Audio tourThe Invisible Folk Walking Tour of Bedford High Street

Bedford has long been a town of free thinkers and non-conformists, a people who stood for freedom and human rights. After WW2 the local brickworks recruited from Italy, the Caribbean, Poland and South Asia to make more bricks and rebuild Britain. The children and grandchildren of these workers walk the same High Street today, as do the British and Irish, the LGBTQ community and people with disabilities in body or in mind. The first time I visited Bedford I was struck at how well everyone got along. The more I have got to know the town and its people the more I see that I am not alone in celebrating this, it is just as valued by the people of Bedford.                   Jon Bickley (March 2022)

This walking tour covers Bedford High Street and St Paul's Square.
We'll take you the length of Bedford High Street, from John Bunyan's statue at the north end, to the river bridge at the south where we turn right to walk around St Paul's Square. The tour will end at La Piazza café at the Bedford Charter Marketplace.

The tour was created by Invisible Folk – Jon Bickley & Steve Yarwood – with help from Tom Bickley.

We consulted widely and would like to thank these contributors:
Paula Grayson, David Fowler, Anita Gabrielle, Stephanie Daniels, Pauline Stepney, David Szymanski, Anita Powell, Libby & Joe Lionetti, Bob Ricketts, Lissy Malt, John Pestell, Mikolaj Mackowiak, Rick Kirby and Lydia Saul. 

We reached as many communities as we could and look forward to meeting more on other walks.

Invisible Folk would also like to thank:
- Bedford Borough Council, in particular Jessica Mittler & Eleanor Karklas
- Historic England - High Streets Heritage Action Zones
- The Higgins, Bedford, in particular Lydia Saul 

Most of all thanks to the people of Bedford