Luton: A walk through roads with farmyard names

Buses 8,21,24 and 53 stop in Ravenhill Way very close to the pool. The 38 stops in Leagrave High Street, which is a short walk from Pastures Way.

There is a large free car park by the pool and sports facilities.

[1] From the car park, cross Pastures Way with care and turn left. Walk to the junction with Hereford Road.

[2] Turn right into Hereford Road and follow the right hand pavement. You will cross Friesian Close. Carry on in the same direction. Both Hereford and Friesian are breeds of cattle.

[3] When you reach the junction with Jersey Road, cross carefully at a narrow point, then continue along Hereford Road. You will pass the Hindu Centre before getting to the junction with Leagrave High Street.

[4] Cross Hereford Road with care and walk along the left hand pavement of Leagrave High Street.  There are trees in the grass verges along the road. On the other side of the road you will see Halyard High School, then St Hugh's Church (Church of England).

[5] Just past the 38 bus stop, turn left into Minorca Way and walk along the left hand pavement. This road is named after a type of chicken that shares its name with the holiday island. You will see Leghorn Crescent on the other side of the road. This is named after another type of chicken. Cross carefully over Percheron Drive. This is named after a breed of horse.

[6] At the end of the road, carefully cross Minorca Way and turn right to walk along the right hand pavement of Clydesdale Road. Soon you will see Suffolk Close on the other side of the road. Both Clydesdale and Suffolk are breeds of heavy horse. Carry on till the end of the road.

[7] Carefully cross Clydesdale Road at the junction with Leagrave High Street and walk along the left hand pavement, passing St Martin de Porres Church (Roman Catholic), until you reach the roundabout at the junction with Pastures Way.

[8] Cross Pastures Way carefully and walk into the parkland. Turn left and walk parallel to Pastures Way until you come to the swimming pool car park.

A.  Lewsey Farm was situated on land belonging to the Lucy (Lewsey) family who owned the manor from 1305 to 1455. The manor then passed to the Wingate family. Most of the manor buildings were destroyed by fire in 1832. Many of the streets built about 50 years ago have been given farmyard names.

B. Hereford cattle are famous for their good temperament. They are known for their distinctive white faces and red coats. They are used both for dairy and beef production. Friesian cattle are the familiar black and white dairy cows. They originated in the Low Countries.

C. Jersey cattle originate from the largest Island in the Channel Islands.  Jersey milk has always been associated with luxury. One of the oldest herds in the country is that of Her Majesty the Queen at Windsor.

D. Minorca is a breed of chickens that originated in Spain. They are not very popular now, though they were a particular favourite of  Lawrence of Arabia. Today, the breed is kept mainly for exhibition purposes.

E. The Leghorn chicken originates from The port of Leghorn (Livorno) in Italy. The Leghorns were one of the breeds used to create the modern battery hen, as they are very productive birds and are able to adapt to all conditions.

F. The Percheron is a breed of draft horse that originated in northern France.  Percherons are known for their intelligence and willingness to work. They were originally bred for use as war horses and later for agriculture and hauling heavy goods.

G. The Clydesdale is a breed of draught horse from Scotland.  The breed was developed from Flemish stallions imported to Scotland and crossed with local mares. The breed is still used for draught purposes today. The Budweiser Clydesdales are some of the most famous Clydesdales, and other members of the breed are used as drum horses by the British Household Cavalry.

H. The Suffolk horse is the oldest breed of heavy horse in Great Britain. The breed dates from the sixteenth century but all animals alive today trace their male lines back to one stallion, called Crisp’s Horse, who was foaled in 1768. The introduction of farm machinery led to large farms getting rid of forty horses in a single day.