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ON-LINE GUIDE TO BEDFORDSHIRE
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This brief guide provides
summary information on towns, villages and places to visit
in the Isle of Anglesey as well as some interesting
facts and anecdotes on the local area. To find a specific
place either scroll down the page or use the find
facility on your browser. Much more information can be
found in our
TRAVEL GUIDES -
Click here
for details.
Our
DATABASE OF PLACES
covers over 5,000 entries in Great Britain and Ireland.
If you are looking for
Places to Stay, Places to
Eat and Drink, Specialist
Retail Outlets, Places of Interest or
Garden Centres and Nurseries
in Bedfordshire please click the relevant link above:
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The often overlooked county of Bedfordshire is one of charming typically English villages
and small market towns surrounded by a rich rural landscape. Despite their modern appearance,
the towns of Luton and Dunstable, in the south of the county, have their roots firmly in the
past and it was at Dunstable that Archbishop Cranmer held court in 1533 to dissolve
the marriage of Henry
VIII and Catherine of Aragon. The county town of Bedford also has
a long history and has strong associations with John Bunyan, who was born nearby. The
county is littered with stately homes and old
country houses, including the splendid Houghton
House, which is widely believed to be the inspiration
for the House Beautiful in Pilgrim's
Progress, and magnificent Woburn Abbey, the seat of
the Dukes of Bedford, which is famous for its superb art collection and its Wild
Animal Kingdom
and Leisure Park. The Abbey is certainly one of the county's finest
attractions, but Bedfordshire is also home to Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, the largest centre of conservation in Europe, and the headquarters
of
the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Bedford
Bedford was already a thriving market place before the
Norman Conquest but it is for its association with John Bunyan that the town
is best known. Born in Elstow, just to the south, Bunyan went into
the same trade as his father, a tinsmith, and during the Civil War he
was drafted into the Parliamentarian Army. In the 1650s he met
John Gifford, the then pastor of the Independent Congregation, and
it was their lengthy discussions that led to Bunyan's conversion; he
was baptised by Gifford in a backwater leading off the Great Ouse. It
was while preaching in the villages of Bedfordshire that Bunyan
came into conflict with authority and he served two terms at the
County Gaol. During his imprisonment, between 1660-72 he wrote many
of his works including his most
famous, Pilgrim's Progress.
Following his release in 1672, he was elected pastor of
the Independent Congregation and built a meeting house that
was finally completed in 1707. The church seen today dates from
1849 and now houses the Bunyan Museum.
For a greater insight into the history of the town
and surrounding area the Bedford Museum is well worth a visit, as
is the adjoining Cecil Higgins Art Gallery with its
internationally renowned collection.
Immediately southeast of Bedford is the village
of Cardington, home of the Whitbread family of brewing
fame. The skyline is dominated by the two giant hangars that were built
to house the airships, including the R100 and R101, that were
once thought to be the future of flying.
The Church of St Mary contains the Whitbread family vault,
and across the road from the church is the tomb of the victims of
the R101 disaster.
Around Bedford
Biggleswade
9½ miles SE of Bedford on the A6001
Biggleswade was the home of Dan Albone, the inventor of
the modern bicycle and designer of the first practical tandem and a
ladies cycle with a low crossbar and a skirt guard. He developed a
racing cycle, which in 1888 set speed and endurance records with
the doughty CP Mills in the saddle. He was also responsible for the
Ivel Agricultural Tractor, forerunner of the modern tractor.
To the west of Biggleswade lies Old
Warden, an enchanting village which was developed in the
early 19th century by Sir Robert Ongley who also created the
Swiss Garden, a romantic fantasy with a tiny thatched Swiss style
cottage and arches of creepers. In the grounds of this Jacobean
style mansion house, is the fantastic Shuttleworth
Collection of historic aircraft.
North of Biggleswade is the headquarters of the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds,
The Lodge, which is also home to a nature reserve of open
heath, woodland and formal gardens.
Luton
18 miles S of Bedford on the A6
The largest town in Bedfordshire
and perhaps best known for its Airport and Vauxhall cars,
Luton first prospered in the 17th century on the strength of its straw
plaiting and hat making industries. The Stockwood Craft Museum
and Gardens, housed in a Georgian stable block, provides
the opportunity to step back in time and also here is the
Mossman Collection of over 60 horse-drawn vehicles.
Close by is the magnificent house of Luton
Hoo, which now houses a superb art collection.
Its parkland was landscaped by Capability Brown. To the west
of Luton lies Dunstable, an important centre in Roman Britain and a
busy market town for around 1,000 years. Close by, at
Whipsnade, is the Tree Cathedral
(National Trust), where, after World War I, trees were planted in the shape of
a cathedral complete with nave, transepts and chancel.
Whipsnade Wild Animal Park is the country home of the Zoological Society
of London and one of Europe's largest wildlife
conservation centres.
Ampthill
7½ miles SW of Bedford off the A507
A historic town that was a great favourite with Henry VIII but
its castle was replaced by Ampthill Park in 1694 and the
parkland, landscaped by Capability Brown, is now the
Ampthill Deer Park. To the east lies Maulden
Woods, an area of mixed woodland and open meadows with muntjac deer
and badgers, while, just to the north is
Houghton House, reputed to have been the inspiration for
the House Beautiful in Pilgrim's Progress.
A little further afield is Silsoe and Wrest Park, whose gardens
are a living history of English gardening from 1700-1850.
Leighton Buzzard
17½ miles SW of Bedford on the A4012
A prosperous market town where visitors can take a steam
train journey on the Leighton Buzzard
Railway on tracks laid in 1919 to carry sand from the local
quarries. The town lies at one end of the Greensand Ridge Walk, which extends for some 40 miles
across Bedfordshire to Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire.
Woburn
12 miles SW of Bedford on the A4012
This originally Saxon hamlet is best known as the home of
Woburn Abbey, the seat of the Dukes of Bedford. Along with the
fantastic art collection and superb furniture in the house, Woburn has
an antiques centre and a deer park that is also home to the
Wild Animal Kingdom and Leisure Park.
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