Luton in 50 Buildings

The Bedfordshire town of Luton originated in the sixth century when the Saxons established a farm or settlement (called a ‘tun’) by the River Lea. Farming and agriculture became the major industries, while the local market brought in people from the surrounding villages. The hat-making industry dominated the town from the seventeenth until the twentieth century, while in 1905 Vauxhall Motors opened there, followed by the airport in 1938. Although car manufacturing ceased in 2002, the town contin