Maplet Details
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Available In
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| Location |
Bedford, United Kingdom |
| Address |
Bedford, United Kingdom |
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Lat, Long
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52.135978, -0.466651
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| GPS |
GPS Available
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| Website |
http://www.bedford.gov.uk/
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| Description |
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 80,000 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town of Kempston. The Bedford Urban Area which includes Kempston, Elstow and Biddenham forms the 71st largest Urban Area in the UK with a population of 101,928. The wider borough, including a rural area, had a population of 153,000. The name of the town is thought to derive from 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[citation needed] The Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia was buried in the town in 796. In 886 it became 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 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. The new Bedford Castle was razed in 1224 and today only a mound remains. NCN 51 west section from Milton Keynes, via Marston Moretaine, to Bedford: This is an Interim route, with on-road sections and also currently a diversion because of subsidence over one section. The final route will be built with the Wixams development. NCN 51 east section from Bedford to Sandy: This is a high quality off-road section following the disused railway line. It is an ideal family and starter route.
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