Explore Bedford's heritage - in stone
Introduction
With the River Ouse passing through its historic centre and dozens of outstanding buildings, Bedford is a most attractive town to explore. Huge brickworks once churned out millions of bricks locally but some of the town’s most impressive buildings are made of natural stone or use it for decoration. Some of these rocks contain the fossils of creatures that lived long ago and provide clues about the Earth’s long and eventful past. In this area, natural exposures of rock are rare and few quarries remain open but building stones make the geology accessible and visible. Find out more on this one and a half mile long geotrail around the town centre.
1. The Higgins
Your tour begins at the Higgins, built for the Castle Brewery that Charles Higgins founded in 1837. The building’s bricks were made of local clay. Brewing ceased in 1928 and the town’s museum took over the premises in 2013. It stands inside what was once the bailey or outer grounds of Bedford Castle.
WITH YOUR BACK TO THE ENTRANCE, WALK AHEAD THEN BEAR LEFT TO JOIN A SUNKEN PATHWAY
WITH YOUR BACK TO THE ENTRANCE, WALK AHEAD THEN BEAR LEFT TO JOIN A SUNKEN PATHWAY
2. Bedford Castle
You are in the moat that surrounded the motte or earth mound of Bedford Castle. The Normans constructed it soon after their conquest of Britain in 1066 to demonstrate their superiority and monitor use of the nearby river crossing. Take the flight of steps on the right to the flat top where a wooden fort stood at first. In the early 1100s, Henry II ordered its rebuilding using stone. The nearest sources were up the river valley a few miles from here.
After an enemy had captured the castle, Henry III’s army regained control in 1224 and ordered its destruction. Most stone was re-used elsewhere but the motte remained and a bowling green occupied the top from the 1600s into the 1900s. To protect the side facing the river from damage, Bedford Borough Council installed a sloping retaining wall in 2000 that is said to contain a little of the castle’s original stone.
ON THE FAR SIDE, LEAVE THE MOTTE DOWN A RAMP AND HEAD LEFT TOWARDS THE RIVER. TURN RIGHT ALONG THE PAVEMENT
After an enemy had captured the castle, Henry III’s army regained control in 1224 and ordered its destruction. Most stone was re-used elsewhere but the motte remained and a bowling green occupied the top from the 1600s into the 1900s. To protect the side facing the river from damage, Bedford Borough Council installed a sloping retaining wall in 2000 that is said to contain a little of the castle’s original stone.
ON THE FAR SIDE, LEAVE THE MOTTE DOWN A RAMP AND HEAD LEFT TOWARDS THE RIVER. TURN RIGHT ALONG THE PAVEMENT
3. Bedford Swan Hotel
The sign at the car park entrance stands on a plinth decorated with rounded pebbles. Bedfordshire once had many sand and gravel pits and one of them may have supplied them.
The large letters on the sign are carved into a polished panel of colourful granite- an igneous rock that rose from deep beneath volcanoes but failed to reach the surface. Insulated by other rocks, it cooled slowly underground and large crystals of minerals grew. Here, the feldspar is pink with white quartz and grey mica- typical of granite from Peterhead near Aberdeen.
The Swan was already an ancient inn when Francis Russell, the 5th Duke of Bedford ordered a complete rebuild, completed in 1796. Covering the exterior are blocks of Totternhoe Stone which the architect, Henry Holland, and stonemason, John Wing, had also used for the Duke’s residence at Woburn Abbey.
In the 1830s, Charles Higgins was the tenant here before leaving to found his brewery. Horse-drawn coaches used to leave the Swan to carry the nobility and businessmen to London, Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester. The hotel grounds extended to the riverbank until the Embankment was created in the 1880s.
At the front of the hotel, the bronze statue commemorates the 230 Bedfordshire men killed in the Boer War between 1899 and 1902. It stands on a plinth of another white stone- Portland Limestone (described in 8 later).
TAKING CARE, CROSS THE ROAD AND TAKE THE BRIDGE TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE RIVER. GO DOWN THE STEPS OR RAMP ON THE LEFT TO THE WATER'S EDGE.
The large letters on the sign are carved into a polished panel of colourful granite- an igneous rock that rose from deep beneath volcanoes but failed to reach the surface. Insulated by other rocks, it cooled slowly underground and large crystals of minerals grew. Here, the feldspar is pink with white quartz and grey mica- typical of granite from Peterhead near Aberdeen.
The Swan was already an ancient inn when Francis Russell, the 5th Duke of Bedford ordered a complete rebuild, completed in 1796. Covering the exterior are blocks of Totternhoe Stone which the architect, Henry Holland, and stonemason, John Wing, had also used for the Duke’s residence at Woburn Abbey.
In the 1830s, Charles Higgins was the tenant here before leaving to found his brewery. Horse-drawn coaches used to leave the Swan to carry the nobility and businessmen to London, Cambridge, Oxford and Manchester. The hotel grounds extended to the riverbank until the Embankment was created in the 1880s.
At the front of the hotel, the bronze statue commemorates the 230 Bedfordshire men killed in the Boer War between 1899 and 1902. It stands on a plinth of another white stone- Portland Limestone (described in 8 later).
TAKING CARE, CROSS THE ROAD AND TAKE THE BRIDGE TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE RIVER. GO DOWN THE STEPS OR RAMP ON THE LEFT TO THE WATER'S EDGE.
4. Bridge
Bedford became an important trading centre after the River Ouse became navigable to the sea in 1689. Sluices control the river level today but it was once shallow enough to wade across here. Early wooden bridges were vulnerable to collapse when the river was in flood. This sturdy stone version dates from 1813.
John Wing was also involved here and specified using a robust stone called Millstone Grit for much of the structure along with Portland Limestone for the balustrades and around the arches. Touch the rocks on the side of the bridge to compare the two- the Millstone Grit is much rougher. It is a kind of sandstone from Bramley Fall quarry near Leeds.
Unless the water level is high and you need to go back up and cross the road, go through the arch where you can see that the bridge was widened on the far (west) site between 1938 and 1940 to cope with increasing traffic. The retaining wall on the left as you emerge is also Millstone Grit.
WALK AWAY FROM THE BRIDGE AND BEAR LEFT TO TAKE THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE BACK OVER THE RIVER.
John Wing was also involved here and specified using a robust stone called Millstone Grit for much of the structure along with Portland Limestone for the balustrades and around the arches. Touch the rocks on the side of the bridge to compare the two- the Millstone Grit is much rougher. It is a kind of sandstone from Bramley Fall quarry near Leeds.
Unless the water level is high and you need to go back up and cross the road, go through the arch where you can see that the bridge was widened on the far (west) site between 1938 and 1940 to cope with increasing traffic. The retaining wall on the left as you emerge is also Millstone Grit.
WALK AWAY FROM THE BRIDGE AND BEAR LEFT TO TAKE THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE BACK OVER THE RIVER.
5. The Old Town Hall and Civic Centre
You reach the north bank with the original 1550 Grammar School ahead. The wall here consists of irregular blocks of cream, white or light brown oolitic limestone. It’s possible that much of this is re-used stone from Newnham Priory, demolished after Henry VIII closed it down in 1541. The blocks with a flat face and square corners are modern replacements for originals that were crumbling.
Round the corner, the original east wall of the Grammar School was replaced in 1767 using sawn stone. Above the entrance stands a statue of local merchant and Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Harpur, whose wise investment in property enabled him to make a generous endowment to the school. Although other buildings were added, the school outgrew the area and moved away in 1891. The following year, this became the Town Hall and remained so for 118 years.
The far end of the building is an extension of 1859-61 for the school hall. It became the Civic Theatre. A different stone was used here and its streaky appearance shows that it is Ancaster Limestone from Lincolnshire.
TURN RIGHT AND USE THE CROSSING TO ENTER THE CHURCHYARD. STOP TO ADMIRE THE BUILDING’S EXTERIOR
Round the corner, the original east wall of the Grammar School was replaced in 1767 using sawn stone. Above the entrance stands a statue of local merchant and Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Harpur, whose wise investment in property enabled him to make a generous endowment to the school. Although other buildings were added, the school outgrew the area and moved away in 1891. The following year, this became the Town Hall and remained so for 118 years.
The far end of the building is an extension of 1859-61 for the school hall. It became the Civic Theatre. A different stone was used here and its streaky appearance shows that it is Ancaster Limestone from Lincolnshire.
TURN RIGHT AND USE THE CROSSING TO ENTER THE CHURCHYARD. STOP TO ADMIRE THE BUILDING’S EXTERIOR
6. St Paul's Church
The colourful history of St Paul’s probably began in the 5th or 6th century when an early wooden minster or abbey church occupied the site. The Normans rebuilt most churches in stone between 1070 and 1140 but the one that stood here was destroyed after a few decades when its stone was seized to improve the castle’s defences. However, after the castle itself was demolished in 1224, the stone became available for the reconstruction of the church. It has been repaired substantially on several occasions since, notably in the 15th century and in the 1830s when the impressive central spire was added.
Much of the exterior is Oolitic Limestone but the builders used whatever stone was readily available. The wall ahead of you also contain lumps of a dark brown or purple stone called Lower Greensand. When freshly quarried, green minerals give the rock its name but they soon become much darker when exposed to light. Like Millstone Grit, this is a type of sandstone and it was formed from sediment that rivers carried into a narrow sea, about 115 million years ago. Now, Greensand forms a range of low hills crossing Bedfordshire that define the south side of the Ouse valley. Some of the largest quarries were 6 miles south of here around Clophill but there were many others.
Look inside the church where the main pulpit is Totternhoe Stone. Nearby, a large slab in the central aisle floor and the 19th century bowl of the font in the north aisle are made of Purbeck Marble from Dorset. This is another limestone but darker than many as its mineral content includes iron compounds. This allows it to be polished which shows off many round fossils shells of the gastropod, Viviparous.
LEAVE THE CHURCH AND GO ROUND IT TO THE LEFT
Much of the exterior is Oolitic Limestone but the builders used whatever stone was readily available. The wall ahead of you also contain lumps of a dark brown or purple stone called Lower Greensand. When freshly quarried, green minerals give the rock its name but they soon become much darker when exposed to light. Like Millstone Grit, this is a type of sandstone and it was formed from sediment that rivers carried into a narrow sea, about 115 million years ago. Now, Greensand forms a range of low hills crossing Bedfordshire that define the south side of the Ouse valley. Some of the largest quarries were 6 miles south of here around Clophill but there were many others.
Look inside the church where the main pulpit is Totternhoe Stone. Nearby, a large slab in the central aisle floor and the 19th century bowl of the font in the north aisle are made of Purbeck Marble from Dorset. This is another limestone but darker than many as its mineral content includes iron compounds. This allows it to be polished which shows off many round fossils shells of the gastropod, Viviparous.
LEAVE THE CHURCH AND GO ROUND IT TO THE LEFT
Some of the grave markers including the large memorial to the entrepreneurial Barnard family use local limestone but there are other rocks here too. They include light-brown sandstone which comes from the coalfields of the Midlands and Yorkshire. Large slabs like these were not available until Bedford was connected to the railway network in 1859. Some have eroded badly due to rising damp.
Thick slabs of dark blue-grey slate from Wales also mark burials and have lasted much better. Slate began its life as clay, layers of fine, muddy sediment that accumulated on another ancient sea floor. Later, igneous rocks erupted nearby and baked the clay into a hard rock. It splits into flat layers. and thin ones make a lightweight but reliable roofing material as used on the Swan Hotel. Rocks like slate that have changed greatly since their formation are called metamorphic rocks.
CONTINUE PAST THE LARGE EAST WINDOW THEN LEAVE THE CHURCHYARD IN THE CORNER. TURN SHARP RIGHT TO THE NEXT CORNER
Thick slabs of dark blue-grey slate from Wales also mark burials and have lasted much better. Slate began its life as clay, layers of fine, muddy sediment that accumulated on another ancient sea floor. Later, igneous rocks erupted nearby and baked the clay into a hard rock. It splits into flat layers. and thin ones make a lightweight but reliable roofing material as used on the Swan Hotel. Rocks like slate that have changed greatly since their formation are called metamorphic rocks.
CONTINUE PAST THE LARGE EAST WINDOW THEN LEAVE THE CHURCHYARD IN THE CORNER. TURN SHARP RIGHT TO THE NEXT CORNER
7. Drinking Fountain
This Victorian facility lies redundant and unloved in the churchyard wall. The polished stone in the recess reveals milky-white feldspar and grey, glassy quartz indicating a source on Dartmoor.
TURN BACK AND GO TO THE NEARBY STATUE
TURN BACK AND GO TO THE NEARBY STATUE
8. John Howard's statue, St Paul's Square
John Howard, depicted here in bronze, was a well-respected local man in the 1700s. Unusually for one with wealth, he was concerned about the plight of the poor and sought better treatment for prisoners. The name of the Howard League for Penal Reform honours him.
Portland Limestone appears again here in the step at the base and in the large block bearing Howard’s name. Clearly visible round the back of this are round sections through the fossilised shells of oysters.
Above the step are two courses of different sandstones. The lower pink one may be New Red Sandstone which is found in Devon, across the Midlands and on both sides of the Pennines. The upper sandstone is light brown in colour but appears lighter still where the surface layer has flaked off.
WITH THE TRAFFIC ON YOUR RIGHT, HEAD FOR THE CORNER AND USE THE CROSSING TO REACH THE NORTH SIDE OF ST PAULS SQUARE. TURN LEFT.
Portland Limestone appears again here in the step at the base and in the large block bearing Howard’s name. Clearly visible round the back of this are round sections through the fossilised shells of oysters.
Above the step are two courses of different sandstones. The lower pink one may be New Red Sandstone which is found in Devon, across the Midlands and on both sides of the Pennines. The upper sandstone is light brown in colour but appears lighter still where the surface layer has flaked off.
WITH THE TRAFFIC ON YOUR RIGHT, HEAD FOR THE CORNER AND USE THE CROSSING TO REACH THE NORTH SIDE OF ST PAULS SQUARE. TURN LEFT.
9. Corn Exchange
Much of the farmland around Bedford lies on clay soils that grew good grass for grazing livestock but was liable to become waterlogged after heavy rain. In Victorian times, the installation of drainage pipes allowed farmers to plough it up and grow more profitable cereal crops. Farmers and grain dealers had met across the road by the churchyard in the 1849 Floral Hall but soon, larger premises were needed. The mainly brick Corn Exchange replaced it in 1874.
The fine entrances and other decorative features are made of another oolitic limestone. It comes from quarries and mines around Bath in Somerset where consistent use of this honey-coloured rock makes it one of the most beautiful towns in England. Plaques here at the Corn Exchange tell of the BBC’s wartime use of the building and Glen Miller concerts and it continues as the town’s prime entertainment venue today.
CONTINUE ALONG THE PAVEMENT AND TURN RIGHT INTO HARPUR SQUARE
The fine entrances and other decorative features are made of another oolitic limestone. It comes from quarries and mines around Bath in Somerset where consistent use of this honey-coloured rock makes it one of the most beautiful towns in England. Plaques here at the Corn Exchange tell of the BBC’s wartime use of the building and Glen Miller concerts and it continues as the town’s prime entertainment venue today.
CONTINUE ALONG THE PAVEMENT AND TURN RIGHT INTO HARPUR SQUARE
10. Harpur Centre
Set back on the left is a 1970s shopping mall whose name honours William Harpur. It occupies the site and retains the 1813 facade of Bedford Modern School, designed by Edmund Blore who also worked on Buckingham Palace. The shopping centre was refurbished in 1989-90 and various creamy coloured Jurassic limestones from near Bath, Ancaster and Ketton near Stamford were used on the outside. Beware though if you go inside. What look like large marble panels on the floors and walls are artificial.
CONTINUE ALONG HARPUR ST THEN TURN RIGHT INTO SILVER ST. TURN RIGHT INTO A SERVICE AREA BEHIND THE SHOPS
CONTINUE ALONG HARPUR ST THEN TURN RIGHT INTO SILVER ST. TURN RIGHT INTO A SERVICE AREA BEHIND THE SHOPS
11. The Prioratus and Old George
This area, Mayes Yard, was once packed with buildings but many were removed to give delivery vehicles access to the rear of the shops. On the left is a weird three-storey building mainly of brick but retaining walls of local limestone at the far end of the ground floor. In the 1930s, E.P. Rose and Sons, a successful family-run drapers obtained it when they expanded into a shop behind it in the High Street.
The ancient two-storey building here was the Prioratus or Old Chapel and may have been part of the former Greyfriars Priory. The Ministry of Works refused to schedule it as an ancient monument and the council approved its conversion into a workshop in 1937. Much of the original building was destroyed and the wide metal shutter conceals where a large archway had been. This had served as the entrance to the 15th century Old George inn that had stood between it and the High Street where there was another narrow entrance. For centuries, its yard had been a hub of activity with carriers gathering with their horses and carts before departing with goods to numerous destinations across Bedfordshire. The Old George was knocked down in 1967 after E.P. Rose acquired it too when they took over another shop unit.
RETURN TO SILVER ST, TURN RIGHT AND CROSS THE HIGH STREET ONTO THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF MILL STREET
The ancient two-storey building here was the Prioratus or Old Chapel and may have been part of the former Greyfriars Priory. The Ministry of Works refused to schedule it as an ancient monument and the council approved its conversion into a workshop in 1937. Much of the original building was destroyed and the wide metal shutter conceals where a large archway had been. This had served as the entrance to the 15th century Old George inn that had stood between it and the High Street where there was another narrow entrance. For centuries, its yard had been a hub of activity with carriers gathering with their horses and carts before departing with goods to numerous destinations across Bedfordshire. The Old George was knocked down in 1967 after E.P. Rose acquired it too when they took over another shop unit.
RETURN TO SILVER ST, TURN RIGHT AND CROSS THE HIGH STREET ONTO THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF MILL STREET
12. Mill Street
One of the panels, low down on the left side of a shop shows that it had once been a branch of the Halifax when it was a building society. The stone is a very dark green colour with white veins. It is another metamorphic rock called serpentinite which has been polished to bring out its colour and is probably from Savoy in Italy. The continent of Africa has pushed into Europe and subjected what had been a limestone to great pressure, crushing the stone and opening cracks that filled later with white calcite.
Look down at the granite kerbstones where the feldspar crystals are large and pink. They came from Shap which is close to the highest point on the M6 where it clips the edge of the Lake District.
TURN AROUND AND HEAD BACK TOWARDS THE HIGH ST
13. Former Debenhams store
Ahead of you across the High St is the distinctive 1938 tower of white Portland Stone dominating the corner of the massive store that drapers E.P. Rose and Son had become after a century of trading in Bedford. Debenhams took over the business in 1968 but it collapsed in 2019, closing this and dozens of other shops around the country. In 2024, Bedford Town Council purchased the site. Whatever else the future holds, it would seem likely that the iconic tower will remain.
TURN LEFT INTO THE HIGH ST
TURN LEFT INTO THE HIGH ST
14. 51 and 49 High St
Side by side here are shop fronts containing two variations of granite. At no. 51 are panels of Larvikite. Beyond the narrow Luddington’s Passage, only a drainpipe separates it from diorite used next door at 49.
The building at no. 49 is magnificent. Look up at the beautiful decorative red brickwork, the bay window with its red sandstone surrounds and the huge clock, one of many that once graced the High St. On top of it is a model that shows that this had once been the home of John Bull & Co, the town’s jewellers between 1817 and 2022.
CONTINUE ALONG HIGH ST TO THE CORNER WITH CASTLE LANE
The building at no. 49 is magnificent. Look up at the beautiful decorative red brickwork, the bay window with its red sandstone surrounds and the huge clock, one of many that once graced the High St. On top of it is a model that shows that this had once been the home of John Bull & Co, the town’s jewellers between 1817 and 2022.
CONTINUE ALONG HIGH ST TO THE CORNER WITH CASTLE LANE
15. 17 High St
On the far side of the entrance to Castle Lane is an imposing 1928 Regency style property built for the Pheonix Assurance Company. Admire the large reticulated blocks of sandstone with their sunken joints piled up around and above the front entrance and at higher levels on the corners. The sand grains are cemented together well, allowing it to be sculpted. Along the Castle Lane side, swags and a cartouche decorate the top of the pilasters. The attractive sandstone, of honey and grey hues, was deposited in a sea where currents and tides flowing in various directions eroded sandbanks and rebuilt them with layers of sand at a different angle to those underneath. This is called cross bedding and you can see it in many of the blocks. Sadly, the stone’s provenance is unknown.
Behind you on the corner of no. 19, the rounded blocks of Portland Limestone have received a coat of limewash but not enough to conceal all the fossil shells.
GO ALONG CASTLE LANE
Behind you on the corner of no. 19, the rounded blocks of Portland Limestone have received a coat of limewash but not enough to conceal all the fossil shells.
GO ALONG CASTLE LANE
16. Castle Bailey
You have returned into what had been the bailey of Bedford Castle which accommodated the stores, kitchen, stables and other facilities that helped the castle function. In the sunken area on the right are Castle Bailey Gardens where the remains of the limestone walls of the Great Hall were discovered in 1973.
CONTINUE AHEAD AND THEN LEFT TO RETURN TO THE HIGGINS.
The museum is well worth visiting with many fossils on display and lots more information about the area’s geology and history.
CONTINUE AHEAD AND THEN LEFT TO RETURN TO THE HIGGINS.
The museum is well worth visiting with many fossils on display and lots more information about the area’s geology and history.