The name of Aspley Guise is believed to be derived from AspenLeigh meaning clearing in the aspen alder woods and from the de Guise family who owned much of the land during Tudor times and are best known through Mary de Guise, mother of Mary Queen of Scots. spley Guise has its origins in1086, listed in the Domesday Book with 25 families. The next 700 years saw little growth just 82 families living here by 1782. During the Industrial Revolution, many villages saw populations decline as people sought work in the towns, but Aspley Guise continued to grow with over 1600 residents by 1901. This was because Aspley Guise was a ‘open’ village with a fluid land market and a high proportion of ‘genteel’ families who in turn generated employment in service and cottage industries. During the Second world War, Aspley Guise was home to several Top Secret facilities mostly connected with the codebreaking operations at Bletchley Park and blackpropaganda broadcasting to occupied Europe from Woburn Abbey. Rumours abound about regular visits by Churchill and General de Gaulle and even that Rudolph Hess was initially interrogated here. Today, Aspely Guise retains this mixed profile of residents, small businesses and larger organisations providing a busy and opportunistic environment. In the village today you will find, businesses, schools, leisure facilities and a thriving population of 2,300 residents. If you are interested in the history of Aspley Guise and preserving its healthy future. Please contact the Woburn Sands & District Society, who are keepers of the fascinating photographic Village Archive and offer a range of publications and photographic resources documenting the history of the village.

Address: The Innovation Centre University Way Cranfield Technology Park Bedfordshire MK43 0BT
Telephone: 01234 436136
Website: http://www.aspley-guise.org.uk/