Blunham is a small rural parish (486 hectares or 1200 acres in old money) in the newly formed (April 2009) Unitary Authority of Central Bedfordshire. It has, for the most part, distinct geographical boundaries, namely to the south the former track bed of the Oxford- Bedford – Cambridge railway line (now National Cycle Network Route 51), to the west and north the River Great Ouse and to the east the River Ivel. There is one very small parcel of common land by The Pound on Tempsford Road.
Most of the habitable population lies within the village envelope. The remainder being open fields with typical crops of potatoes, beans, oil seed rape and wheat. We also have one of the largest growers of chilli peppers in the country. There are 5 conventional farms plus the market gardener with the majority of land being held by 5 individuals. It is notable that the face of farming has changed from predominantly vegetables/market gardening to combinable crops.
The exceptions to the agricultural activity are a coach business off Barford Road and a waste recycling plant also accessed off Barford Road. There are two other large businesses that impinge upon village life but are just outside the parish boundary; Flamingo Holdings, a labour intensive flower packing operation and Abbey Corrugated a more industrialised concern that produces a variety of paper products.
As at 2019 there are approx 600 residences with a population of approximately 1200. This is a growing number at this time due to developments on Barford Rd.
For those of a more active nature the cycle route above gives a safe means of travel to Bedford or Sandy. A small network of footpaths exist in the built up area and also out into the local area. The Kingfisher Way passes through the parish following roughly the course of the River Ivel.
Examination of the 2001 census for Blunham parish (available on line at the Central Beds website) shows very few notable variations in the statistics for Blunham compared with the averages for the County, Region or England & Wales. Travel to work by foot or bicycle is a half to a third of the county figures and the number of self employed is almost double that of the national figure.
Blunham has two places of worship; The Church of England parish church of St Edmund or St James (one church but leading some to enquire which of the two churches a particular event is being held in) and a Strict Baptist chapel. Unfortunately the post office facility was lost in the recent slimming down exercise by Royal Mail and at present the nearest post offices are at Great Barford or Roxton.
However we are fortunate to have the John Donne VA Lower School which, as in many villages, acts as a glue bringing many of the community together. In addition to the school there is a ‘Teddybears’ playgroup which uses the village hall.
A conservation area is located at the heart of the village. There are several listed buildings the most notable being The Old Rectory and Blunham Court. Further details of those listed can be found on the Central Bedfordshire website.
The village playing field is greatly valued. The Playing Field Association has been instrumental in rebuilding the old pavilion to a spanking new standard and installing a play area for the younger children which is widely used. Mention must be made of the Blunham Cricket Club which holds the world record for the longest duration cricket match .
There is an active branch of the Women’s Institute and several informal groupings such as a book group and local history society. In spite of the economic situation the village shop keeps afloat and the village is lucky for its size to retain a butcher’s shop. There is also a take away food shop that caters not only with traditional fish and chips but for the wider palate that is demanded these days. The village also has a public house – The Horseshoes.