With two pubs, a shop and a school, Slip End has plenty to offer house hunters seekling traditional village life.
Contrary to its slightly suggestive name, Slip End is a quaint village and parish just over the border in Bedfordshire.
The parish includes the hamlets of Lower Woodside, Woodside and Pepperstock, and has a population of around 2,000.
According to Rightmove, the average price for property in Slip End was £317,119 during 2017.
This was an increase of 7 per cent on 2016 and 24 per cent up on 2007 when the average was just £256,480.
Homes currently on the market in the village include a new build four-bed detached house on Grove Road (£460,000) and a two-bed end terrace on Front Street requiring total refurbishment (£295,000).
History
The village’s name is an historic reference to the building works in the area. Slip is an old word for clay and End is used commonly in Bedfordshire in place names, especially for small settlements outside bigger villages.
An area of ‘newer’ brickwork suggests it might have been named in the 19th century, as it was developed more recently than older Woodside and Pepperstock, which are either side of Slip End.
Markyate, just up the road, has a ‘Slype End’, which may or may not be connected.
The village church, St Andrews, is relatively new, having been built in 1889.
Schools
There was originally a boarding school in the village, providing education to all, at the Pepperstock end of Front Street and Summer Street – now flats and houses named Old School Walk.
It moved a hundred years after it was established to its current site on Ross Way, which was formerly clay pits for local brick production.
Slip End Village School currently has around 170 pupils on roll; it was rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in 2010.
Transport
The M1 runs adjacent to the village and was officially inaugurated from Slip End - as marked by a specially inscribed slab of concrete reading: “London-Yorkshire motorway. This slab was sealed by Rt Hon Harold Watkinson MP, Minister of Transport. Inauguration day 24th March 1958.”
Slip End is very close to Luton Airport and nearby train stations include Luton, Leagrave and Luton Airport Parkway.
Amenities
The village hall, built around 1901, is a popular children’s party venue. It has an entertainment license for 100 guests (dancing) or 200 (meeting).
The friendly Slip End Superstore is a licensed grocery shop on Markyate Road. It stocks a fine selection of wine, among other goods, and is open from 7am until 9pm daily.
Woodside Animal Farm on Woodside Road is popular attraction for families of young children. Kids can cuddle anything from bunnies to boa constrictors, tour the farm on a tractor and enjoy fairground rides, crazy golf and indoor soft play. There’s also a café on site.
The Harpers food hall and tearooms in nearby Pepperstock is a short walk from Slip End. It stocks a range of food, including meat, fish, jams and chutneys, plus tasty home prepared meals. The licensed coffee shop has indoor and outdoor seating, so you can take your ploughman’s lunch or award-winning sausage roll outdoors if the weather’s obliging.
Food and drink
There are two pubs in Slip End. The Rising Sun on Front Street is a traditional pub, which attracts a diverse crowd. It offers food including sandwiches, pizza served straight from their pizza oven and barbecues in the garden during the summer months.
The smart and modern Frog & Rhubarb on Church Road offers an inviting, family friendly dining experience. Its menu includes tiger prawns as a starter, grilled sea bass fillets and rabbit pie with chips.
Sport and leisure
The Peter Edwards Recreation Hall and playing fields at the Luton end of the village, next to the church, has facilities, such as tennis courts and a football pitch.
There is a lively gardening club, which meets regularly, a Good Neighbour Scheme, and Slip End Photography Group always welcomes new members
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