Bedford

Coordinates: 52°08′06″N 0°28′12″W / 52.135°N 0.470°W / 52.135; -0.470
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Bedford, England
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Bedford
Town
Bedfordshire and Luton
AmbulanceEast of England
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Bedfordshire
52°08′06″N 0°28′12″W / 52.135°N 0.470°W / 52.135; -0.470

Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of its urban area (as defined by the Office for National Statistics), including Kempston and Biddenham, was 106,940.[1][a] Bedford is also the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford, a unitary authority that includes a significant rural area.

Bedford was founded at a ford on the River Great Ouse and is thought to have been the burial place of King Offa of Mercia, who is remembered for building Offa's Dyke on the Welsh border. Bedford Castle was built by Henry I, although it was destroyed in 1224. Bedford was granted borough status in 1166 and has been represented in Parliament since 1265. It is known for its large population of Italian descent.[3]

History

The name of the town is believed to derive from the name of a

Danes. William II
gave the barony of Bedford to Paine de Beauchamp, who built a new, strong castle.

Bedford traces its borough charter in 1166 by

corn exchange was built 1849,[15] and the first drains and sewers were dug in 1864.[16]

Bedford's first woman town councillor was Mary Milligan who, in 1919, was also the secretary of the local Women's Citizens League.[17][18]

Governance

Old Town Hall, Bedford

The contiguous Bedford built-up area forms the largest settlement in the wider

directly elected mayor who holds the title 'Mayor of Bedford', an office which was first held by Frank Branston, until his death in 2009. The current Mayor of Bedford is Tom Wootton[19] from the Conservative Party
.

The Bedford built-up area is divided into 10

parish councils, while the rest (and majority) of the built-up area is unparished. Kempston is the only civil parish in both the built-up area and Borough of Bedford which has a town council
.

Bedford is served by Bedfordshire Police. The Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner of that force is Festus Akinbusoye.

Bedford forms part of the Bedford constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Parliament. The current Member of Parliament (MP) for Bedford is Mohammad Yasin, who is a member of the Labour Party.

Geography

Bedford is 46 miles (74 km) miles north-northwest of London, 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Birmingham, 25 miles (40 km) west of Cambridge and 19 miles (31 km) east-southeast of Northampton. The town of Kempston is part of Bedford's built-up area, as is the village of Biddenham. Other villages adjacent to, but outside of, the built-up area include

new town which is being developed to the south of Bedford. Villages in the Borough of Bedford, outside of the built-up area, with populations of more than 2,000 (as of 2005) include Clapham, Elstow, Oakley, Sharnbrook, Shortstown, Wilstead, and Wootton
. There are also many smaller villages in the borough.

River Great Ouse at Town Bridge, Bedford looking towards St Paul's Church and the Swan Hotel.

Climate

As with the rest of the United Kingdom, Bedford has a maritime climate, with a limited range of temperatures, and generally even rainfall throughout the year. The nearest Met Office weather station to Bedford is Bedford (Thurleigh) airport, about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north of Bedford town centre at an elevation of 85 metres (279 ft). Temperature extremes at the site have ranged from 39.5 °C (103.1 °F)[24] in July 2022, down to −15.3 °C (4.5 °F)[25] in January 1982. However, such extremes would likely be superseded if longer-term records were available – Historically, the nearest weather station to Bedford was Cardington about 2.4 miles (3.9 km) south south east of the town centre with an elevation of 30 metres (98 ft). This location recorded a minimum of −18.3 °C (−0.9 °F)[26] during January 1963.

Rainfall averages around 585 mm (23.0 in) a year, with an excess of 1 mm (0.04 in) falling on 109 days.

Sunshine at around 1,500 hours a year is typical of inland areas of southern-central England.

Climate data for Bedford (Thurleigh) 85m, 1971–2000, extremes (1980-)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 14.8
(58.6)
18.6
(65.5)
22.4
(72.3)
27.7
(81.9)
28.6
(83.5)
31.3
(88.3)
39.5
(103.1)
35.9
(96.6)
32.1
(89.8)
28.1
(82.6)
17.6
(63.7)
15.7
(60.3)
39.5
(103.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 6.4
(43.5)
6.9
(44.4)
9.7
(49.5)
12.0
(53.6)
15.7
(60.3)
18.6
(65.5)
21.5
(70.7)
21.5
(70.7)
18.2
(64.8)
14.0
(57.2)
9.5
(49.1)
7.2
(45.0)
13.5
(56.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 0.8
(33.4)
0.6
(33.1)
2.3
(36.1)
3.6
(38.5)
6.2
(43.2)
9.3
(48.7)
11.5
(52.7)
11.6
(52.9)
9.7
(49.5)
6.6
(43.9)
3.3
(37.9)
1.8
(35.2)
5.6
(42.1)
Record low °C (°F) −15.3
(4.5)
−12.3
(9.9)
−6.9
(19.6)
−5.7
(21.7)
−2.1
(28.2)
2.1
(35.8)
4.9
(40.8)
5.0
(41.0)
2.0
(35.6)
−3.7
(25.3)
−7.9
(17.8)
−15.0
(5.0)
−15.3
(4.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 48.4
(1.91)
36.6
(1.44)
43.5
(1.71)
47.2
(1.86)
45.3
(1.78)
56.9
(2.24)
44.7
(1.76)
48.6
(1.91)
53.6
(2.11)
56.8
(2.24)
49.0
(1.93)
53.8
(2.12)
584.4
(23.01)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 58.6 76.3 99.5 153.0 183.8 185.7 200.9 188.5 139.8 114.1 72.0 51.5 1,523.6
Source: [27]

Demography

Population pyramid in 2021

Bedford is home to one of the largest concentrations of Italian immigrants in the United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census, almost 30% of Bedford's population were of at least partial Italian descent. This is mainly as a result of labour recruitment in the early 1950s by the London Brick Company from Southern Italy.[28] From 1954 to 2008 Bedford had its own Italian vice-consulate.[29]

In addition to Italian immigrants, Bedford has also been the recipient of significant immigration from India (8.1% of Bedford's population;

Punjab area & many worked at the London Brick Company), Eastern Europe (particularly in the 2000s) and Scandinavia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Northern Cyprus, Malta, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Albania, Turkey, The Middle East, East Asia, South East Asia, Africa (3% of Bedford's population is of Sub-Saharan descent[30][failed verification][31][failed verification]), South America and the Caribbean, making it one of the most ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse towns in the United Kingdom outside of London in proportion to its size.[32]

At the 2011 Census, the ethnic mix of the Bedford urban area was 74.4% white, 4% mixed, 15% Asian/Asian British, 5% Black/African/Caribbean/Black British, and 1% "other ethnic group".[1] In terms of national identity, just over 50% identified as English only, 24% as British only and 15% only as a non-UK identity; just over 8% had a "British and other" identity.[1] In terms of religious affiliation, 56% were Christian, almost 8% were Muslim, almost 3% Sikh and 2% Hindu; almost 30% had no religion or declined to answer.[1]

Landmarks

St Paul's Church

Bedford Park is the town's largest urban park and is located directly to the north of the town centre. The park retains many original features from its Victorian design and construction, including a cricket pavilion and bandstand which are both still in use. Priory Country Park is a large country park located on the northern bank of the River Great Ouse in eastern Bedford. Both parks have been awarded Green Flag status.

Bedford's principal church is

Second World War the BBC's daily service was broadcast from St Paul's.[33] Another notable local church is St Peter's, on St Peter's Street, which contains some of the oldest architectural remains in Bedford, the most ancient being the two monoliths. St Paul's Church also hosts the town's Visitor Information Centre.[34]

Just outside the town lie the

Bedford Bypass
.

Despite being far upriver from the sea, seals have occasionally been reported as swimming as far inland as Bedford.[37][38][39]

The Old Town Hall dates back to 1550 and the building was originally constructed as a school.[40]

A panoramic view looking over a town.
View of the Bedford skyline, taken from Renhold in 2013

River Great Ouse

Bedford War Memorial

The

First World War. The memorial was designed in 1921 by the sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger and depicts the Anglo Saxon Lady Athelflaed, who ruled Mercia, killing a dragon.[41]
The inscription reads

1914 † 1919
TO BEDFORDIANS WHO DIED, MANY IN EARLY YOUTH, SOME FULL OF YEARS AND HONOUR, BUT WHO ALL ALIKE GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY.

Bedford Castle

Bedford Castle Mound is the remnant of Bedford's medieval castle, located close to the centre of the modern town, less than a hundred yards from Bedford Bridge and the High Street. In around 2000, Bedford Borough Council built a sloping retaining wall on the south side, facing the river. Although almost completely modern, the wall does incorporate a few pieces of historic masonry. A paved path leads round the side of the mound up to the top, which is a flat circular grassy area. A small wooden structure of the same date at the top of the wall, much like a bus shelter, protects tourists from the rain while they view the river embankment.

Transport

Railway

There are two stations in Bedford. The main Bedford railway station is on the Midland Main Line, providing inter-city services to London St Pancras and the East Midlands, operated by East Midlands Railway. Stopping services, operated by Thameslink, run through London to Gatwick Airport and Brighton. Bedford's other lesser used station is Bedford St John's which in on the Marston Vale Line. Services are operated by London North Western Railway and run between Bletchley and Bedford's main station.

Road

Road access to and from the town is provided by the

A421 roads; the former connects the town with Kettering to the north-west, and Luton to the south, whilst the latter connects the town with Milton Keynes and the M1 (at Junction 13) to the west, and the A1 to the east (near St Neots) via a bypass, with both being around 10 miles (16 km) away. Other roads that serve or skirt the town include the A422, which runs westwards into Milton Keynes (also connecting to the M1 at Junction 14 via the A509), and the A428, which runs between Coventry and Cambridge
.

The new Greyfriars surface car park and the refurbished Allhallows multi-storey car park both implement a pay on foot system. Greyfriars occupies 142 parking spaces, including 7 designated disabled spaces, although there is a 2-hour per day parking limit.[42]

Buses

Bedford bus station in July 2007

Bedford bus station serves the town and was reopened on 29 March 2015, after undergoing £8.8million regeneration which began in 2013. The main operators in and around the town are Stagecoach East and Stagecoach Midlands.[43]

Education

Bedford Borough previously operated a

lower, middle and upper schools, as recommended in the Plowden Report of 1967. The arrangement was put to the vote in 2006 with a view to moving to the two-tier model, but was rejected.[44] On 17 November 2009, borough councillors voted 19 to 17 in favour of a two tier system, which would then be phased in. However, following the defeat of the Labour Government in 2010, the new coalition government announced that the funding necessary for the switch to a two-tier system would no longer be available. As a result, the switch proceeded on a school by school basis as national funding was due to cover most of the cost. However, in July 2015, the council announced the intention to support the transition to a system of two tier education across the whole borough in a coordinated way. At the time, only the Wootton cluster of schools chose not to transition. As of September 2018, all of the borough's schools have converted to two-tier. The secondary schools currently operating in the borough are Bedford Academy, Bedford Free School, Biddenham International School, Castle Newnham School, Goldington Academy, Mark Rutherford School and St Thomas More Catholic School
.

Bedford is home to four private schools run by the Harpur Trust charity, endowed by Bedfordian Sir William Harpur in the 16th century. These are:

  • Bedford School for boys aged 7–18
  • Bedford Modern School, a former boys' school which became co-educational in 2003 for pupils aged 7–18
  • Bedford Girls' School for girls aged 7–18. (Merged September 2012 – Formerly Bedford High School for Girls and Dame Alice Harpur School)
  • Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School

Smaller private institutions include Bedford Greenacre Independent School (boys and girls aged 3–18), and Polam School (boys and girls aged 12 months to 9 years), neither of which are part of the Harpur Trust.

Bedford hosts a campus of the University of Bedfordshire, which prior to a merger with the University of Luton in 2006 had been a campus of De Montfort University (itself now solely based in Leicester). For further education, the town is served by Bedford College and The Bedford Sixth Form. Additionally, Stella Mann College is a private college, which offers a range of further education courses relating to the performing arts.

Religious sites

The Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Queens Park

The town has a high number of Christian churches, including the Civic and County Church of

Mormon
) meeting houses, Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, Anglican churches and various independent churches and other places of worship that cater to the different ethnic, racial, and language groups. There are four mosques in the town. There are also Buddhist and Hindu temples in the town.

Bedford has the largest

Valmiki
temples.

There are

Lubavitch synagogue in Luton.[46] Bedford is the former headquarters of the Panacea Society, founded in 1919, who believed that the town would have an important role in the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, and that Bedford was the original location of the Garden of Eden.[47]

Culture

Bedford Corn Exchange

The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum, Bedford is housed in the recreated Victorian home of the Higgins family of Victorian brewers and in a modern extension. The museum has local history collections, while the galleries have notable collections of watercolours, prints and drawings, ceramics, glass and lace.

Bedford contains several works of

Statue of John Bunyan, the Statue of John Howard,[48] and Reflections of Bedford, a statue by British sculptor Rick Kirby.[49]

The Panacea Museum tells the story of the Panacea Society, a religious community formed in the early twentieth century.

The

Bedford Corn Exchange is the largest entertainment venue in the town and plays host to a variety of performances, meetings, conferences, concerts and private functions. The venue has been host to many great entertainers such as Glenn Miller and Bob Hope
.

The

amdram (community theatre) scene, with groups such as the Swan Theatre Company, Bedford Drama Company (formerly Bedford Dramatic Club), Bedford Marianettes and ShowCo Bedford producing plays and musicals in venues like the Place Theatre and the Corn Exchange. The Bedford Pantomime Company produces a traditional pantomime at the Bedford Corn Exchange each Christmas. Esquires (one of the town's premier live music venues) regularly plays host to many notable bands and acts from all over the United Kingdom as well as showcasing local live music.[50]

Every two years, an event called the "Bedford River Festival" is held near the river in Bedford during early July. The event lasts for two days and regularly attracts about 250,000 visitors. The event includes sports, funfairs and live music. It is the second-largest regular outdoor event in the United Kingdom, beaten in numbers only by the Notting Hill Carnival.[51] The Bedford Regatta each May is Britain's largest one-day river rowing regatta.

Other annual events include "Bedford by the Sea" (when large quantities of sand are deposited in the town centre), the "Bedford International Kite Festival" and "Bedford Festival of Motoring" in June.[52] "Proms in the Park", held in early August, is a popular musical event.

Bedford's special brand of the ordinary has resulted in regular small TV and radio appearances, for instance the upbeat episode of Mark Steel's in Town,[53] contrasting with the less enthusiastic treatment in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. The "Bedford of Bedfordshire's Community Calendar" segment of this US show featured Bedford-born John Oliver.[54]

Tourism

In December 2023, Universal Destinations & Experiences announced that it had purchased 480 acres of land on a former brickworks site near Stewartby, on the outskirts of Bedford, with the company exploring the possibility of building a theme park and resort in the area, citing Bedford's proximity to London and Luton Airport.[55]

New technologies

Following successful rollouts of autonomous delivery robots in nearby Milton Keynes, Northampton and Cambridgeshire by Starship Technologies, in July 2022, the company announced a partnership with Bedford Borough Council and The Co-operative Group to rollout the autonomous robots in the Bedford built-up area, delivering from three Co-op stores in Goldington, Queens Drive and Kempston, an area spanning 45,000 residents and 20,000 households.[56]

Media

Television

Local news and televisions programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter.

Radio

Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio on 95.5 FM, Heart East on 96.9 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts on 96.2 FM, In2beats on 106.5 FM and Bedford Radio which is the local radio station.[57]

Newspaper

The town has two local newspapers, the Times & Citizen[58] and the Bedford Independent,[59] with both being distributed freely across the Borough of Bedford and neighboring settlements within Central Bedfordshire.

Sport

There is a long-standing sporting heritage in the Bedford borough with long-established rugby and football clubs. The town has four rugby union teams called Bedford Blues, Bedford Queens, Bedford Swifts and Bedford Athletic. Since 2004, Bedford also has a rugby league team, Bedford Tigers, who compete one tier below the National Conference.

Taking into account the size of its overall urban area, Bedford is one of the largest towns in England without a fully professional football team. Bedford Town F.C. currently plays at the eighth level of the English football league system and Real Bedford F.C. play at the 11th level.

Bedford Rowing Club boathouse

Rowing is also a major part of the sports scene with a number of regatta events hosted throughout the year from February to October; the most significant of these being Bedford Regatta which, in terms of numbers of crews participating, is the second largest in the country. It was on Bedford's River Great Ouse that Olympic rower,

who is Life Vice-President of Bedford & County Athletic Club

canoe racing held along the Embankment on Bedford's riverside and organise national ranking canoe slalom events at the Cardington Artificial Slalom Course (CASC), which was the first artificial whitewater course in the United Kingdom. CASC is also the venue each year for the United Kingdom's National Inter Clubs Slalom Finals, the largest canoe slalom event by participation in the United Kingdom. Etienne Stott
– 2012 Olympic Gold Medallist's Club.

Bedford Borough was a major host of national teams preparing for the

Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Lesotho, Morocco, Niger, Pakistan, Senegal, Tunisia and Uganda were also based in the area. With the exception of Weymouth (which hosted various sailing events), Bedford Borough accommodated more Olympic teams in 2012 than any other local authority area in the United Kingdom.[60]

Filmography

Public services

Bedford Hospital

Bedford Hospital is a district general hospital that operates from two sites in the town, providing a wide range of services, although patients requiring advanced health services are referred to specialist units elsewhere, particularly Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, which has a partnership with Bedford Hospital. Bedford Hospital's catchment area is based on the Borough of Bedford and parts of Central Bedfordshire.

Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service. Bedford's fire station is in the Newnham
area of the town, and is staffed 24 hours a day.

Notable people

Gallery

  • Bedford in 1611
    Bedford in 1611
  • Bedford Bridge in 1783. This version of the bridge was replaced in 1813.
    Bedford Bridge in 1783. This version of the bridge was replaced in 1813.
  • Bedford in 1806
    Bedford in 1806
  • Bedford Castle Hill

See also

Notes

  1. ^ The Office for National Statistics also defined a "Bedford built-up area subdivision": the Bedford built-up area minus Kempston. Its population at the 2011 census was 87,590.[2]

References

  1. ^
    Office for National Statistics
    . Retrieved 26 July 2019.
  2. Office for National Statistics
    . Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  3. TheGuardian.com
    .
  4. ^ "Brief History of Bedford". Bedford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  5. ^ Simon Keynes, "Cynethryth", in Lapidge, Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England, p. 133.
  6. ^ Haslam, Jeremy (1986). "The Ecclesiastical Topography of Early Medieval Bedford" (PDF). Bedfordshire Archaeology. 17: 41–2, 46, 48. Open access icon
  7. ^ "King Offa's tomb". wordpress.com. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Bedford Timeline, Earliest Times – 1800". Bedfordshire Libraries. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  9. . Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  10. ^ "Brief History of Bedford". Bedford Borough Council. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  11. ^ "John Bunyan (1628–1688)". The Bunyan Press. Archived from the original on 26 July 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  12. ^ Heritage gateway
  13. ^ Secret Bedford, page 21
  14. ^ Great Flood marker
  15. ^ "1849 & Friday 1 March 1850". Bedford Corn Exchange. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  16. ^ "Bedford Borough records introduction". Bedfordshire County Council. Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2008.
  17. ^ Sources for Women's History (PDF). BEDFORDSHIRE & LUTON ARCHIVES & RECORDS SERVICE. p. 56.
  18. ^ Sources for Women's History (PDF). BEDFORDSHIRE & LUTON ARCHIVES & RECORDS SERVICE. p. 56.
  19. ^ "Mayor of Bedford Borough | Bedford Borough Council".
  20. ^ "Wards and polling district maps". Bedford Borough Council. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  21. ^ "Brickhill Parish Council - Supporting the Community". Brickhill Parish Council. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  22. ^ "Biddenham Parish Council". Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  23. ^ "Kempston Town Council". Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Met Office on Twitter". Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  25. ^ "1982 Minimum". Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  26. ^ "1963 Minimum". Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
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  30. ^ a b "Check Browser Settings".
  31. ^ http://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/matt-kennard/inside-bedford-fragile-success-story-of-muliculturalism-home-of-yarls-wood inside-bedford-fragile-success-story-of-muliculturalism-home-of-yarls-wood
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  34. ^ "Bedford to get new Visitor Information Centre". www.BedfordIndependent.co.uk. 22 August 2018.
  35. ^ "Where Did They Film That?". www.wheredidtheyfilmthat.co.uk.
  36. ^ "Inception to Film at the Airship Shed in Bedfordshire | Nolan Fans". www.nolanfans.com.
  37. ^ "SLIDESHOW: Seal in the River Great Ouse". Bedford Times & Citizen. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  38. ^ "Surprise guest puts seal on festival's pearl". Bedfordshire On Sunday. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  39. ^ "Sunbathing seals make long trip inland from the Wash". BBC News. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  40. ^ Historic England. "Town Hall (1114520)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  41. ^ Daniel Stannard/Bedfordshire County Council (2007). "The First World War Memorial, Bedford" (PDF). Bedfordshire Buildings and Monuments. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 November 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
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  45. ^ "Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue".
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  54. ^ Leight, Elias (8 February 2017). "Watch John Oliver, Stephen Colbert Spoof Public Access Show". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
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  56. ^ "Starship and Co-op roll-out delivery robots to Bedford and Kempston". Bedford Borough Council. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
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  61. ^ "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em". 15 February 1973 – via www.imdb.com.

External links