Homes to Rent and Buy in Riseley

Riseley is about nine miles north of Bedford, just off the A6 and roughly halfway to Rushden. It’s a linear village: the High Street runs for about a mile north to south, following a brook that feeds into the Great Ouse. Around 1,300 people live here, and it has two conservation areas.

The village has a long working history. It’s in the Domesday Book, made bricks from at least the 1550s, and was known for lace making. The High Street became a turnpike in 1802, and the junction is still called Tollbar Corner. All Saints’ Church, Grade I listed, goes back to the 12th century.

For a village it’s well served. There’s a Londis store, a garage, the Giddy Goat Coffee Shop and the Fox and Hounds, the last of what were once up to eight pubs. The village hall has a lounge and bar, there’s a community gym and a children’s centre, and clubs for bowls, cricket, football, badminton and amateur dramatics. Riseley CofE Primary School takes children from three, and Sharnbrook Academy is the secondary school.

Public transport is limited to the volunteer-run Villager minibus, so you’ll want a car. It suits families who want a self-contained village with good walking country around it.