Bedford

Bedford is a market town on the Great Ouse, where a bridge links the two sides of the river. Its medieval castle once dominated the crossing, but after a long siege in 1224 Henry III ordered its destruction. Little more than the mound remains of the stronghold that had stood above the town and its river crossing.

In the seventeenth century Bedford became closely associated with the preacher and writer John Bunyan, born in nearby Elstow. His refusal to give up unauthorised preaching brought him repeated imprisonment after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, including a long confinement from 1660 to 1672. As a writer he drew on his religious convictions. Bunyan's writings, especially The Pilgrim's Progress, would carry his name far beyond Bedfordshire.