How many times have you walked around Bedford and looked up at the buildings above the shops? Probably not very often! However, those who attended the online talk by David Fowler (47-56) on Bedford’s Hidden History, will certainly be doing this from now on. David’s talk took us on a journey from Saxon times to the present, introducing us to the many historical characters who have shaped both our town and the world.
One such individual was Guglielmo Marconi, the pioneer of radio transmission. Whilst his brother, Alfonso, attended Bedford Grammar School (now Bedford School), the family lived in Bedford. During this time, the school hosted an Art and Science Exhibition which included a telegraph machine and a morse recording register. We like to think that the young Guglielmo attended this with his brother and was inspired by what he saw!
Bedford has a long and proud history of engineering and innovation. Engineering firm, W H Allen, produced the machinery that powered the lights on the Titanic, which did not go out until the ship finally sank.
David’s talk contained many fascinating pictures of bygone Bedford, highlighting the changes to our beautiful embankment, Town Bridge and historical High Street. He showed us where to find out more about the people who have made our town what it is today. We would like to thank David for inspiring us to look beyond the shops to ensure that these people are not forgotten.
If you would like to watch David’s talk, you can do so using the link below (to ensure that you don’t see the ‘chat messages’ on the right hand side of the video, click on the ‘Fullscreen’ button next to the image of scissors at the bottom of the screen)
Our next Virtual event is ‘Who was Burnaby?’ which will be given by former Burnaby Housemaster, Tim Machin (70-05) and OB Chris Alexander (86-92). Find out more and book your place here.