E D C B A County Council. in Bunyan’s time. cottages wereThe restored by Bedfordshire A row ofTudor cottages hasbeenrestored tolookasitdid (01234) 266889. charge. bookingspleasecontact detailsorparty For further It isopenApril-September. isanominaladmission There English lifeillustrating 17thcentury andtradition. Bedfordshire CountyCouncil,MootHallisnow amuseum worship. Restoredused bothasaschool andaplaceof by arising from theupperroom thefairs. was Inthe19thcentury stalls andotherequipmentasaplacefor hearingdisputes in connectionwiththevillage fairs. Itwas usedfor storingthe known) was asamarket-house built inthelate15thcentury Elstow MootHall(orGreen House asitwas formerly with astick ratherthanaball. rounders played of tip-cat; aform and joinedingames of used tobeheld.Itwas thatBunyan alsoonthegreen danced marks thesiteonElstow Green where theAnnualMay Fair a cross, damaged duringtheReformation, stumpof The father andsisterare buried inthegraveyard. church’s entrance, canalsobeseen.Bunyan’s northern mother, wicket gate which figure in where hewas christened on30November 1628. doorand The Table usedwhen Bunyan attendedthechurch, andthefont Progress scenesfromthem depicts with Bunyan, oneof Moot Hall,thechurch hastwo stain-glass windows connected church founded in1078.Overlooking Elstow Green and a oncelarger monastic remnant of 1880, isthetruncated St HelenaandMary, restored Abbey in The Church of family hadlived inthearea for over 400years. Britain year.1951, Festival PriortoJohn’s of theBunyan birth, longer stands,but itssiteismarked by astone, erected in Harrowden, in1628. close tothehamletof cottage no The ElstowBunyan parish, inacottage was atthefar endof born John Bunyan: hislife inElstow Moot Hall Elstow Cottages Moot Hall Elstow Green Elstow Abbey Bunyan’s Birthplace congregation intheearlycongregation 1650s. the pastor, John Gifford, andjoinedthe the river inBedford. Hebecamefriendlyto thesouthof with thatmetatStJohn’s dissentingcongregation formed Church, Bunyan found theanswer hewas lookingfor inasmall,newly to find purpose. adeeper God’, andby hisowna need accounthenow becameaware of swearing,‘cursing, lying andblaspheming theholy nameof dancing andplaying tip-cat.Bunyan hadfew equalsin bell-ringing, his favourite pastimesof question thevalue of to reflect seriously uponhislife for thefirst timeandto the factors thatcausedBunyandisability was probably oneof them ablindwho girl. bore Her himfour children, oneof resumed hiswork asatinker. alocalwoman Hemarried toElstowOn returning sometwo years later, Bunyan the Parliamentary forces against KingCharles I. War broke outandBunyan, stillinhisteens,joined His youth, however, was notsotrouble free. CivilThe toread andwriteatthelocalschool. andlearning green had ahappy childhood, playing tip-catonthevillage thetrade.He district helpinghisfather andlearning a tinker andasachild hetravelled the the sonof Bedford. Hewaswhich liesamiletothesouthof Elstow,Bunyan in1628,theparishof was born having beentranslatedintoover 200languages. publication in1678andhassincebecomeaworld classic, John Bunyan 1628-1688 and theother The Holy The War. ItcontainstheCommunion which was animmediatesuccesson spiritual allegory, ThePilgrim’s Progress, later years, heisbestknown for his Although aprolific writerinhis Bedford. around thetown of hislife inand He lived mostof most widely read Christianwriters. theworld’s origins tobecomeoneof John Bunyan rose from humble The Pilgrim’sThe Progress, formerly atthe The Pilgrim’sThe

PRODUCED BY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UNIT DESIGNED BY BLUEGREEN DESIGN T : 01234 217218 The Abbey Church ofStHelenaandMary please callthe Tourist Information Centre in thisleafletlarge printoronaudiotape If you would like theinformation contained Tel/Fax :01234213722 held atnearby Harlington Manorovernight andthenappeared Samsell. Hewas silenced andwas inthehamletof arrested preaching. Bunyan, by now arespected speaker, refused tobe the developing by Congregations forbidding Independent their through religious uniformity, thestateattemptedtorestrain that nationalunitycouldonly beachieved In thebelief Protectorate cametoanendandthemonarchy was restored. Bunyan’sIn 1660,ayear afterthedeathof wife, Cromwell’s Website :www.bedford.gov.uk/tourism Email : Fax : Tel : St Paul’s Square, Bedford MK401SL Tourist Information Centre information For further Website : Email : Mill Street, Bedford MK403EU Bunyan MeetingFree Church ChurchThe Office John Bunyan Museum Email : Fax : Tel : Castle Lane,Bedford MK403XD Bedford Museum Email : Fax : Tel : Castle Lane,Bedford MK403RP Cecil Higgins Gallery Art Website :www.bedfordmuseum.org as leader of the church. However,as leaderof hisfreedom lived. was short as apreacherquickly andwas fully re-established occupied himself meeting. Bunyanand orchard inMillStreet astheirplaceof which Congregation, the Independent laterboughtabarn was setatliberty. Hewas immediately appointedpastorof Indulgence andBunyan, alongwithotherChurch offenders, Religious In 1672,KingCharles IIissuedtheDeclaration of Pilgrim’sthat hewrote The Progress . Sinners, but more importantly,of itwas while hewas ingaol books, including hisautobiography his timewas spentwriting. Hecompletedseveral Most of vain. Allinall,Bunyan spentthenext 12years inprison. when hestayed attheSwan ChambersinBedford, but itwas in BEDFORD BEDFORD PRIDE IN 01234 215226 01234 353323 01234 211222 01234 217932 01234 273401 01234 327149 before thelocaljusticesinBedford, where hewas sentenced toremain inprisonuntilhecouldconform. [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Sir Matthew Hale, the Lord Chief Justice of England, Justice of Sir MatthewHale,theLord Chief Bunyan was 32when hewas taken totheCountyGaol, www.bunyanmeeting.com which then stood on the corner of Silver Street and which of thenstoodonthecorner the HighStreet, lessthanfive minutesfrom hishome. At first itwas thoughtthesentencewould lastafew weeks. However, monthswent by andnorelease was forthcoming. Hissecondwife Elizabeth tried toget hiscasereopened by pleadingwith Grace Abounding totheChief Ref: 04/06 where sepulchre andspring;here are three images withinonevillage. to known water, upandispure crystal todry even today. Cross, Wellwater which hasnever atStevington been isaspringof the WaterLife aboutwhich hewrote atlength. of HolyThe the hillandisrefreshed, highly symbolicof the bottomof in thisonevillage. Christianthendrinksfrom theSpringat death ontheCross andburial inthetombascomingtogether Christ's image anditiseasytoimaginethesymbolismof was built. Itappearseven tothisday, like adarksepulchral the rock onwhich thechurchto befound, hewnoutof itself down towards theChurch beneathwhich theHoly Well is in Stevington, theroad from theCross drops quitesteeply the sepulchre'. Now,do so, untilitfell withinthemouthof his shouldersandbegantotumble, andsocontinuedto off sin), loosedfrom and onseeing'theCross hisburden (of 'a placesomewhat ascending' where Christiancameto in Pilgrim’sThe Progress have inspired thesequence Bedford, isbelieved to of Stevington, five milesnorth medievalThe cross in Stevington Fields, CityRoad, London. while onavisittoLondon.Heisburied inavault inBunhill Bunyan diedinAugust 1688aftercontractingpneumonia his gospel. Cambridgeshire, andLondonteaching Surrey andpreaching 40books.Hetravelledfurther throughout Bedfordshire, Mr Badman LifeThe andDeath of Bunyan lived tenyears. for Inthattimehewrote afurther 18th February1678hepublished He was eventually released from prisoninJune 1677,andon sentenceinthe second, shorter Town Gaolon Town Bridge. although ithasbeentraditionally heldthatBunyan his served thathewent backIt seemscertain totheCountyGaol, and onanecclesiastic technicality Bunyan toprison. returned In 1673,theKingwas forced towithdraw hisDeclaration, time passes... with John Bunyan and imagination The Pilgrim’sThe Progress. The Holy The War spiritual writers most widelyread the world’sone of of Trace thefootsteps alongside a John Bunyan : his life in Bedford

1 St John’s Rectory 6 Chapel of Herne 8 Bunyan’s Home St John’s Rectory in St John’s Street is 300 yards south of the In January 1661, seven or eight weeks after his arrest for A plaque on Number 17, St Cuthbert’s Street marks the site river. The Rectory appears in The Pilgrim’s Progress as the House preaching in Samsell, Bunyan was brought before the of the cottage Bunyan and his family moved to in 1655. John of the Interpreter where Christian stopped for guidance. Magistrates at the Bedford Quarter Sessions, which were then Gifford, the Rector of St John’s Church died in the same year “Then Christian went on till he came at the House of the held in an old building known as the Chapel of Herne. The and Bunyan, now a member of the congregation and a gifted Interpreter…‘Sir’ said Christian, ‘I was told that if I called Town Hall office block stands on the site of the old Chapel. speaker, was called upon to preach more often. here you would show me excellent things, such as be a help to The charge against him was that he had “devilishly and When the cottage was demolished in 1838, Bunyan’s Deed me on my journey’ ”. perniciously abstained from attending Church service”. Bunyan of Gift was discovered concealed behind a brick in the chimney retorted “if I were out of prison today, I would preach the The Rectory has one room relating to the times of Bunyan corner. Fearing further persecution and the possible seizure gospel again tomorrow, by the help of God”. open to the public. Visit by arrangement via Bedfordshire St. of his possessions, following the accession of James II, Bunyan had drawn up the Deed of Gift in 1685, and left his entire John's Ambulance (01234) 216200. estate, which amounted to very little, to his wife Elizabeth. In actual fact Bunyan was not arrested 2 Baptism Pool again, therefore the Deed was not Shortly after his conversion and prior to his first needed. The document is now on imprisonment, Bunyan was baptised by John Gifford in a little display in the John Bunyan Museum. backwater that runs off the River Great Ouse. Bunyan was not a strong denominationalist, preferring the title “Christian” 9 Bedford Central Library above all other, and it is known that while Minister of the A modern mural sculpture depicting congregation he resisted those who wanted to take a rigid line scenes from The Pilgrim’s Progress can be on the question. seen in the foyer of the library. In the The actual site is on the south bank of the river between Local Studies Department there are Duck Mill Lane car park and the weir bridge. an extensive number of books relating to Bunyan, including the Frank Mott Harrison and George Offer Collections. 3 Town Gaol It used to be thought that Bunyan’s second 10 Bedford Museum and shorter imprisonment in 1676 was served In Castle Lane, the Museum houses displays of specimens in the Town Gaol, which was then a part of the relating to the history and natural history of the Bedford area. main structure over the river. There is a plaque to that effect on the present bridge built in 1813. It is open from 11am to 5pm Tuesdays to Saturdays, and from Evidence, however, supports the view that Bunyan 2pm to 5pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Admission charge served both of his sentences in the County Gaol. and concessions apply, and special arrangements can be made for parties. Telephone (01234) 353323. Bunyan must have often stood by the Town Bridge looking across the river towards St John’s Church; there is clear 11 The Cecil Higgins Art Gallery reference to this scene in The Pilgrim’s Progress. “They went on The gallery in Castle Lane has a needle panel entitled their way to a pleasant river… on either side of the river was “Bunyan’s Dream” on permanent display. The panel was a meadow, curiously beautified with lilies, and it was green all designed by Edward Bawden CBE RA (1903-1989) in 1977, the way along.” to celebrate the Tercentenary of The Pilgrim’s Progress and the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Members of the Bedfordshire Music A model of the Town Gaol can be seen and Arts Club embroidered the panel in 1978-9 and it in the Bunyan Museum in Mill Street. consists of 80 panels. The Gallery is open from 11am to 5pm 4 Swan Hotel Tuesdays to Saturdays and from 2pm In the 17th century, the Swan Hotel to 5pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays had chambers set aside for judges for (Last admissions 4.45pm). Conducted tours when the County Assizes were being for groups can be arranged by appointment. held in the town. In August 1661, Catering for parties can be booked in advance. Bunyan’s second wife, Elizabeth, Admission is £2.10, concessions and children succeeded in getting access to the free. Telephone (01234) 211222. Swan Chambers to plead for her husband, whose original prison sentence of 12 Bunyan Meeting Free Church three months had already extended to six months. and John Bunyan Museum The presiding judge, Matthew Hale, Lord Chief Justice of One of Bunyan’s first duties, on being elected England, was sympathetic to Elizabeth’s request that Pastor of the Independent Congregation after Bunyan should be called to state his own case; his release from the County Gaol, was to find however, the other judges, Chester and Twisden, a permanent meeting place for his church. In 1672, Bunyan were hostile and rude, and finally overruled Hale. bought a barn and orchard in Mill Street for the sum of £50, which was subsequently converted into a place of meeting. In The staircase now in use in the Swan Hotel 1707, it was replaced by a Meeting House, and in 1850 the * originally came from Houghton House in present church was erected. Ampthill, reputedly the inspiration for ‘House Beautiful’ in The Pilgrims Progress. The bronze doors at the entrance to the church, are the work of Frederick Thrupp, and were presented to Bunyan Meeting by Hastings, Duke of Bedford in 1876. The doors’ ten panels depict 5 Bunyan’s Statue scenes from The Pilgrim’s Progress, and starting from the bottom The bronze statue of Bunyan that stands left-hand corner can be read left to right.The church has fine on St Peter’s Green at the northern end examples of 20th & 21st century stained glass depicting scenes of the High Street was presented to the for the The Pilgrim’s Progress including John Bunyan in gaol Town in 1874 by Hastings, Duke of one of the most recognised pieces of stained glass in the world’. Bedford. The nine feet tall figure, weighing 7 County Gaol The John Bunyan Museum was opened in 1998. Exhibits over three tonnes, was sculptured by A plaque in the pavement at the junction of High Street and include artefacts associated with his life and a display Sir J E Boehm. Around the pedestal are Silver Street marks the corner where the County Gaol stood illustrating scenes from The Pilgrim’s Progress. three bronze panels illustrating different until it was demolished in 1801. It is generally believed that Bunyan Meeting Free Church is open from 10am to 4pm scenes from The Pilgrim’s Progress. Bunyan served both of his prison sentences here, from 1660 Tuesdays to Saturdays. Sunday services are held at 11am to 1672 and from 1676 to 1677. It was during the first of and 6.30pm. Telephone (01234) 213722. An extract from ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ was read by the these that he wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress. Rev. Anthony Burnham at the Queen Mother’s funeral Museum is open from 11am to 4pm Tuesdays to service in April 2002, “As I see myself now at the end of The gaol was dirty and overcrowded, Saturdays from March to the end of October. Telephone (01234) 213722. my journey...” but some privileges were allowed. As a result Bunyan received daily visits from * Houghton House an English Heritage site about 7 his daughter Mary, who brought him miles south of Bedford near Ampthill on the B530 food and soup for his supper. The soup is thought by many to have been Bunyan’s inspiration jug she carried, and other relics associated for ‘House Beautiful’ in ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’, with the County Gaol are part of the and the hill approaching it collection that can be seen in the ‘Hill Difficulty’. John Bunyan Museum in Mill Street.

The bronze doors of the Bunyan Meeting Free Church where time passes... with imagination