Bedford
| Bedford | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Coordinates | 52 ° 8 ′ N , 0 ° 28 ′ W | ||
| OS National Grid | TL055495 | ||
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| Residents | 87,703 | ||
| administration | |||
| Post town | BEDFORD | ||
| ZIP code section | MK40 - MK42 | ||
| prefix | 01234 | ||
| Part of the country | England | ||
| region | East of England | ||
| Shire county | Bedfordshire | ||
| Unitary authority | Bedford | ||
Bedford ( English / Celt. For birch ford ) is the capital of the English county of Bedfordshire .
The city with 87,703 inhabitants (as of 2011) is the administrative center of the Borough of Bedford . The population has increased significantly in the last few decades.
Bedford was the home and prison of the English writer John Bunyan , the author of Pilgrim's Progress. The Great Ouse River runs through the city center.
Bedford is home to the largest settlement of Italian immigrants in Great Britain; in 2000, 10% of the population had Italian ancestors. This is the result of strong guest worker recruitment in the early 1950s by the London Brick Company in the southern regions of Italy.
Cardington Airfield of the British Air Force was located southwest of Bedford between Stockstown and Cardington . It was opened in 1915, used as an airfield until 1971, and its hangars were restored between 2012 and 2015.
Town twinning
Sons and daughters
- Harold Abrahams (1899–1978), track and field athlete
- Ronnie Barker (1929-2005), actor
- Frederick Gustavus Burnaby (1842–1885), military man, traveler and writer
- Apsley Cherry-Garrard (1886–1959), polar explorer
- Calum Davenport (born 1983), football player
- Kelvin Davis (born 1976), football player
- Gail Emms (* 1977), badminton player
- John Heckewelder (1743–1823), missionary and ethnologist
- Trevor Huddleston (1913-1998), Anglican Archbishop
- Diane James (born 1959), politician
- Andy Johnson (born 1981), soccer player
- John Le Mesurier (1912-1983), actor
- Brian Locking (born 1940), bass guitarist
- Dave Maric (* 1970), composer and musician
- Garry Monk (* 1979), soccer player
- Jason Moore (* 1988), racing driver
- Rachel Nicholls , soprano
- David Peach (born 1951), football player
- Carolyn Sampson (born 1974), singer
- Howard Hayes Scullard (1903–1983), ancient historian
- Matt Skelton (born 1967), heavyweight boxer
- Jonathan Stroud (* 1970), writer
- Pat Symonds (* 1953), motorsport engineer and manager
- Nick Tandy (* 1984), racing car driver
