Bedford

The city is the administrative town of Bedfordshire and has the largest population of Italian immigrants in the country. Offa, King of Mercia, died in 796 and said to be buried in this town. In 1165, the city got the borough status and it was represented in Parliament for the first time in 1265. It was a small town with a population of only 1500 in the middle ages. People started visiting the city from other parts of the country to attend the fair held once in a year. During the Medieval period, the economy of the city was relying on wool industry. The condition of the city was gradually improved with the development of amenities and legislation during the 19^th century.

Improvement commissioner took large steps to improve the condition of the streets. They built Assembly rooms, Meeting halls and Exchange houses and demolished some old buildings also to avoid the congestion in the city. Trevor Huddleston statue was also implanted in Silver Street in 2000. He fought very bravely against apartheid in South Africa. The city got its name from Saxon Chief ‘Beda’ who settled on the banks of Great Ouse River with his followers. The city was founded by the Danes in the late 9^th century. The city flourished after the construction of two burh on the north and south bank of the river by the Danes and King Edward respectively.

Education

The city follows three-tier educational system divided into lower, middle and high schools. The two-tier system was also introduced in 2006, but after the defeat of labor government in 2010, this system comes to an end due to the shortage of funds. For higher education, there are private colleges, Bedford College and Stella Mann College in the city. The University of Bedfordshire has its campus in the city offering a broad range of educational courses to the students.

Attractions

Bedford has a high number of Christian churches and mosques catering different religious groups. Biggest Sikh Temple after London is also situated in the city. The city also attracts the tourists for the landmarks like The Higgins Art Gallery and Museum, Panacea Museum and Bedford Corn Exchange. The city also serves as host for a largest outdoor event ‘Bedford River Festival’ in the UK.