Bedford, Bedfordshire

Bedford local area guide

Bedford is the large county town of Bedfordshire, in South east England. The town itself is divided into 10 wards or areas: Brickhill, Castle, Cauldwell, De Parys, Goldington, Harpur, Kingsbrook, Newnham, Putnoe and Queens Park. The wider borough, including the rural areas, has a population of approximately 155,000.

The nearest towns and cities with larger populations are Northampton to the north west, Cambridge to the east, Milton Keynes to the south west, and Luton to the south.


Local Amenities
Bedford has an extensive selection of pubs as well as numerous local post offices and shops. As Bedford is home to one of the largest concentration of Italian immigrants in the UK, a large number of Italian bars, restaurants, delis and grocery shops create Bedford's Little Italy feel.
Milton Keynes is often used by those living in Bedford for services that are not available in Bedford, such as larger shopping and leisure facilities.


Transport
Rail
Bedford has two railway stations:
• Bedford (Midland) lies on the Midland Main Line and is serviced by both First Capital Connect trains to Brighton as well as East Midlands Trains providing trains to St. Pancras, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds.
• Bedford St Johns is the penultimate stop on the Marston Vale line.
Road
Bedford is situated on both the A1 and M1 motorways – two of the most important north-south roads in the United Kingdom. It also lies on the A6 which links Bedford with Luton to the south and Leicester to the north.



Education
Bedford has a good selection of schools in the area such as John Bunyan School; Abbey, Daubeney and Robert Bruce Middle Schools; and numerous lower schools such as Balliol, Bedford Road, Camestone, Cauldwell, Shackleton and Springfield.
 

Property in Bedford
There is a wide range of properties in Bedford to suit all types of buyers, from flats to large family homes. Visit our Bedford properties page to view a selection of houses currently available in Bedford.
 

Do you live in Bedford?
We would love to hear from you. Please email your comments to bedford@annington.co.uk