Bedfordshire

• 1. Clay Plateaus And Chalk Hills

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  The centre of Bedfordshire is a gently undulating clay plateau. Out of this flat land rises a ridge of greensand that runs south-west to north-east. This geological feature has a distinct north-facing escarpment. The south of the county contains part of the chalk Chiltern Hills. The north holds part of a limestone ridge between Milton Keynes and Northampton. Local clay was used for brick-making in the Marston Vale. Glacial erosion left hard flint nodules as gravel. These were commercially extracted at pits now turned into lakes. Priory Country Park, Wyboston, and Felmersham hold these former extraction sites. The county's highest point sits on the Dunstable Downs. It reaches an elevation of 243 metres above sea level.

• 2. Etymology And Boundary Shifts

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  The first recorded use of the name appeared in 1011 as Bedanfordscir. This term meant the shire or county of Bedford. The town itself means Beda's ford, referring to a river crossing. Historically the area divided into nine hundreds including Barford, Biggleswade, and Clifton. Several changes occurred to the county boundary over centuries. In 1897 Kensworth and part of Caddington transferred from Hertfordshire to Bedfordshire. The ancient borough of Bedford remained a liberty within the larger structure. Modern administrative maps show three unitary authority areas replacing the old system. Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton now handle local government duties independently.

• 3. Unitary Authorities And Police Oversight

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  John Tizard serves as the Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner today. He is a member of the Labour Party. For local government purposes the county divides into three unitary authorities. These are the boroughs of Bedford and Luton plus the district of Central Bedfordshire. Healthcare operates through a single Clinical Commission Group serving all three councils. Emergency services continue on a county-wide basis despite the split. Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service falls under a Fire Authority with council members. Ambulance Services come from the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Parliamentary constituencies for elections number seven in total. Each returns a single Member of Parliament to the House of Commons. The present boundaries date from 1997 with slight modifications for 2010.

• 4. Corporate Headquarters And Economic Output

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  Regional gross value added reached 5,466 million British Pounds Sterling by 2003. Agriculture contributed 52 million while industry added 1,311 million that year. Services made up the largest share at 4,102 million. Bedfordshire hosts notable UK and international companies with headquarters or major bases here. Autoglass, Boxclever, and Charles Wells Pubs operate from Bedford. Kier Group and Kingspan Timber Solutions base themselves in Sandy. Jordans Cereals sits in Biggleswade. EasyJet, Impellam, TUI Airways, and Vauxhall Motors locate in Luton. Whitbread moved its operations to Houghton Regis. Costa Coffee now operates from Dunstable. UltraVision works out of Leighton Buzzard. Moto Hospitality runs Toddington service station.

• 5. Motorways And Rail Lines

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  Two main trunk roads pass through Bedfordshire today. The A1 London to Edinburgh road runs close by Biggleswade and Sandy. Watling Street passes through Dunstable as a Roman road. In 1959 the M1 motorway arrived running from London to Leeds. Junctions ten to thirteen serve the county including two for Luton. One junction serves Bedford and Milton Keynes at the northern end. Toddington Services stands as the only motorway service station in the area. Three main railway lines traverse the region. The West Coast Main Line has a short section in the far west. The East Coast Main Line serves stations at Bedford, Luton, and Harlington. The Midland Main Line connects Bedford, Luton Airport via DART link, and other towns. Plans exist to construct a canal linking the Great Ouse to the Grand Union Canal. This project would span fourteen miles between Bedford and Milton Keynes.

• 6. Airship Sheds And Local Flavour

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  The enormous Cardington airship sheds sit south of Bedford near Cardington village. They were built during World War I for large airship construction. One shed housed film sets for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Another served as rehearsal space for Take That before refurbishment. Hybrid Air Vehicles now occupies the second shed with modern designs. A local dish called the Bedfordshire clanger features suet crust pastry. It contains meat in one end and fruit preserve in the other. Farmers designed it to produce no waste while providing two meals. Chocolate Toothpaste offers another regional delicacy. This tart holds gritty chocolate filling resembling toothpaste texture. Whipped cream swirls on top as a common finish. St Paul's Church stands on St Paul's Square in Bedford. It served as the BBC church during the Second World War.