Bedfordshire Churches
- Map of Historic Churches in Bedfordshire
- Map of ALL Historic Churches in England
- Map of all attractions in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire churches have been unfavourably compared to their neighbours in Northamptonshire, but this is probably a "bad rap"; Bedfordshire has a lot to offer aficionados of church architecture.
There really isn't such a thing as a "typical" Bedfordshire church; in the south many are built of flint, but the most common material is ironstone (carstone), which imparts a dark, sometimes grim look.
Anglo-Saxon work has survived in several churches, notably Turvey and St. Peter's, Bedford. Excellent early Norman monastic churches survive at Dunstable and Elstow. Several much later buildings are worth noting, such as the thatched Congregational church at Roxton, and Victorian Gothic structures at Woburn and Turvey.
Finally, it is impossible to speak of Bedfordshire churches without mentioning John Bunyan, who received his spiritual "wake-up call" at St. Paul's. Bedford, and regularly attended Elstow church where he delighted in ringing the bells.
St. Nichols' church in the Bedfordshire village of Swineshead is unusual in that architecture and furnishings are almost entirely mid 14th century, when the Decorated Gothic style was in vogue. Very little restoration work has been carried out, making the church a time capsule of Decorated style. There are traces of medieval wall paintings in the south aisle.
Swineshead, Bedfordshire, England
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St George's Church in Toddington was consecrated on St George's Day in 1322. The church boasts a wealth of medieval memorials and brasses, as well as a fascinating frieze of carved animal and mythological beasts on the exterior wall.
Church Square, Toddington, Bedfordshire, England, LU5 6BP
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Heritage Highlight: 15th-century effigies
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Not your ordinary cathedral - Whipsnade is a quiet green space planted with trees to create the outline of a church, with nave, transepts, a cloister walk, choir, and chancel. The entire 'green cathedral' covers 26 acres.
Whipsnade, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, England, LU6 2LQ
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Between the stately home of Woburn Abbey and the village of Woburn is the parish church of St Mary the Virgin. The church was built by Henry Clutton for the 8th Duke of Bedford between 1865-68. The church looks oddly truncated because the original spire had to be dismantled for safety reasons in 1890.
Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, MK17 9PG
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