Bedford Information: Tickets, Venues, Events and More

The county town ‘Bedford’ is situated at Bedfordshire in England. As a big town, Bedford is the administrative centre for Bedford borough. It was a market town for the surrounding agricultural region since centuries.

Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia was buried here in 796. It became a boundary town in 886 that separated Wessex and Danelaw. Edward the Elder built its first known fortress on the south side of the River Ouse in 919. William II gave the barony of Bedford to Paine de Beauchamp who built a new castle. This Castle was razed in 1224.

Bedford has remained a small agricultural town. Wool was once an important industry of this area. But it became an important center of Lace industry in 1560. Skilled lace-makers like Flemings and Huguenots migrated from other parts of Europe to settle in this town. Lace making remained an important industry here in until the early 20th century.

Bedford transformed into an important engineering hub in the 19th Century. Gas lighting was introduced here in 1832, and railway was introduced here in 1846. The first Corn Exchange was built here in 1849. Its first drains and sewers were dug in 1864. St Paul's Church is its main church. Its tall spire is the main feature of this city.

As per the County Council estimate of Bedfordshire, this city had the population of 79,190 in mid 2005. It is home to the largest concentration of Italian immigrants in the UK. The 2001 census reports describe that 2 in 7 of Bedford's population are of at least partial Italian descent. This happened because of the labour recruitment in early 1950s by the London Brick Company in the southern Italian regions of Puglia, Campania, Calabria, Molise, Abruzzo and Sicily.

The Little Italy feel of Bedford is enhanced by a wide variety of Italian bars, restaurants and social clubs throughout this town. Large number of delis and grocery shops sell Italian and continental products. Bedford has its own Italian vice-consulate since 1954.