Kempston Hardwick
Railway bridge and cottages at the south-east end of the village
Kempston Hardwick Location within Bedfordshire
OS grid reference	TL030484
Civil parish	Stewartby
Unitary authority	Bedford
Ceremonial county	Bedfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BEDFORD
Postcode district	MK43
Dialling code	01234
Police	Bedfordshire
Fire	Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Bedford
List of places UK England Bedfordshire 52°05′18″N 0°29′45″W / 52.0883°N 0.4958°W / 52.0883; -0.4958

Kempston Hardwick is a small hamlet on the edge of the town of Kempston in Bedfordshire, England. Historically it was one of the hamlets or "ends" scattered across the parish of Kempston. It is served by Kempston Hardwick railway station on the Marston Vale Line, which was one of the least-used stations in the UK railway network.^[1]

Kempston Hardwick is the proposed location of Universals newest theme park, which would be their first in Europe. Universal have purchased 480 acres on the west side of the hamlet, on the site of the old Kempston Hardwick brickworks, and neighbouring fields between Interchange Retail Park and Stewartby Village. There has been much confusion on whether they brought the Stewartby Brickworks, with Councillors and MPs mis-announcing this, but this is incorrect.

Hardwick Preceptory was a priory of the Knights Hospitaller from 1279 to 1489. The first mention of this property occurs in 1279. In 1287, and 1330, the Prior claimed to hold a view of frankpledge from four tenants in Kempston. In 1338, this estate comprised a messuage with a garden worth 4s. per annum, a dovehouse valued at 3s. 4d., a water-mill 26s. 8d., 370 acres of land worth £6 3s. 4d., 32 acres meadow worth 44s., 8 acres of pasture worth 8s., and pasture for 200 oxen worth 20s. After the Dissolution, the property, called the manor of Hardwick, was bestowed upon Sir Richard Longe in 1540.^[2]

Kempston Hardwick was part of the ancient parish of Kempston. In 1894 the parish became part of Bedford Rural District. In 1896 the parish was divided, with the town of Kempston forming Kempston Urban District and the rest of the parish becoming a new parish called Kempston Rural. In 1937 a new parish of Stewartby was created that included Kempston Hardwick.^[3]

• Kempston Hardwick railway station
• Kempston and Elstow Halt railway station
• List of monastic houses in Bedfordshire

• BBC News article about Kempston Hardwick
• Guardian article about Kempston Hardwick
• Kempston Hardwick pages at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service