Why visit Bedford
Townapedia lists 29 museums and landmarks, 43 parks and trails, 260 places to eat, 18 places to stay and 8 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Bedford Bridge, Bedford Civic Theatre, The Higgins and John Bunyan museum.
Weather in Bedford
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About Bedford
Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was 167,446. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district.
From the Wikipedia article Bedford (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Bedford on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Bedford
Things to do8
Bedford Civic Theatre
Cinema and theater
Former theatre in Bedford, England
University of Bedfordshire Theatre
Cinema and theater · 1.2 mi
Theatre on the Polhill Campus of the University of Bedfordshire, Bedford, Bedfordshire, England
Universal United Kingdom Resort
Monument and historic site · 3.4 mi
Planned Universal Studios theme park in Bedford, England
Museums and landmarks29
The Higgins
Museum
Museum and Art Gallery with local focus, bringing together the Higgins Fine & Decorative arts collections, the former Bedford Gallery,...
Castle Lane, Bedford
Tu-Sa 11:00-17:00; Su 14:00-17:00
John Bunyan museum
Museum
Collection of artifacts and information related to the life of John Bunyan, 17th Centrury Puritan preacher and author of The Pilgrim's...
Mill Street, Bedford
Tu-Sa 11:00-16:00
Panacea Museum
Museum
9 Newnham Road, Bedford
Apr-Sep: Th-Su 11:00-17:00; Feb-Mar,Oct-Nov: Th-Sa 10:00-16:00
Bedford Castle
Monument and historic site
Castle in Bedfordshire, England, UK
John Bunyan Museum and Library
Museum
Biographical museum in England, United Kingdom
The Higgins Bedford
Museum
Art gallery and museum in Bedford, England, United Kingdom
Bedford Boer War Memorial
Monument and historic site
War Memorial, 2nd Boer War; unveiled 2nd June 1904; designed by Leon Joseph Chavillard
Statue of John Bunyan
Monument and historic site
Statue in Bedford, England
17 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds43
Bromham Lake Nature Reserve
Park · 2.0 mi
Local nature reserve in Bedfordshire, England, UK
31 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes260
The Hangar Cafe & Bar
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Sandwich · 2.2 mi
15B Beauvais Square, Shortstown
Mo-Sa 07:30-22:00
Blue Monk
Restaurant · Nepalese, Indian
Traversing the rich tapestry of Nepalese and Indian cuisine, we introduce you to a world of unique, exquisite and contemporary cuisine...
19 High Street, Bedford
Mo-Th,Sa 12:00-14:30, Mo-Su 17:00-23:00
Il Basilico
Restaurant · Italian
12 Mill Street, Bedford
Tu-Th 17:00-21:00; Fr,Sa 12:00-14:30,17:00-21:00
Marcio's Italian Restaurant
Restaurant · Italian · 0.5 mi
101 Castle Road, Bedford
Tu,We 17:30-22:30; Th 12:00-15:00,17:30-22:30; Fr,Sa...
Green Earth Cafe
Cafe
100% vegan café and vegan event organiser Café.
13 St Paul's Square
We-Fr 09:30-16:00; Sa 09:30-16:30; Su 10:00-16:00
248 more on the map.
History
Roman estates with associated villas are known in the outskirts of the town, one of which is of particularly high status with fine stucco decoration found only in 2 or 3 places in the Roman north-western provinces.
The name of the town is believed to derive from the name of a Saxon chief called Beda, and a ford crossing the River Great Ouse. Bedford was a market town for the surrounding agricultural region from the early Middle Ages. The Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia was buried in the town in 796; this is believed to be in his new minster, now the Church of St Paul, or on the banks of the Great Ouse where his tomb was soon lost to the river. In 886 it became a boundary town separating Wessex and Danelaw. It was the seat of the Barony of Bedford. In 919 Edward the Elder built the town's first known fortress, on the south side of the River Great Ouse and there received the area's submission. This fortress was destroyed by the Danes. William II gave the barony of Bedford to Paine de Beauchamp, who built a new, strong castle.
Read more of the history
Bedford traces its borough charter in 1166 by Henry II and elected two members to the unreformed House of Commons. The new Bedford Castle was razed in 1224 and today only a mound remains. From the 16th century Bedford and much of Bedfordshire became one of the main centres of England's lace industry, and lace continued to be an important industry in Bedford until the early 20th century. In 1660 John Bunyan was imprisoned for 12 years in Bedford Gaol. It was here that he wrote The Pilgrim's Progress. The River Great Ouse became navigable as far as Bedford in 1689. Wool declined in importance with brewing becoming a major industry in the town. The 19th century saw Bedford transform into an important engineering hub. The northern part of the town was badly damaged in the Great Fire of Bedford in 1802, which destroyed 72 properties in the St Loyes area. 21 years later, the Great Flood of Bedford swamped most of the town when the River Great Ouse burst its banks. The former Phoenix public house in St Johns Street has a stone marker in its wall almost two metres above ground level, representing the maximum height of the floodwater in 1823. In 1832 gas lighting was introduced, and the railway reached Bedford in 1846. The first corn exchange was built 1849, and the first drains and sewers were dug in 1864.
Bedford's first woman town councillor was Mary Milligan who, in 1919, was also the secretary of the local Women's Citizens League.
From the History section of Bedford on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Bedford
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 Bromham, Elstow, Renhold and Ravensden. Wixams is a 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.
Arts and culture
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 public art, most notably the Statue of John Bunyan, the Statue of John Howard, and Reflections of Bedford, a statue by British sculptor Rick Kirby.
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.
Education
Bedford Borough previously operated a three-tier education system, which was arranged into 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. 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.
From the Wikipedia article Bedford, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Bedford
Jonathan StroudBritish writer of fantasy fictionPhoto: DavidPMaynard, CC BY-SA 4.0
Phelan HillBritish rowerPhoto: Gregor Rom, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tom GrennanEnglish singer-songwriterPhoto: Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0
Nick TandyBritish racing driverPhoto: Robk23oxf, CC BY-SA 3.0- Harold AbrahamsBritish sprinter (1899–1978)
- Joseph PaxtonEnglish gardener, architect and Member of Parliament (1803-1865)
- Garry MonkEnglish footballer
- Apsley Cherry-GarrardBritish explorer (1886-1959)
- John Le MesurierBritish actor (1912–1983)
- Ronnie BarkerEnglish actor, comedian and writer (1929–2005)
- Ethan VernonBritish cyclist
- Carol VordermanWelsh broadcaster, author and media personality
Born in Bedford, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay18
Churches and places of worship81
Abbey Church of Mary St Helena
Church · Anglican · 1.4 mi
Church End, Elstow
Shopping60
Gas and EV charging11
Schools, colleges and libraries62
Healthcare32
Map of Bedford
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Sywell Aerodrome (ORM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 18 miles away.
- Milton Keynes 14 mi southwest, about 22 min by car
- Luton 18 mi south, about 29 min by car
- Northampton 19 mi northwest, about 31 min by car
- Cambridge 25 mi east, about 40 min by car
- Peterborough 32 mi north, about 51 min by car
- Watford 33 mi south, about 54 min by car
- Enfield Town 37 mi southeast, about 1 h by car
- High Wycombe 37 mi south, about 59 min by car
- Harrow 39 mi south, about 1 h by car
- London 46 mi south, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Bedford
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Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Bedford river, Petesmiles at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Great-Ouse-Bedford-20050921-010, Gary Houston, CC0
- Great-Ouse-Bedford-20050921-009, Gary Houston, CC0
- Shire-Hall-Bedford-20050921-002, Gary Houston, CC0
- Shire-Hall-Bedford-20050921-001, Gary Houston, CC0
- Shire-Hall-Bedford-20050921-003, Gary Houston, CC0
- PlaqueTownBridgeBedfordWest, Simon Speed, Public domain
- BoatParadeBedfordRiverFestival, Simon Speed, Public domain
- PlaqueTownBridgeBedford, Simon Speed, Public domain
- BedfordRiver22A, Simon Speed, CC0
- BedfordRiver22B, Simon Speed, CC0
- PlaqueTownBridgeBedfordBunyanC, Simon Speed, Public domain
- PlaqueTownBridgeBedfordBunyan, Simon Speed, Public domain
- ItalianImmigrantStatueBedfordPlaque, Simonxag, Public domain
- ItalianImmigrantStatueBedford, Simon Speed, Public domain
- Bedford Bridge (1), Peter_Glyn, CC BY-SA 3.0
- CivicTheatreBedford, Simon Speed, Public domain
- UOB-Campus, Kriscollins at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Moot-hall, Shritwod at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- BitvauBedfordu1224, Matthew Paris, Public domain
- Priorycountrypark, Robin Drayton, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Cople Pits 8, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Renhold Church of All Saints-1-2, Flutophilus, CC BY-SA 3.0
- BedfordBunyanChurchMuseum, Simon Speed, Public domain
- BedfordGalleryBedford, Simon Speed, Public domain
- BedfordParkLakeSwan, Simon Speed, Public domain
- BedfordCollegeEntrance, Simon Speed, Public domain
- StPaulsChurchBedford, matthew Hunt from Bedford, United kingdom, CC BY 2.0
- StPetersChurchBedford, Simon Speed, Public domain
- All saints church kempston, Unknown author, Public domain
- Bedford, Bedfordshire DSCF2907, sludgegulper, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bedford Boer War Memorial, Peter_Glyn, CC BY-SA 3.0
- StJohnsChurchBedford, Simon Speed, CC0
- All Saints Parish Church, Bedford, Alex, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Christ Church Bedford, Alex, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bedfordschoolmainbuilding, Original uploader was Nauplionus at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Higgins, Bedford, KJP1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hill Rise, Bedford 3, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bromham Lake 6, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Browns Wood 6, Dudley Miles, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Panacea Museum, Bedford, John Lord, CC BY 2.0
- Street-level photo, wasd42, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, ris, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, wasd42, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, tallguy, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, wasd42, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, wasd42, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, wasd42, CC BY-SA 4.0
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