Beautiful Bedford Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Pilgrim's Progress

Bunyan was imprisoned for refusing to promise to cease preaching, under the Conventicle Act of 1593. Such an offence was normally punishable by three months imprisonment followed by transportation or execution for further offences, Although Bunyan refused to give his promise, he wasn't transported but was continually sentenced over a period of 12 years, until 1672 when King Charles II issued a "declaration of indulgence" for non-conformists. Upon his release, Bunyan obtained a licence allowing him to preach.

Answer: Rugby Union

Bedford Blues are the biggest of the four teams, being semi professional and playing in the RFU Championship, with many notable former international players such as Rory Underwood (England), James Pritchard (Canada) and Will Hooley (USA). The Blues were formed when Bedford Rovers and the first incarnation of Bedford Swifts joined forces in 1886, but in true "once a swift, always a swift" style the Swifts were reformed in 1950 and continue to attract supporters, even in a town with three other rugby union teams.

Answer: River Great Ouse

One of the longest rivers in UK, at 143 miles (230 km), the Great Ouse has its source in Syresham, Northamptonshire and eventually joins the North Sea at the Wash in East Anglia. Along the way, it is joined by many tributaries such as the Little Ouse, Old Bedford River, New Bedford River and probably the most well known, the River Cam, scene of many university student dunkings.

Answer: Chariots Of Fire

1981s "Chariots of Fire" was much more than a sports movie, telling as it did the story of Eric Liddell, a devout Christian who saw running as means to glorify God, and Harold Abrahams, a Jewish athlete who saw running as a way of overcoming prejudice. Abrahams took gold in the 1924 Paris Olympics with a 100 metres time of 10.6 seconds, beating the 1920 Olympic champion, Charley Paddock, into second place.

Answer: The Garden of Eden

The Panacea Society was founded in 1919 and at its height had almost 100 members, all in the Bedford area, with assets in excess of £14 million. In 2012, the last member of the society died, and with her passing, the society died also. Close to the society's head office in Bedford, an empty house was kept furnished and aired, ready for Jesus Christ to move into at the occasion of the Second Coming.

Answer: Offa

Offa ruled Mercia between 757 and 796 and is generally regarded as the most powerful monarch of the Mercian people. We have a very good idea of what Offa looked like, due to his likeness being minted on silver coins of his reign, and his wife Cynethryth is the only Anglo-Saxon Queen whose likeness appeared on coins. Offa's Dyke was a large earthwork measuring eight feet (2.4 metres) high and 65 feet (20 metres) wide, the original purpose of which is uncertain, but it is believed to have been a defensive boundary between Mercia and the Welsh kingdom of Powys.

In 2010, Offa's Dyke was proposed as a World Heritage Site, but this proposal was rejected in 2011.

Answer: Italy

The brick company recruited almost 8,000 men from southern Italy on four year contracts and many stayed long past the four years, bringing their families over to share in their new life, meaning that by the time of the 2001 census, almost a third of Bedford's population had claim to an Italian bloodline. Between 1954 and 2008, Bedford even had its own Italian vice-consulate and for an unforgettable experience I recommend the town's Italian festival, held in June each year, with its car show, music and as much real Italian pasta as you could ever wish to eat.

Answer: Brewing

Wells must be almost unique in that marriage made him turn to beer, but in a good way. When he fell in love with Josephine Grimbly, and asked for her hand, her father approved on the condition that Wells gave up his successful career as a ship's captain in favour of something less dangerous. Wells bought a malt house, a brewery and 35 pubs in 1875, three years after his marriage to Josephine, and the rest as they say is history. Cheers!

Answer: Airships

The R-31 and R-32 airships were both constructed at Cardington Sheds towards the end of World War and following the war, work began on the R101, which was completed by 1929. It was, at the time, the largest flying craft in the world, a record that would only be broken in 1936 by the Hindenburg.

In October 1930, the R101 crashed over France on its maiden flight, killing 48 of the 54 people on board and effectively ending the airship manufacturing business in UK.

Answer: True

In UK, geographic phone numbers issued since 1995 start with 01, although some towns have, since 2000, transferred to a 02 prefix. Prior to 16th April Bedford's area code was 0234, so the addition of the digit 1 on National Phone Day was a great talking point in the town.