Bedford, England
Bedford is the county town of the English county of Bedfordshire. It is the northernmost stop on the Thameslink rail service. Its population is 147,911 according to the 2001 census, which shows rapid growth has taken place in the last few decades. It is the administrative centre for the borough of Bedford.
It was the home and prison of John Bunyan, the author of the Pilgrim's Progress. The last execution in Britain also took place in Bedford prison.
The River Great Ouse passes through the town centre.
Bedford is also home to the largest concentration of Italian Immigrants in the U.K
According to a 2000 census, 10% of Bedford's population is of Italian descent.This is mainly as a result of labour recruitment in the early 1950's by the London Brick Company in the southern Italian regions of Puglia,Campania,Calabria and Sicily.
Nearby settlements
Ampthill, Biggleswade, Bromham, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Letchworth, Luton, Milton Keynes, Northampton, Rushden, Sandy, St Neots, Wellingborough
