Bedfordshire, where I grew up, is a dull county of no note in the middle of England.
“The Slough of Despond”, Cardington Brook, Elstow, Bedfordshire (from the “Celestial County” series) by Edward Callam (1904 -1980). Copyright Wardown Park Museum. Photo Credit: Luton Culture
It probably does deserve its own day to give it a boost, especially since Northamptonshire – another dull county in the middle of England – has its own day: 25 October, the feast day devoted to the patron saints of cobblers.
The best thing ever to come out of Bedfordshire was John Bunyan, who started his world-famous book “The Pilgrim’s Progress” while imprisoned on Bedford bridge.
Bunyan was a Puritan, a preacher and a writer. He was born in Elstow, a village near Bedford. on 28 November 1628 – his birthday was chosen by county residents to be Bedfordshire Day, which was first celebrated in 2015.
Bunyan published some sixty books in all, many of them extended sermons. It was for his Puritan preaching that he was locked up on the bridge in 1661. and it seems to have been during his confinement that he wrote his best work. Not quite what is meant by a writer’s retreat, but it worked for him - none of his other works came close to “The Pilgrim’s Progress” in terms of success.
“The Hill Called Lucre”, Pulloxhill from Hillfoot, Bedfordshire (from the “Celestial County” series) by Edward Callam. Copyright Wardown Park Museum. Photo credit: Luton Culture
The artist Edward Callam (1904 – 1980) did a series of paintings called “Celestial County” showing Bedfordshire landscapes connected to the work of John Bunyan. He gave them names from “The Pilgrim’s Progress” – I find the bleak “Slough of Despond” the most reminiscent of the grimly beautiful, flat land where I was brought up.
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As a Bedfordian, I enjoyed reading this. As you may be aware, Bedford was the home of BBC Radio during WWII, and (for reasons of both security and accuracy), it was simply described as ‘Somewhere in England’.
Yes! I did know that, somewhere in the folds of memory But it’s pleasing to think that I’m Huguenot Jo from Somewhere in England! That’s about right.