Arlesey

Located in the South East of England close to Milton Keynes, Buckingham and its own county town of Bedford, Arlesey is a small industrial town known historically for brick making — with several of the former clay pits now being scenic lakes. The White Bricks produced in Arlesey can be seen in many of the older buildings throughout the town. Arlesey is noted in the Domesday Book as a market town, like many in Bedfordshire and is purported to be the longest town in Britain. The Arlesey Old Moat and Glebe Meadows nature reserve can be found to the north of the town, by the River Ivel and the grounds of Arlesey Athletic Football Club in the south of the town.

The town's St Peters Church was built in the 11th century by the monks of Waltham Abbey and is located in the church region of Arlesey. Arlesey was also the home of Etonbury Castle — a 12th century motte-and-bailey castle constructed of timber and attributed to the Danes — although unfortunately there is little of it left to see.

Another point of interest in the town is the Fairfield Hospital, finished in 1860 and designed by architect George fowler Jones featuring the longest corridor in Britain at half a mile in length. The hospital was built to replace a former lunatic asylum and used White Bricks from the local brickworks. Blue Lagoon — now a private lake for fishing and watersports clubs — was once a cement pit owned by the Portland Cement Company. 

The town is a civil parish, as is its neighbour Letchworth Garden City, which one of the forerunners of modern town planning, is the inspiration for several major towns abroad, and which can be accessed easily by public transport for an enjoyable family outing.