Luton Walk: Town Centre【4K】

Located in the county of Bedfordshire, and around 30 miles north, and slightly west, of central London, is the town of Luton.

Geographically Luton is situated adjacent to the River Lea, although much of the river is culverted underground around the town centre. Its history goes back to the 6th century when a Saxon outpost was founded here. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it is recorded as 'Loitone'.

Through the Medieval era Luton was predominantly an agricultural town serving nearby villages. In the 17th century the town became a producer of straw hats. This became a major industry by the 18th century, and peaked around the 1930s, before declining after the Second World War.

Luton's original town hall was built in 1847. This was burnt down in 1919 following the Peace Day Riots. A crowd of ex-servicemen with grievances over unemployment and other matters had assembled. Tensions boiled over and the building was stormed and set on fire. The second town hall was built in 1936 with Art Deco influence. During the Second World War the clock tower was camouflaged to protect it during air raids as it was reasoned that the bright white stonework would have been highly visible from the air.

In 1907 Vauxhall Motors opened the largest car plant in the UK in Luton. During the Second World War, Churchill tanks were built here as part of the war effort. This made Luton a target for the Luftwaffe, and the town suffered a number of air raids. Over a hundred lives were lost and over a thousand buildings were destroyed, although not the camouflaged town hall, which stands proud on George Street to this day. The car plant closed in 2002.

In 1938 Luton Airport opened just east of the town centre. During the Second World War it was used by the Royal Air Force before returning to commercial use by the early '50s. By the 1960s the airport played a key role in the development of the package holiday industry with around one fifth of all holiday flights from the UK departing from Luton Airport. In the 1990s it was renamed to 'London Luton Airport' to capitalise on its proximity to London (even though it is 100% NOT part of London, for anyone overseas wondering!). In 1999 the airport gained a dedicated railway station, namely Luton Airport Parkway. The budget airline company EasyJet have their headquarters at Luton Airport.

Luton is represented in sport by Luton Town Football Club. Formed in 1885, they are nicknamed The Hatters, in homage to the town's straw hat making industry.

Famous people from Luton include TV writer David Renwick and '80s pop star Paul Young.

And finally, those bright coloured elephants are part of a temporary outdoor public art installation in case you were wondering!

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Filmed: 17th July 2021

Link to the walk on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/NGaq2nC4RRYb1bKi6

Filmed on a Sony FDR-AX700 with a Zhiyun Crane 2 and a Sony ECM-XYST1M Stereo Microphone.

TIMESTAMPS:

0:00 Cumberland Street
0:23 Park Street
3:38 George Street
6:23 King Street
8:24 Stuart Street
9:09 Wellington Street
11:05 Luton Town Hall
11:14 Upper George Street
13:11 Alma Street
15:09 New Bedford Road
15:26 Manchester Street
16:22 St George's Square
18:09 Bridge Street
19:12 Guildford Street

Видео Luton Walk: Town Centre【4K】 канала 4K Explorer