Hassall, J. and Baker, D. (1974). Bedford: Aspects of Town Origins and Development. Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal Volume 09 1974. Vol 9, Bedfordshire Archaeological Council. pp. 75-94.
 Title The title of the publication or report |
Bedford: Aspects of Town Origins and Development | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Issue The name of the volume or issue |
Bedfordshire Archaeological Journal Volume 09 1974 | ||
Series The series the publication or report is included in |
Bedfordshire Archaeology | ||
Volume Volume number and part |
9 | ||
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. |
75 - 94 | ||
Downloads Any files associated with the publication or report that can be downloaded from the ADS |
|
||
Licence Type ADS, CC-BY 4.0 or CC-BY 4.0 NC. |
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International Licence |
||
Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book |
Journal | ||
Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report |
Despite settlement in the Ouse valley above and below the present town of Bedford from earliest times there is no evidence for urbanisation before the middle or late Saxon period. A river crossing may have determined the location of a settlement which was given a rectilinear plan by Edward the Elder in 9-15-6. The excavation of a section across the Kingsditch is reported. Bedford Castle (demolished c. 1224-5) dominated the town north of the river. The town does not appear to have developed significantly beyond the limits of the rectilinear plan until the eighteenth century. Major urban expansion took place in the nineteenth century and is traced through the study of a series of maps. Throughout its history, and especially in recent decades, the changing balance of urban functions between residential, commercial, office and transportation needs have determined the increasingly rapid evolution of the town's plan and fabric. Excavations since 1967 have produced some plan evidence for Saxon and medieval buildings, but, prior to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, standing survivals are almost all ecclesiastic. Many substantial timber framed buildings are known only from photographs and other illustrations. The main types of post-medieval buildings are indicated. A preliminary account of excavated medieval evidence for economic activity is given. The implications of recent development and the needs of a future research programme are discussed. Appendices list sites excavated 1967-1974 and pre 1841 buildings surviving today. | ||
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published |
1974 | ||
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. |
|
||
Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. |
ADS Archive
(ADS Archive)
|
||
Relations Other resources which are relevant to this publication or report |
|
||
Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered |
28 Apr 2023 |
