Bedford
Bedford maps (2 available)
Map of Bedfordshire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
See this old map of Bedfordshire
Personalised maps
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Bedford books (5 available)
- 19 photos on Bedford appear in 4 Frith books - View photos of Bedford
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Bedford and Bedfordshire
Bedford memories
Read and share memories of Bedford and Bedfordshire inspired by Frith photos
I was a projectionist at the Picturedrome
I worked there for a few years with Stan Hunt at the Picturedrome, and the Plaza which was nearly opposite across the river was owned by a man called Mr Cheetam. I also worked at the Plaza as a relief projectionist and also another cinema in Ampthill owned by Mr Cheetam.
They were great days and I now live in Leicester but now see that all four cinemas in Bedford are gone, what is left?
I thought the Picturedrome and the great cinema The Granada were LISTED buildings so who had them demolished should be SHOT. These cinemas have brought great memories to a lot of people and been destroyed by Bedford Council.
Don't you think the Granada would have ...read more here
Contributed by Eric Bootles
Working memories.
I was the main weekday driver of the launch photographed during the student holiday periods of 1955-1958. When I drove it, the name was 'Silver Stream'. It was the largest of a set of three electric launches which carried paying passengers for trips of about 40 minutes duration from the steps on the downstream, north side of the town bridge. Typically this launch would carry about 40 passengers maximum. Silver Stream was a magnificent launch to drive, giving a silent drive, almost no water disturbance up to the 6 knots maximum for the river, and had a tubular rudder form which surrounded the propeller. This permitted a very tight turning such that most of us could turn round in places where ...read more here
Contributed by Mr PC Hedgecock
Bedfordshire memories
I was a projectionist at the Picturedrome
I worked there for a few years with Stan Hunt at the Picturedrome, and the Plaza which was nearly opposite across the river was owned by a man called Mr Cheetam. I also worked at the Plaza as a relief projectionist and also another cinema in Ampthill owned by Mr Cheetam.
They were great days and I now live in Leicester but now see that all four cinemas in Bedford are gone, what is left?
I thought the Picturedrome and the great cinema The Granada were LISTED buildings so who had them demolished should be SHOT. These cinemas have brought great memories to a lot of people and been destroyed by Bedford Council.
Don't you think the Granada would have ...read more here
A memory of Bedford contributed by Eric Bootles
Working memories.
I was the main weekday driver of the launch photographed during the student holiday periods of 1955-1958. When I drove it, the name was 'Silver Stream'. It was the largest of a set of three electric launches which carried paying passengers for trips of about 40 minutes duration from the steps on the downstream, north side of the town bridge. Typically this launch would carry about 40 passengers maximum. Silver Stream was a magnificent launch to drive, giving a silent drive, almost no water disturbance up to the 6 knots maximum for the river, and had a tubular rudder form which surrounded the propeller. This permitted a very tight turning such that most of us could turn round in places where ...read more here
A memory of Bedford contributed by Mr PC Hedgecock
Extracts From Bedford & Bedfordshire books
Another great Nonconformist preacher dominates the Square at the opposite end of the High Street to John Bunyan. In his time John Howard was derided for his views, particularly when they spilled from religion into politics - never comfortable bedfellows. He survived the difficulties, and spent many years campaigning against conditions in the country’s prisons and the indignities suffered by the inmates. His name and work live on as the founder of the Howard League for Penal Reform.
An extract from from"Bedfordshire Photographic Memories".
Undoubtedly Bedford’s most famous son - if only because of his imprisonment as the result of religious intolerance - John Bunyan was born into a tinker’s family and lived something of the high life before becoming a Nonconformist preacher. In 1660 he was arrested for his beliefs and spent the next 12 years in prison. A major outcome of his hardships was the writing and publishing in 1678 of a religious parable - ‘Pilgrims Progress’. It has become one of the most successful books ever written, being published in over 200 languages. Legend has it that it is possible to trace Pilgrim’s journeying through various locations within the county, and the establishment of the ‘John Bunyan Trail’ attempts to add substance to the possibility.
An extract from from"Bedfordshire Photographic Memories".
Popular with all Bedfordians, the suspension bridge prevents a short stroll becoming a very long one. This shot is taken from the south side of the river with The Embankment in the background.
An extract from from"Bedfordshire Photographic Memories".
The Great Ouse has always been of importance to Bedford’s economy and pleasure, and successive administrations have successfully managed the environs of the river to keep them as an amenity for the benefit of the citizens. The ability to promenade from one bank to the other via this bridge was further enhanced with the opening in 2000 of another, known as the Butterfly Bridge.
An extract from from"Bedfordshire Photographic Memories".
The photographer stood at the northern end of the High Street for this picture. To modern eyes the phalanx of cyclists and two visible policemen lend an essence of quaintness. None of the trading names above the shops, nor the theatre- cum-cinema, have survived into the 21st century. The last to go was the Cadena Café that certainly existed in the 1960s.
An extract from from"Bedfordshire Photographic Memories".