History of Bedfordshire than fifty places in the county. Following the enactment of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, Bedford was the only borough in the county. Charters of incorporation were granted to Dunstable in 1864 and Luton in 1876. In 1837 the county was divided into poor law unions, each consisting of a town and surrounding rural parishes: Ampthill, Bedford, Biggleswade, Leighton Buzzard, Luton and Woburn. In addition, a handful of parishes near the boundaries of Bedfordshire were included in PLUs based in other counties, namely Hitchin in Hertfordshire, St Neots in Huntingdonshire and Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. In 1875, the county was divided
Stanbridgeford railway station private residence and the platform area has been incorporated into the garden. In 1991, the A505 Leighton Southern Bypass opened and reused a section of the railway alignment from a point to the west of the former station to a point to the north-west of Billington. The line to the east is also severed by the road. The signal box which controlled access to Tottenhoe Lime siding was moved in January 1969 to the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway. What remains of the line to the east has become part of the Sewell greenaway as far as French's Avenue in Dunstable.