The town is home to the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway , a narrow gauge heritage railway , one of England 's longest and oldest narrow-gauge lines , with an extensive collection of locomotives and rolling stock . The Great Train Robbery happened at Bridego Bridge just outside Leighton Buzzard . The Grand Union Canal is another feature of the town , as is All Saints ' Church , an Early English parish church dating from 1277 . The church is the starting point for the annual Wilkes Walk , described as " a curious procession of the church choir , clergy , and churchwardens across town to the alms houses in North Street . " There are a number of theories concerning the derivation of the town 's name , but the most likely is that " Leighton " came from Old English '' Lēah-tūn '' , meaning ' farm in a clearing in the woods ' . The " Buzzard " was added by the Dean of Lincoln , in whose diocese the town lay in the 12th century ( arguably it was '' Beau-desert '' , which later turned into " Buzzard " . ) Having two communities called " Leighton " and seeking some means of differentiating them , he added the name of his local Prebendary or representative to that of the town . At that time it was a Theobald de Busar and so over the years the town became known as Leighton Buzzard . The other Leighton became Leighton Bromswold
Great Train Robbery
Great Train Robbery (1963)
Leighton Buzzard