and a handful of shops and churches, Caddington benefits from close proximity to Luton, Markyate and Dunstable. We found out more about it.

Herts Advertiser: Caddington's village green. Picture: Danny LooCaddington's village green. Picture: Danny Loo (Image: Archant)

Caddington has a busy parade of shops, including a post office, sandwich shop, estate agent, hairdressers and supermarket, plus a pub, several churches and a public hall.

There is a strong sense of community within the village, with many regular events designed to bring people together.

The main event is the annual village show, which has at points included everything from a climbing wall, craft fair and dog show to morris dancing and a travelling zoo. Profits from the event are ploughed back into subsequent village shows.

Other events include monthly WI meetings, a weekly men's group and bi-weekly chair-based exercise sessions.

There is also a running group, a gardening club and a book, video and jigsaw exchange.

Dunstable Downs and Whipsnade Zoo are very close by, as is the excellent Stockwood Discovery Centre.

Caddington also has a number of pretty historic churches, notably the Anglican All Saints Church in the middle of the village, St Thomas Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Manor Road and Caddington Baptist Church on Luton Road.

Property

According to Rightmove, the average price for a property in Caddington over the last year was £419,845.

Homes currently on the market in the village include a five-bed detached house on Mardle Close for £795,000, a two-bed bungalow on Dunstable Road for £490,000 and a four-bed semi on Chaul End Road for £380,000.

History

Caddington has its very own brick, the Caddington Blue (an engineering brick) – although some are a bit sketchy as to the credibility of this.

Caddington was once the centre of a thriving brick industry and the Luton Grey, which was found commonly in Caddington, was referred to in a special book about the history of bricks, produced in the '70s by Bedfordshire County Council in conjunction with the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments.

The Luton Grey was a brick produced from flinty brick earths excavated from around the Kensworth/Caddington/Stopsley area.

Transport

There are many bus services from Caddington, whose nearest train station is Luton. Luton Airport is on your doorstep, as are the M1, M25 and A1(M).

Schools

Primary-aged children are served by Caddington Village School. The two-form entry school has about 360 pupils aged three to 11 and was rated 'good' by Oftsed at its last inspection.

Secondary options include Stockwood Park Academy ('requires improvement') and Chalk Hills Academy ('good'), which are both in neighbouring Luton.

Food and drink

Popular places to eat and drink in Caddington include The Chequers pub, which is located opposite the village green, and Spice of Caddington Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant.

There's also the excellently named Nice Baps sandwich shop, a pizzeria/cafe, a fish and chip shop and a Chinese takeaway.

Sport and leisure

Caddington has several football teams and a thriving cricket club.

Caddington Sports and Social Club is the base for many local teams, including football, cricket, darts and pool. It offers big screen sports and a range of events including live acts, quiz and race nights and discos.

Caddington Golf Club offers two courses across its huge 27-hole complex in the Chiltern Hills.