bedford

Intro It has always been a thought in my mind of finding myself somewhere that I'd been within earlier in life. The exact place it would be was obviously a complete unknown and this wasn't exactly at the top of the bingo card (or however bingo works). Back in mid-late 2025, I found myself...

Oasis Beach Pool Opened in 1991, Bedford’s distinctive pyramid-shaped Oasis Beach Pool became a much-loved family attraction, known for its wave machine, flumes and leisure pools. By the 2020s, however, its ageing structure and rising maintenance and energy costs had placed its future in...

History The London Brick Company's Stewartby works were once the largest brickworks in the world. The company, initially formed in 1889 in Fletton, expanded into Bedfordshire, with Stewartby becoming its main production and administrative base. The London Brick Company effectively created the...

Heard earlier this week that a company had bought the land and were going to turn it into some sort of open air storage. As I assumed it's days were numbered, I decided to try getting in one last time. Wasn't expecting the thing to be flattened so quickly but yep, another great location and a...

History @Sewage_waste did an excellent write-up, I won’t repeat it here but instead implore you to visit their post and give it a read (and admire the photos that inspired me!) The Explore There are two sites to the Brickworks, bisected by the trainline - the East side faces next to the...

July 2024 Visited with @Mr Budge and @Tobin, I wasn't quite sure what to anticipate, having only come across a handful of reports from years past. The structure is beginning to exhibit signs of neglect, with multiple rooms, including the control room, showing clear evidence of dampness. In...

History Stewartby was the largest brickworks in terms of output in the world. The site closed in 2008 as the owners, Hanson, could not meet UK limits for sulphur dioxide emissions. The four remaining chimneys were due to be demolished upon closure but these were initially listed for...

The History RAF Thurleigh is located north of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. Thurleigh was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces Eighth Air Force on 9 December 1942 and designated Station 111, and used for heavy bomber operations and was built for RAF Bomber Command in 1940 by W & C...

My only previous experience with urban exploration was visiting an abandoned house "Skylark Cottage" along the former Stevington Country Walk; the former Bedford to Northampton railway line closed in the 1960s. I'm interested in visiting the former wind tunnel site RAE Bedford (now Thurleigh...

Introduction RAE Bedford has always been on the bucket list for me. Ever since I saw photos back in 2017 it is one I have always wanted to do but never thought I would ever get there or do it successfully, but we finally managed it in the end! I first tried it back in 2019 but couldn’t find an...

Robert Bruce School Kempston Senior Mixed School opened in Bedford Road in 1928, using the former Bedford Road Council Girls' School premises. The site was shared with Bedford Road Junior Mixed School. The idea was that children from elementary schools in a number of villages as well as from...

I've engaged in this hobby on and off for years, but it's been more off than on recently, I'm keen to get back out and put the exploring shoes back on! So of course, I've been looking through some old derps and this place really was one of my favorites, so wanted to get a report up, even if my...

So I was meant to do a post on this a few weeks ago but I ended up off in Germany exploring some incredibly cool stuff for a week (probably to emerge from the backlog in half a years time). I seem to have started off a bit of a Bedford craze this summer with my 3x3 post, and whilst it's been...

RAE Bedford RAE Bedford was established in 1946. It was designed to be a hub for aircraft experimental development work. At the time it was described as “the finest research and development establishment outside the United States”. Former RAF Thurleigh was selected as the base for the new...

I was on a trip 'norther' to visit someone and so quickly organised a tourist visa for this place on the way. I seem to be unable to go from A to B these days without seeing what I can visit enroute. It was actually really nice and I generally found the solo visit very enjoyable. A very strong...