Bedford, Bedfordshire, England, UK 作者：  来源：  发布时间：2021-06-09

I. Population and Area

Continent: Europe

Country: The U.K

State/Province: England

City/Town: Bedford, Bedfordshire

Total Area: 183.9 (sq mi)

Population in 2011: 106.9 （thousand）

II. Natural Geography (environment and resources)

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 north of Bedford town centre at an elevation of 85 metres. Since 1206, temperature extremes at the site have ranged from 35.9 °C(97F).

Road

Transport in Bedford provides links between the town and other parts of England. Road access to the town is provided by the A6 road & the A421 road. The town is served by two railway stations and a network of bus services.

Buses

Bedford bus station serves the town of Bedford, and was reopened on 29 March 2015 after undergoing £8.8million regeneration which began in 2013. The new Greyfriars surface car park and the refurbished Allhallows multi-story 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.The main operator at Bedford bus station is Stagecoach in Bedford and Stagecoach in Northants.

III. Economy

2017    

IV. Industrial Characterisitics

Major industries:

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.

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.

The Bedfordshire Police is responsible for policing in Bedford, and operates a main police station in the town centre. Fire and rescue services in Bedford are coordinated by the 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.

Major projects and related introductions:

1.Rail Investment Strategy: A Rail Strategy for Bedford

Bedford Borough Council has launched a Rail Investment Strategy, setting out priorities for railway services for Bedford Borough. The priorities of the Rail Investment Strategy focus around new and better connectivity and stations. Better rail services are considered to be essential to support economic growth and prosperity, and to improve life choices for people living, working and visiting the Borough. The Council has laid out its plan to work with rail industry parties including Network Rail and the Department for Transport.

2. Bromham Road bridge

From Monday 4 March 2019, there will be a partial closure of the A4280 over the bridge (supported by a vehicle diversion via Clapham Road). Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout the work, but drivers will be affected so please allow more time for your journey if you travel this route.

Reference Website:

https://www.bedford.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/strategies-and-projects/

V. Attractions

1. Woburn： 

The village of Woburn radiates grandeur in a way that only Georgian architecture can. These flat-fronted townhouses (many a frontage for much older properties) have upscale restaurants, antiques shops and even tailors, in case you weren’t aware you’re in a posh part of the county. Woburn Abbey is a former monastery that became the seat of the Duke of Bedford after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century, and remains in the family.

2. Bedford：

Bedford also has lots visitors to sink their teeth into, most of all in the central Castle Quarter: This was where the 17th-century preacher and writer John Bunyan was imprisoned for 12 years, during which time he wrote the seminal Pilgrim’s Progress.

3. Leighton Buzzard： 

An engaging market town, Leighton Buzzard benefits from being on the Grand Union Canal, which linked Birmingham with London in the 1920s. If you follow it south for a while you’ll step out into some of Bedfordshire’s most beautiful countryside, with hedgerows and green fields speckled with sheep.

Reference Website:

https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-bedfordshire-england/3/

VI. History

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.better source needed] 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.

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. 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.

VII. 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.

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 University of Bedfordshire Theatre is the largest theatre in Bedford and hosts many larger productions as well as projects from the university. There is an active 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.

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. 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. "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 joyful episode of Mark Steel's in Town 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.

VIII. Other information

The town has a high number of Christian churches: including the Civic and County Church of St Paul's and the Church of St Peter's, both already noted above. There are three from the Newfrontiers network, as well as Polish, Arab, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian Roman Catholic churches, LDS (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 and language groups. There are four mosques in the town. There are also Buddhist and Hindu temples in the town.

Bedford has the largest Sikh gurudwara in the United Kingdom outside London, alongside two other Sikh gurudwaras; one of which is in Kempston. Bedford has Guru Ravidass and Valmiki temples.

There are Quaker, Jehovah's Witness and Wiccan communities who meet and have their own places of worship in the town. There is no longer a synagogue in Bedford, but Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue, based in Luton, meets in Bedford once a month for the town's Jewish community. The nearest Orthodox synagogue is the Luton Hebrew Congregation, a Lubavitch synagogue in Luton. Bedford is the former headquarters of the Panacea Society 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

IX. Contact information

Mayor/Officer: Dave Hodgson

Tel: 01234 267422

Mail: customerservices@bedford.gov.uk.