Homes to Rent and Buy in Marston Moretaine

Marston Moretaine sits on the A421 between Bedford and Milton Keynes, about six miles south-west of Bedford. Including Upper and Lower Shelton, around 4,500 people lived here at the 2011 census. (You may see it spelt Marston Moreteyne, the parish’s official spelling since 2018.)

The name means “settlement by a marsh”, with the Moretaine family added later. St Mary the Virgin has a Grade I listed bell tower that stands on its own, about 70 feet from the church. That’s rare in this part of England, and local legend says the Devil dropped it while trying to carry it off. Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised millions for NHS charities in 2020, lived in the village.

The big draw is outdoors. The Forest Centre and Millennium Country Park covers 225 hectares of woodland, meadow and wetland, with a cafe, play area and free entry. Marston Thrift, a woodland SSSI, is between here and Cranfield.

Marston Park, built by David Wilson, Barratt and Bovis, brought newer homes and a school site. Marston Moreteyne VC School runs on two sites, and there’s Shelton Lower School too. The Bell is the village pub. Millbrook station is about a mile away, and the Uno C1 bus runs to Bedford and Milton Keynes.