The year 2028 will mark the 400th anniversary of John Bunyan’s birth, and 350 years since the first publication of his most famous work: The Pilgrim’s Progress. As part of our ongoing research of the...
During the Covid pandemic – ingrained into our memories – are the periods of lockdown. Naturally on an individual basis there arose the question of what to do. Working life changed for so many when...
In 1875, my illegitimate grandmother was born in a workhouse, a place that truly epitomised the negative undertone of the word “Dickensian.“ They were the choice of last resort for those in society least able...
On Saturday 8th June 2024 it was the Annual General Meeting of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends held here in Foster Hill Road Cemetery, Bedford. A huge event for our little group of volunteers,...
Do you remember old traditions and superstitions relating to funerals? Many have been handed down for generations, and if you are told them when young, they tend to stick in your brain and become undeniable...
In the film “It’s a Wonderful Life,” an affable and wise angel called Clarence Odbody tries and manages to save the life of George Bailey, the earnest but apparently unsuccessful head of the Bedford Falls...
As with all humans, the Panaceans died. They didn’t believe they would truly die but if they did, then come the Day of Revelation they would live again. On that day they would not rise up...
People love to chat, to gossip, chew the fat, banter, exchange pleasantries or argue. It’s what humans do to pass the time of day. We put the world to rights but also just comment on...
The horrible images we've all seen recently of the destruction in Ukraine and the poor refugees having to escape from their country will strike a chord with many older Bedfordians whose families similarly settled in...
Richard Wildman was an authority on the history of Bedford and the author of numerous local history books. He made a significant contribution to local art, historical, heritage and conservation societies, including Bedford Art Society...