Shortstown Online!

Shortstown is a village on the outskirts of Bedford, Bedfordshire.

The village was originally built by Short Brothers for its workers in 1917, but evolved into a settlement for people working at the RAF Cardington base.

The population of Shortstown is between 1500 and 2000. There is a shop with Postoffice, surgery, pharmacy and school: Shortstown Lower School. North of Shortstown is Harrowden hamlet with fantastic pub.

Shortstown started with the establishment of the Airship Works in 1917, when housing for the workforce was built next to the airfield. In 1918 and 1927, sheds (later Grade II* listed buildings) were built for the R100 and R101 airships which then represented the latest passenger flight technology.

Shorts Building and Airship Sheds

The main Shorts Building was built next to what is now the A600 road as an hotel for air passengers, but was never completed, because of the demise of the airship as a mode of passenger transport following the loss of the R101 in October 1930. Later the building was used by RAF Cardington for teaching and administration and as an officers’ mess. It has now been empty and unused for some years, and is now in a run-down condition. Shorts Building will refurbished over next few months and will provide facilities for local community.

Village history

Shortstown initially grew quite quickly, with housing laid out in a Garden City style. Examples are to be found on the Crescent, North and South Drives and Central Avenue. This aimed for a green, open residential neighbourhood in a settled suburban environment with formal road geometry, grass verges, hedges and trees. The design was influenced by the arts and crafts movement, based on an ‘ideal’ English style cottage concept, with steeply pitched and tiled roofs, ornamental brickwork, cottage style windows, and ornate detailing. This design fitted well with the estate cottages found in many local villages, including Cardington and Elstow.

The War Department acquired the airfield from Shorts Brothers in the 1920s which marked the end of civilian airship production on the site. Air force personnel occupied the houses.

Over the years, more standardised housing was built by the Ministry of Defence, but still keeping the spacious layout of the village. Big front and back gardens are popular with families with children and keen gardeners.

Shortstown is very popular with young families. To the south of the village is a football field, scate park, mountain bike track and the Village Hall. Shortstown Lower School is renown for being one of the best in the area.

New Cardington Development

The former RAF Cardington Camp occupies an area of approximately 45 hectares (112 acres) and lies directly to the east of the A600, linking Bedford with the A507 and Hitchin. The site rises from the valley floor formed by the Elstow Brook and extends to the south, up to the ridge on which Shortstown now stands.

New Cardington development has started in early months of 2010.

More about history of Shorstown and Cardington Sheeds can be found at Shotstown Heritage Website at http://www.shortstownheritage.co.uk/

Below Central Avenue in Autumn 2009