Editing Luton (section)

==Recreation==

===Parks and open spaces===
Luton has a variety of parks ranging from district parks, neighbourhood parks, local open space and leisure gardens.

====Brantwood Park====
In the 1880s, the land now known as Brantwood Park was an open field on the south side of [[Dallow]]. The site was purchased by the Town Council in 1894 for use as a recreation ground and there is reference to it as 'West Ward Recreation Ground' in a 1911-year book. It is reported as being one of the first two recreation grounds in Luton; the other being East Ward Recreation Ground, now known as Manor Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.luton.gov.uk/Page/error?errormessage=Page%20not%20found|title=Error|website=m.luton.gov.uk}}</ref>

====Kidney Wood====
Kidney Wood is ancient semi-natural [[woodland]] on the southern edge of Luton that has been identified as a County Wildlife Site. The wood was purchased by [[Luton Borough Council]] as an area of public open space. The council seeks to maintain and enhance the nature conservation interest of Kidney Wood, including its habitats while allowing public access for informal recreation including play. Kidney Wood includes a way marked nature trail and play dells.

====Memorial Park====
Sir Julius Wernher purchased the [[Luton Hoo]] Estate and the Manor of Luton from Madame de Falbe around 1903. He carried out substantial renovation works to the Manor and grounds. On his death in 1912 the estate passed to Lady Ludlow. Lady Ludlow presented the Park to the people of Luton on 12 June 1920, in memory of her son Alex Piggott Werner, who was killed in action during the First World War. The site is officially named Luton Hoo Memorial Park. Council records state that the area was purchased under the Statutory Powers of the Public Health Acts.

====Stockwood Park====
[[File:Stockwoodpark.jpg|thumb|right|[[Stockwood Park]], Luton]]
[[File:Part of the Mossman Collection (1) - geograph.org.uk - 1548315.jpg|thumb|left|Part of the [[Mossman Collection]].]]
{{Main|Stockwood Park}}

Stockwood Park is a large municipal park near Junction 10 of the [[M1 motorway|M1]]. Located in the park is [[Stockwood Discovery Centre]], a free museum that houses Luton local social history, archaeology and geology. The collection of rural crafts and trades held at Stockwood Discovery Centre was amassed by Thomas Wyatt Bagshawe, who was a notable local historian and a leading authority on folk life. The park has an athletics track, an 18-hole golf course, several rugby and football pitches and areas of open space. Stockwood park is also home to stockwood park RFC, a local amateur rugby team. The park was originally the estate and grounds to Stockwood house, which was demolished in 1964.  The museum includes the [[Mossman Collection]] of horse-drawn vehicles, which is the largest and most significant vehicle collection of its kind in the country, including originals from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

====Wardown Park====
[[File:Daisy-Chain-Walk-standard.jpg|thumb|left|The Daisy-Chain Wall in [[Wardown Park]].]]
{{Main|Wardown Park}}
Wardown Park is situated on the [[River Lee (England)|River Lea]] in Luton. The park has sporting facilities, is home to the [[Wardown Park Museum]] and contains formal gardens. The park is located between ''Old Bedford Road'' and the [[A6 road (England)|A6]], ''New Bedford Road'' and is within walking distance of the town centre.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.luton.gov.uk/internet/Leisure_and_culture/Museums_and_galleries/Wardown%20Park |title=Luton Council website |access-date=16 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070209180317/http://www.luton.gov.uk/internet/Leisure_and_culture/Museums_and_galleries/Wardown%20Park |archive-date=9 February 2007 }}</ref> The park houses Wardown House Museum and Gallery, previously known as Luton Museum and Art Gallery, in a large Victorian mansion. The museum collection focuses on the traditional crafts and industry of Luton and Bedfordshire, notably [[lace]] making and [[hatmaking]]. There are samples of local lace from as early as the 17th century.

===Shopping===
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2009}}
[[File:Luton Mall.jpg|thumb|right|[[The Mall Luton]], the main shopping destination in Luton's town centre.]]
The main shopping area in Luton is centred on [[the Mall Luton]]. Built in the 1960s/1970s and opened as an [[Arndale Centres|Arndale Centre]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eafa.org.uk/catalogue/6621|title=As We Were – Luton 1926-1976|website=East Anglian Film Archive}}</ref> construction of the shopping centre led to the demolition of a number of the older buildings in the town centre, including the Plait Halls (a Victorian covered market building with an iron and glass roof). Shops and businesses in the remaining streets, particularly in the roads around Cheapside and in High Town, have been in decline ever since. George Street, on the south side of the Arndale, was pedestrianised in the 1990s.

The shopping centre had some construction and re-design work done to it over the 2011/12 period, with a new square built to be used for leisure events, as well as a number of new food restaurants. Contained within the main shopping centre is the market, which contains butchers, fishmongers, fruit and veg, hairdressers, tattoo parlours, ice cream, a flower stall, T-shirt printing and the market's original sewing shop for clothes alterations and repairs as well as eating places.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://lutonindoormarket.co.uk/index.php/shop-and-eat/|title=Shop & Eat {{!}} Luton Indoor Market|language=en-US|access-date=20 March 2019}}</ref>

Another major shopping area is [[Bury Park]] where there are shops catering to Luton's ethnic minorities.

===Sport===
[[File:Kenilworth Stand at Kenilworth Road, 2006.jpg|thumb|Kenilworth Stand at [[Kenilworth Road]], home to [[Luton Town FC|Luton Town Football Club]]]]
{{Main|Sport in Bedfordshire}}

Luton has a wide range of sports clubs. It is the home town of [[Luton Town FC|Luton Town Football Club]] which in May 2023 achieved promotion to the English [[Premier League]] for the first time in their history<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.sky.com/story/championship-play-off-final-luton-beat-coventry-on-penalties-to-win-promotion-to-premier-league-for-first-time-ever-12890811 |title=Championship play-off final: Luton beat Coventry on penalties to win promotion to Premier League for first time ever |publisher=Sky News |date=28 May 2023 |access-date=30 May 2023}}</ref> which also includes several spells in the top flight of the English league as well as a [[EFL Cup|League Cup]] triumph in [[1987–88 Football League Cup|1988]]. They play at [[Kenilworth Road]], their home since 1905, with a new larger capacity stadium known as [[Power Court Stadium|Power Court]] under construction.<ref name="new-stadium"/> Their nickname, 'The Hatters', dates back to when Luton had a substantial [[Hatmaking|millinery]] industry, and their logo is based on the town's coat of arms.

[[Bedfordshire County Cricket Club]] is based at Wardown Park and is one of the [[Historic counties of England|county]] clubs which make up the [[Minor counties of English cricket|Minor Counties]] in the English domestic [[cricket]] structure, representing the historic county of Bedfordshire. [[Luton Rugby Club]] are a local [[rugby union]] club based on Newlands Road, by the [[M1 motorway]] just outside [[Stockwood Park]], who play in [[London 1 North]]. [[motorcycle speedway|Speedway]] racing was once staged at [[Luton Stadium]] from 1934 to 1937.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.defunctspeedway.co.uk/Luton.htm|title=Luton|website=Defunctspeedway.co.uk}}</ref>