5.5 the Industrial Period 5.5.1 Continuing Prosperity in the Early

Conservation Area Appraisal Bedford Conservation Area Bedford Borough Council 5.5 The Industrial Period 5.5.1 Continuing prosperity in the early 19C was accompanied by modest growth, especially to the north-west of the town centre (see Figure 5 overleaf), but by far the most dramatic expansion of Bedford followed the building of the Midland railway in 1873, linking the town with London, and associated industrialisation. Between 1851 and 1902, house building was rapid (see Figures 6(i), 6(ii) and 7 overleaf). Extensive estates of middle class and workers’ housing appeared around the older core and the population of the town trebled, from 11,693 to 35,144. During the same period, major areas of public amenity space were laid out, clubs sprang up for the middle classes, the town cemetery was inaugurated and John Bunyan and John Howard were honoured by the erection of statues. Much but not all of the area developed during this important phase of growth now falls within the Conservation Area. 25 Conservation Area Appraisal Bedford Conservation Area Bedford Borough Council Figure 5: Reynold’s Map of Bedford (1841) 26 Conservation Area Appraisal Bedford Conservation Area Bedford Borough Council Figure 6(i): F T Mercer’s Map of the Borough of Bedford from Actual Survey (1876-78) 27 Conservation Area Appraisal Bedford Conservation Area Bedford Borough Council Figure 6(ii): Bedford in 1882: from the 1st 6” Ed. Ordnance Survey Map 28 Conservation Area Appraisal Bedford Conservation Area Bedford Borough Council Figure 7: Bedford in 1902: from the 2nd 6” Ed. Ordnance Survey Map 29 Conservation Area Appraisal Bedford Conservation Area Bedford Borough Council 5.6 Twentieth Century 5.6.1 During the C20, the expansion of the town continued beyond the boundaries of the Conservation Area and, by 1967, the population had doubled again to 66,000. In the early years of the century, some houses in the town centre were replaced by department stores, banks and cinemas to serve the expanding population, The Arcade was built and other properties in and around the centre were converted to shops and offices. The Dame Alice Harpur School in Cardington Road was also built in this period, along with the science block at Bedford High School and the chapel at Bedford School, demonstrating the continuing demand for and significance of educational facilities in the town’s economy. 5.6.2 The pace of change then increased dramatically in the 1960s and 1970s, when, among other things, new shopping precincts, office blocks, a new bus station, multi storey car parks, highway improvements and, in the outer areas, blocks of flats were allowed to sweep away many historic elements of the town. The destructive impact of these schemes, often completely out of scale with the texture and scale of their context, is seen throughout the Conservation Area but is perhaps most acute in the north-east part of the town centre. 5.6.3 During this period, the listing of buildings provided protection to individual structures, the Bedford Society, formed in 1967 campaigned, with some success, for the rescue of key historic buildings, such as Priory Terrace and various redundant churches, and, finally, the 1967 Civic Amenities Act prompted Bedfordshire County Council to take stock and designate a series of Conservation Areas to safeguard the historic assets of the town from further harm. 5.6.4 Some re-development within the Conservation Area has, however, continued and the multi-storey mixed use redevelopment of a large site to the rear of High Street, which was cleared of its historic buildings in the 1970s and then devoted to car parking, is currently underway. 30 .

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