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64-467: Shortstown is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Bedford , on a ridge above the River Great Ouse , originally called Tinkers Hill. The ridge overlooks Harrowden to the north and Cotton End to the south. The village name is taken from Short Brothers . The Admiralty established an airship works for the company in 1916. The company pulled out of airship work just three years later, but

128-539: A cricket pavilion and bandstand which are both still in use. Priory Country Park is a large country park located on the northern bank of the River Great Ouse in eastern Bedford. Both parks have been awarded Green Flag status . Bedford's principal church is St Paul's , in the square of the same name at the historic centre of the town. It is the Civic Church of the Borough of Bedford and County of Bedfordshire and has

192-459: A three-tier education system, which was arranged into lower , middle and upper schools , as recommended in the Plowden Report of 1967. The arrangement was put to the vote in 2006 with a view to moving to the two-tier model, but was rejected. On 17 November 2009, borough councillors voted 19 to 17 in favour of a two tier system, which would then be phased in. However, following the defeat of

256-673: A boundary town separating Wessex and Danelaw . It was the seat of the Barony of Bedford . In 919 Edward the Elder built the town's first known fortress, on the south side of the River Great Ouse and there received the area's submission. This fortress was destroyed by the Danes . William II gave the barony of Bedford to Paine de Beauchamp, who built a new, strong castle. Bedford traces its borough charter in 1166 by Henry II and elected two members to

320-655: A former brickworks site near Stewartby , on the outskirts of Bedford, with the company exploring the possibility of building a theme park and resort in the area, citing Bedford's proximity to London and Luton Airport. In 2024, Universal Studios United Kingdom was announced to be in the planning and approval phases, with construction potentially beginning as early as January 2025, and the park itself slated for completion around 2030. Following successful rollouts of autonomous delivery robots in nearby Milton Keynes, Northampton and Cambridgeshire by Starship Technologies , in July 2022,

384-628: A major industry in the town. The 19th century saw Bedford transform into an important engineering hub. The northern part of the town was badly damaged in the Great Fire of Bedford in 1802, which destroyed 72 properties in the St Loyes area. 21 years later, the Great Flood of Bedford swamped most of the town when the River Great Ouse burst its banks. The former Phoenix public house in St Johns Street has

448-536: A merger with the University of Luton in 2006 had been a campus of De Montfort University (itself now solely based in Leicester ). For further education, the town is served by Bedford College and The Bedford Sixth Form . Additionally, Stella Mann College is a private college, which offers a range of further education courses relating to the performing arts . The town has a high number of places of worship, including

512-447: A more logistical and managerial position. It is more common now for an assistant director to transition to a theatre production management or producer role than to directing, with contemporary exceptions such as James McTeigue . Often, the role of assistant director is broken down into the following sub-roles: The sub-roles of assistant directors differ among nations. For example, the distinction between second second AD and third AD

576-467: A new settlement near to the works. By June 1919, one hundred and fifty one homes in a "simplified neo-Georgian style ", mostly of red brick with dark red tile roofs had been constructed. Architects were Robert Burns Dick and James Cackett of Newcastle upon Tyne. The houses were arranged in groups of terraces and a social club was built. Short Brothers vacated the Cardington site on 1 April 1919 and it

640-427: A non-UK identity; just over 8% had a "British and other" identity. In 2001, Bedford was 69% Christian, 24% Irreligious, 3% Muslim, and 2% Sikh. By 2021, Bedford was 48% Christian, 40% Irreligious, 7% Muslim, and 2% Sikh. Bedford Park is the town's largest urban park and is located directly to the north of the town centre. The park retains many original features from its Victorian design and construction, including

704-421: A pay on foot system. Greyfriars occupies 142 parking spaces, including 7 designated disabled spaces, although there is a 2-hour per day parking limit. Bedford bus station serves the town and was reopened on 29 March 2015, after undergoing £8.8million regeneration which began in 2013. The main operators in and around the town are Stagecoach East and Stagecoach Midlands . Bedford Borough previously operated

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768-468: A result, the population of Eastcotts declined from 3,675 in 1951 to 1,710 in 1981. Since 2012, there has been significant housing development on land to the east of the A600, this part of the village is marketed as New Cardington and Eastcotts Green to appeal as more upmarket than Shortstown. Over half of the homes on New Cardington development are for Housing Associations. A new school and shops have been built in

832-619: A separate civil parish in 1866. The site selected for the Short Brothers airship works was broad, level and unobstructed. It had good road and rail links with London and was beyond the range of World War I German bombers based in Belgium. In October 1916, the site was acquired by the Admiralty from the Whitbread Estate for £110,000. Short Brothers planned to build housing for 600 employees in

896-476: A stone marker in its wall almost two metres above ground level, representing the maximum height of the floodwater in 1823. In 1832 gas lighting was introduced, and the railway reached Bedford in 1846. The first corn exchange was built 1849, and the first drains and sewers were dug in 1864. Bedford's first woman town councillor was Mary Milligan who, in 1919, was also the secretary of the local Women's Citizens League. The contiguous Bedford built-up area forms

960-433: A tall, iconic spire which is one of the dominant features of the town. There was an early Minster church on the site by 1066 and work on the present structure began in the early 13th century, but little remains from that period. John Bunyan and John Wesley both preached in the church. In 1865–1868 the tower and spire were completely rebuilt and the two transepts added and lesser alterations have been made since. From 1941 to

1024-670: A traditional pantomime at the Bedford Corn Exchange each Christmas. Esquires (one of the town's premier live music venues) regularly plays host to many notable bands and acts from all over the United Kingdom as well as showcasing local live music. Every two years, an event called the " Bedford River Festival " is held near the river in Bedford during early July. The event lasts for two days and regularly attracts about 250,000 visitors. The event includes sports, funfairs and live music. It

1088-551: A war memorial to the men of the town killed in the First World War . The memorial was designed in 1921 by the sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger and depicts the Anglo Saxon Lady Athelflaed, who ruled Mercia, killing a dragon. The inscription reads 1914 † 1919 TO BEDFORDIANS WHO DIED, MANY IN EARLY YOUTH, SOME FULL OF YEARS AND HONOUR, BUT WHO ALL ALIKE GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR COUNTRY. Bedford Castle Mound

1152-577: A year is typical of inland areas of southern-central England. Bedford is home to one of the largest concentrations of Italian immigrants in the United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census, almost 30% of Bedford's population were of at least partial Italian descent. This is mainly as a result of labour recruitment in the early 1950s by the London Brick Company from Southern Italy . From 1954 to 2008 Bedford had its own Italian vice-consulate . In addition to Italian immigrants, Bedford has also been

1216-574: Is Bedford St John's which in on the Marston Vale Line . Services are operated by London North Western Railway and run between Bletchley and Bedford's main station . Road access to and from the town is provided by the A6 and A421 roads; the former connects the town with Kettering to the north-west, and Luton to the south, whilst the latter connects the town with Milton Keynes and the M1 (at Junction 13) to

1280-567: Is a market town in Bedfordshire , England. At the 2011 Census, the population of its urban area (as defined by the Office for National Statistics ), including Kempston and Biddenham , was 106,940. Bedford is also the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford , a unitary authority that includes a significant rural area. Bedford was founded at a ford on the River Great Ouse and

1344-593: Is home to four private schools run by the Harpur Trust charity, endowed by Bedfordian Sir William Harpur in the 16th century. These are: Smaller private institutions include Bedford Greenacre Independent School (boys and girls aged 3–18), and Polam School (boys and girls aged 12 months to 9 years), neither of which are part of the Harpur Trust. Bedford hosts a campus of the University of Bedfordshire , which prior to

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1408-516: Is more common in North America. British and Australian productions, rather than having a second second AD, will hire a "second" 2AD experienced in the same duties, and trained to the same level, to allow a division of the duties. 3ADs in Britain and Australia have different duties from a second second AD, and the terms are not synonymous. One of the first AD's most important responsibilities is to "call

1472-561: Is of Sub-Saharan descent ), South America and the Caribbean, making it one of the most ethnically, racially, and linguistically diverse towns in the United Kingdom outside of London in proportion to its size. At the 2011 Census, the ethnic mix of the Bedford urban area was 74.4% white, 4% mixed, 15% Asian/Asian British, 5% Black/African/Caribbean/Black British, and 1% "other ethnic group". In terms of national identity, just over 50% identified as English only, 24% as British only and 15% only as

1536-509: Is part of Bedford's built-up area, as is the village of Biddenham. Other villages adjacent to, but outside of, the built-up area include Bromham , Elstow , Renhold and Ravensden . Wixams is a new town which is being developed to the south of Bedford. Villages in the Borough of Bedford, outside of the built-up area, with populations of more than 2,000 (as of 2005) include Clapham , Elstow , Oakley , Sharnbrook , Shortstown , Wilstead , and Wootton . There are also many smaller villages in

1600-603: Is the largest theatre in Bedford and hosts many larger productions as well as projects from the university. There is an active amdram (community theatre) scene, with groups such as the Swan Theatre Company, Bedford Drama Company (formerly Bedford Dramatic Club), Bedford Marianettes and ShowCo Bedford producing plays and musicals in venues like the Place Theatre and the Corn Exchange. The Bedford Pantomime Company produces

1664-422: Is the local radio station. Assistant director Historically, assistant directing was a stepping stone to directing work: Alfred Hitchcock was an assistant, as well as Akira Kurosawa . This was when the role was more general and encompassed all aspects of filmmaking such as set design and script editing. This transition into film directing is no longer common in feature films, as the role has evolved into

1728-455: Is the remnant of Bedford's medieval castle , located close to the centre of the modern town, less than a hundred yards from Bedford Bridge and the High Street. In around 2000, Bedford Borough Council built a sloping retaining wall on the south side, facing the river. Although almost completely modern, the wall does incorporate a few pieces of historic masonry. A paved path leads round the side of

1792-572: Is the second-largest regular outdoor event in the United Kingdom, beaten in numbers only by the Notting Hill Carnival . The Bedford Regatta each May is Britain's largest one-day river rowing regatta. Other annual events include "Bedford by the Sea" (when large quantities of sand are deposited in the town centre), the "Bedford International Kite Festival" and "Bedford Festival of Motoring" in June. "Proms in

1856-513: Is thought to have been the burial place of King Offa of Mercia , who is remembered for building Offa's Dyke on the Welsh border. Bedford Castle was built by Henry I , although it was destroyed in 1224. Bedford was granted borough status in 1166 and has been represented in Parliament since 1265. It is known for its large population of Italian descent . The name of the town is believed to derive from

1920-568: The Air Ministry and Major George Herbert Scott , Assistant Director of Airship Development (Flying and Training) at the Royal Airship Works. The roads of the western half of the site are all named after Second World War bomber aircraft. With the ending of National service and cuts in the armed forces the RAF's presence at Cardington began to dwindle and largely disappeared in the 1970s. As

1984-509: The Bedford Bypass . Despite being far upriver from the sea, seals have occasionally been reported as swimming as far inland as Bedford. The Old Town Hall dates back to 1550 and the building was originally constructed as a school. The River Great Ouse passes through the town centre and is lined with gardens known as the Embankment. Within these gardens, opposite Rothsay Road, stands

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2048-670: The Bedford constituency , represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom Parliament . The current Member of Parliament (MP) for Bedford is Mohammad Yasin , who is a member of the Labour Party . Bedford is 46 miles (74 km) miles north-northwest of London , 65 miles (105 km) southeast of Birmingham , 25 miles (40 km) west of Cambridge and 19 miles (31 km) east-southeast of Northampton . The town of Kempston

2112-638: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ , and that Bedford was the original location of the Garden of Eden . The Higgins Art Gallery & Museum , Bedford is housed in the recreated Victorian home of the Higgins family of Victorian brewers and in a modern extension. The museum has local history collections, while the galleries have notable collections of watercolours, prints and drawings, ceramics, glass and lace. Bedford contains several works of public art , most notably

2176-670: The Statue of John Bunyan , the Statue of John Howard , and Reflections of Bedford , a statue by British sculptor Rick Kirby . The Panacea Museum tells the story of the Panacea Society , a religious community formed in the early twentieth century. The Bedford Corn Exchange is the largest entertainment venue in the town and plays host to a variety of performances, meetings, conferences, concerts and private functions. The venue has been host to many great entertainers such as Glenn Miller and Bob Hope . The University of Bedfordshire Theatre

2240-606: The unreformed House of Commons . The new Bedford Castle was razed in 1224 and today only a mound remains. From the 16th century Bedford and much of Bedfordshire became one of the main centres of England's lace industry, and lace continued to be an important industry in Bedford until the early 20th century. In 1660 John Bunyan was imprisoned for 12 years in Bedford Gaol . It was here that he wrote The Pilgrim's Progress . The River Great Ouse became navigable as far as Bedford in 1689. Wool declined in importance with brewing becoming

2304-587: The 1940s, Cardington remained a busy RAF station, and from 1953, it became the RAF's main recruitment centre. After the Second World War, further houses were built at Shortstown as married quarters for RAF personnel. The three avenues off the southern extension of Greycote are named after three prominent victims of the R101 disaster: Brigadier-General Lord Thomson , Secretary of State for Air; Air Vice Marshal Sir W. Sefton Brancker , Director of Civil Aviation at

2368-430: The Bedford urban area, only Brickhill, Biddenham and Kempston elect their own parish councils , while the rest (and majority) of the built-up area is unparished. Kempston is the only civil parish in both the built-up area and Borough of Bedford which has a town council . Bedford is served by Bedfordshire Police . The Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner of that force is John Tizard . Bedford forms part of

2432-671: The Civic and County Church of St Paul's and the Church of St Peter's . There are three from the Newfrontiers network, as well as Polish, Arab, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian Roman Catholic churches, LDS ( Mormon ) meeting houses, Greek , Russian and other Orthodox churches, Presbyterian churches, Lutheran churches, Baptist churches, Evangelical churches, Methodist churches, Protestant churches, Anglican churches and various independent churches and other places of worship that cater to

2496-465: The Labour Government in 2010, the new coalition government announced that the funding necessary for the switch to a two-tier system would no longer be available. As a result, the switch proceeded on a school by school basis as national funding was due to cover most of the cost. However, in July 2015, the council announced the intention to support the transition to a system of two tier education across

2560-726: The Park", held in early August, is a popular musical event. Bedford's special brand of the ordinary has resulted in regular small TV and radio appearances, for instance the upbeat episode of Mark Steel's in Town , contrasting with the less enthusiastic treatment in The Late Show with Stephen Colbert . The "Bedford of Bedfordshire's Community Calendar" segment of this US show featured Bedford-born John Oliver . In December 2023, Universal Destinations & Experiences announced that it had purchased 480 acres (later expanded to around 700 acres) of land on

2624-585: The R100 and R101 airships which then represented the latest passenger flight technology. The village was originally built by the Short Brothers for its workers, but evolved into a settlement for people working at the RAF Cardington base. Shortstown was only created from 1916 onwards. The land originally lay in the township of Eastcotts which was itself a part of the ancient parish of Cardington . Eastcotts became

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2688-665: The borough. As with the rest of the United Kingdom, Bedford has a maritime climate , with a limited range of temperatures, and generally even rainfall throughout the year. The nearest Met Office weather station to Bedford is Bedford (Thurleigh) airport, about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) north of Bedford town centre at an elevation of 85 metres (279 ft). Temperature extremes at the site have ranged from 39.5 °C (103.1 °F) in July 2022, down to −15.3 °C (4.5 °F) in January 1982. However, such extremes would likely be superseded if longer-term records were available – Historically,

2752-523: The centre of Shortstown. Although Bellway Homes marketed the development as New Cardington, in fact, it remains an extension of Shortstown. In May 2017, Shortstown celebrated its centenary with Shortstown Fun Day in June, a firework display in September and a Centenary Reunion in November. In April 2019 Shortstown became a civil parish, having previously been part of the parish of Eastcotts . Road access to

2816-717: The company announced a partnership with Bedford Borough Council and The Co-operative Group to rollout the autonomous robots in the Bedford built-up area, delivering from three Co-op stores in Goldington, Queens Drive and Kempston, an area spanning 45,000 residents and 20,000 households. Local news and televisions programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia from the Sandy Heath TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio on 95.5 FM, Heart East on 96.9 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts on 96.2 FM, In2beats on 106.5 FM and Bedford Radio which

2880-522: The different ethnic, racial, and language groups. There are four Islamic mosques in the town. There are also Buddhist and Hindu temples in the town. Bedford has the largest Sikh gurdwara in the United Kingdom outside London, alongside two other Sikh gurdwaras; one of which is in Kempston. Bedford has Guru Ravidass and Valmiki temples. There are Quaker , Jehovah's Witness and Wiccan communities who meet and have their own places of worship in

2944-420: The editing department knows to look for the sync marks at the end of the action. At the conclusion of the action, the director will still call "cut", but the first AD (and possibly others) will immediately call "end board!" or so that the camera and sound recorder are not turned off before the clapper is clapped. Also, as a visual cue to the editors, the clapper-board will be shown inverted on camera. According to

3008-724: The end of the Second World War the BBC 's daily service was broadcast from St Paul's. Another notable local church is St Peter's , on St Peter's Street, which contains some of the oldest architectural remains in Bedford, the most ancient being the two monoliths . St Paul's Church also hosts the town's Visitor Information Centre. Just outside the town lie the Cardington airship hangars . The hangars have been used to shoot scenes for movies such as Star Wars , Batman Begins , The Dark Knight , and Inception . The hangars can be seen from

3072-696: The largest settlement in the wider Borough of Bedford . The borough council is led by a directly elected mayor who holds the title 'Mayor of Bedford', an office which was first held by Frank Branston , until his death in 2009. The current mayor of Bedford is Tom Wootton from the Conservative Party . The Bedford built-up area is divided into 10 wards for elections to the Borough Council: Brickhill , Castle , Cauldwell , De Parys , Goldington , Harpur , Kingsbrook , Newnham , Putnoe , Queens Park , Kempston East and Kempston West . Within

3136-691: The mound up to the top, which is a flat circular grassy area. A small wooden structure of the same date at the top of the wall, much like a bus shelter, protects tourists from the rain while they view the river embankment. There are two stations in Bedford. The main Bedford railway station is on the Midland Main Line , providing inter-city services to London St Pancras and the East Midlands, operated by East Midlands Railway . Stopping services, operated by Thameslink , run through London to Gatwick Airport and Brighton . Bedford's other lesser used station

3200-487: The name Shortstown stuck. Shortstown was built on Tinker's Hill , Harrowden. Before it was built, a windmill stood on the site from 13th to 16th century. From 17th to 18th century, the area was known as Windmill Hill . Shortstown started with the establishment of the Airship Works in 1917 when housing for the workforce was built next to the airfield. In 1918 and 1927, sheds (later Grade II* listed buildings) were built for

3264-476: The name of a Saxon chief called Beda, and a ford crossing the River Great Ouse . Bedford was a market town for the surrounding agricultural region from the early Middle Ages . The Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia was buried in the town in 796; this is believed to be in his new minster, now the Church of St Paul, or on the banks of the Great Ouse where his tomb was soon lost to the river. In 886 it became

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3328-410: The nearest weather station to Bedford was Cardington about 2.4 miles (3.9 km) south south east of the town centre with an elevation of 30 metres (98 ft). This location recorded a minimum of −18.3 °C (−0.9 °F) during January 1963. Rainfall averages around 585 mm (23.0 in) a year, with an excess of 1 mm (0.04 in) falling on 109 days. Sunshine at around 1,500 hours

3392-441: The new Bellway development. The building was refurbished in 2011, and a new site called New Cardington was also built. It is now used for 20 residential apartments and has a Public Common Hall, that shows a permanent display of 17 enhanced historic R101 photographs taken from The Airship Heritage Trust collection. There are also additional community rooms and Eastcotts Children's Centre is based here too. The Royal Airship Works

3456-596: The recipient of significant immigration from India (8.1% of Bedford's population; Indians began arriving from the late 1950s onwards from the Punjab area & many worked at the London Brick Company), Eastern Europe (particularly in the 2000s) and Scandinavia, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Northern Cyprus, Malta, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Albania, Turkey, The Middle East, East Asia, South East Asia, Africa (3% of Bedford's population

3520-453: The roll" — that is, call out a series of specific cues for each take to ensure that all cast and crew on set are aware of exactly what is going on so they can perform their particular role at the appropriate moment. Over the years, special procedures have been developed for this task to achieve maximum efficiency during shooting, which are usually some variant of the following: The above roll sequence can be varied by, for example, eliminating

3584-484: The sound calls and the clapping of the slate if the shot is mute or "MOS" ("MOS" is an abbreviation of unknown origin for shooting without sound). At other times, for expediency (e.g. if the shot begins with a closeup of a closed door which then opens), the slate may be shown at the end of the take rather than the beginning. In this case, once the sound is rolling, there is an audible announcement of "End board" (also "end slate", "tails", "tail slate", or "tail sticks") so that

3648-571: The town. There is no longer a synagogue in Bedford, but Bedfordshire Progressive Synagogue, based in Luton , meets in Bedford once a month for the town's Jewish community. The nearest Orthodox synagogue is the Luton United Synagogue, a Lubavitch synagogue in Luton. Bedford is the former headquarters of the Panacea Society , founded in 1919, who believed that the town would have an important role in

3712-449: The village is provided by the A600 road . The Stagecoach bus also runs frequent routes in the village, with Route 9 running to and from the town centre at frequent intervals. Routes 9A and 9B also provide connections to Bedford as well as the nearby locations of Cotton End and Shefford , continuing on to Hitchin . Shortstown County Primary School was opened in 1957. The first headmaster

3776-673: The west, and the A1 to the east (near St Neots ) via a bypass, with both being around 10 miles (16 km) away. Other roads that serve or skirt the town include the A422 , which runs westwards into Milton Keynes (also connecting to the M1 at Junction 14 via the A509 ), and the A428 , which runs between Coventry and Cambridge . The new Greyfriars surface car park and the refurbished Allhallows multi-storey car park both implement

3840-451: The whole borough in a coordinated way. At the time, only the Wootton cluster of schools chose not to transition. As of September 2018, all of the borough's schools have converted to two-tier. The secondary schools currently operating in the borough are Bedford Academy , Bedford Free School , Biddenham International School , Castle Newnham School , Goldington Academy , Mark Rutherford School and St Thomas More Catholic School . Bedford

3904-411: Was Mr Evans; a road in the village was supposedly named after him. A new school named Shortstown Primary School was built in New Cardington: construction started in late 2012 and completed in September 2013. This school replaced the old, and now demolished school named Shortstown Lower School, where houses now stand. The solid or underlying geology is a mudstone called Oxford Clay Formation . This

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3968-462: Was laid down between 154 and 164 million years ago in the warm, shallow seas of the Jurassic period . The northern part of the area has a superficial geology consisting of river terrace deposits of sand, gravel, clay and silt. A similar mixture, called head, lies in the southern part of the community. There is a woodland created by the Forest of Marston Vale called Shocott Spring, which is between Shortstown and Cotton End. Bedford Bedford

4032-465: Was put on a care and maintenance basis until 1938, when it was renamed the Balloon Development Establishment. However, the social club at Shortstown was still known as the Royal Airship Works and Shortstown Club in the 1980s. In the meantime, in 1936, an RAF station had opened at Cardington, being particularly concerned with producing gas for barrage balloons and training barrage balloon crews as well as more general training of recruits and NCOs. Throughout

4096-460: Was taken over by the government and renamed the Royal Airship Works . The Shorts Building was built in 1917. It has taken on many guises, ranging from an Administration Block in the early airship days to Station HQ in WW2 and, in more recent years, as a training centre for the Civil Service. However, despite its many uses, it is still referred to today as The Shorts Building and now, over 90 years later, has been restored to its former glory as part of

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