Dunstable
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Template:GBdot Dunstable is a town in the county of Bedfordshire. It lies on the ancient Roman road of Watling Street, which is the modern A5 trunk road. In Roman times its name was Dvrocobrivis. Dunstable was the site of an Eleanor cross. Geographically Dunstable lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, these spurs form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.
Historically Dunstable was a significant market town, but its importance has diminished as the neighbouring town of Luton grew. Nowadays much of the work in Dunstable is light engineering providing automobile parts for the Vauxhall plant in Luton, but with the closure of this plant Dunstable is following Luton into decline.
It is a little known fact that the first battles or skirmishes of the English civil war occurred in Dunstable.
Famous people from Dunstable include:
- The comedian Spike Breakwell
- The pianist Chloe Wilkins
- Faye Tozer, member of the pop group Steps
Places of interest in and around Dunstable include:
- Dunstable Downs, a chalk escarpment to the west of the town, with stunning views to the north, and a popular site for kite flying, paragliding, and conventional gliding
- Dunstable Priory, the main church in Dunstable, dating back to the Norman Conquest.
- Whipsnade Wildlife Park, an open range zoo.