Ickwell is a small, rural village in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England about 6.5 miles (10 km) south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census shows its population as 298. Ickwell is part of the civil parish of Northill. The village is known for its maypole and for being the birthplace of Thomas Tompion, the "Father of English Clockmaking".