Having had several former name variants, including Markyate Street and Mergyate, Markyate has been part of one or other of the three counties of Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire at various times, as the county boundaries have changed over the years. At one time the boundary was the line of the main road itself: Hertfordshire to the east and Bedfordshire to the west. Markyate is close to the source of the River Ver, which has occasionally flooded the centre of the village, though the watercourse is often dry during parts of the year. Part of the Dacorum Borough Council district, it has Luton phone numbers and a St Albanspostal code. Although historically a rural and agricultural area, it is now a dormitory for Luton and the surrounding region, as it is a short distance from the M1 motorway. Lying on Watling Street, the Roman road between St Albans and Dunstable, it was a major coaching stop on the highway from London to Birmingham, at one point having over forty inns and public houses along its main road, and the village was one of the earliest sites of the Pickfords transport service, one road out of the village being named Pickford Road. During the 12th century Christina of Markyate was the Prioress of a Benedictine community in the area. The village lies near the junction of the A5183 Watling Street and the B4540. A bypass for the A5 was constructed to the east of the village in 1955. South near the A5183 is Flamstead and junction 9 of the M1.
History
Markyate first became a separate ecclesiastical parish, known as Markyate Street, in 1877; while on 30 September 1897 the civil parish of Markyate was created from the Bedfordshire civil parish of Humbershoe, the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire portions of Caddington, Flamstead, an exclave of Houghton Regis known as Buckwood Stubbs, including an exclave of Whipsnade, Ballington Bottom in Hertfordshire. Growth since the 1950s has been by infilling with new housing in the gap between the old High Street and the newer Markyate by-pass. In 2014 most of the village's light industry area off Hicks Road was demolished, to be replaced by new housing and shops. The Gainsborough film The Wicked Lady was based on events surrounding the life of Lady Katherine Ferrers — the wife of the major landowner in the area - at Markyate Cell. Parts of the film The Dirty Dozen were also filmed in the village and surrounding area, the stockade being built in the grounds of the local preparatory school.
Facilities
Markyate has two junior schools: Markyate JMI and Beechwood Park School. The latter is south-west of the village in Beechwood Park, the site of a former Benedictine nunnery. Adjacent to the park was an Army Y-station during the Second World War. Beechwood Park lent its name to a song by the Zombies, written by the group's bassist Chris White. The song has since been covered by Beck in live shows. From its height in the coaching era, only two public houses now remain in the village: the Plume of Feathers and the Swan. The White Hart closed in the early 1970s, followed by the Red Lion at the end of 2009 and Sun Inn in 2014, all of which became private dwellings. A micro-pub 'the Local' opened within the village in 2016. Being near the M1 motorway and Luton Airport, there is a large three-star Holiday Inn hotel just south-east of the village. Markyate has four Indian restaurants including Saffron plus The Pavilion, Markyate Tandoori, and Markyate Spice all on the High Street, with the latter being named Best Chef at the Curry Life Awards 2018. There has also been a fish and chips shop in the village since the 1960s. Markyate also offers a gym/personal training studio called Gymtro, a pharmacy and doctors' surgery, a general store, a hardware store, and a bakers.
Notable residents
Christina of Markyate, a 12th-century nun and mystic
Chris White, bass player and songwriter of the Zombies rock group, grew up in the village, where his parents owned a grocery store.
Sir Charles Masefield, head of DESO vice chairman of BAE and a trustee of the Qatar Foundation. Knighted in 1997 for services to industry.
Martin Benson was an English character actor, who appeared in films, theatre and television. He appeared in both British and Hollywood productions. He lived and died in the village.
