Bedfordshire may be among England’s smallest counties, but its 700,000 residents and increasing visitor numbers have a wealth of places to explore within its boundaries. Alongside the urban areas of Luton and Bedford, the county offers plenty of green spaces, including the Chiltern Hills. The county has connections with John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim’s Progress, Catherine of Aragon and the Whitbread family, dating back some 250 years when the brewing pioneer was MP for Bedford. In this book local authors John Jackson and Jenny Jackson reveal the vital role a Bedfordshire barn played during the Second World War, exactly why Luton Town Football Club are appropriately nicknamed ‘The Hatters’, the churchyard that inspired J. M. Barrie’s character of Wendy in Peter Pan, and much more.

50 Gems of Bedfordshire explores the many places and their history that make this part of the country so special, including natural features, towns and villages, buildings and places of historical interest. Alongside justly famous attractions, others will be relatively unknown, but all have an interesting story to tell.

John Jackson, a lifelong transport enthusiast, opted for early retirement at the turn of the Millennium – and swapped the rat race for the rail tracks. Since then, he has travelled extensively on the British rail network with his camera as a constant companion. He continues to compile a photographic collection reflecting the UK rail industry that already extends to tens of thousands of images. He also has an interest in the history of his local county of Bedfordshire and John and his wife Jenny, together with their trusty cameras, have spent hundreds of hours meandering around their home county visiting each one of the parishes in the county, recording the churches. Jenny together with John and their trusty cameras have spent hundreds of hours meandering around their home county visiting each one of the parishes in the county, recording places of interest including the churches for their previous book, Churches of Bedfordshire, and for this book.