Bedford
Dame Alice Street

Places > Bedford > Streets > Dame Alice Street

From the late 16th to the 18th centuries the street was known as Bendhouse Lane indicating the area was involved in the tanning trade. The street was officially names Dame Alice Street by the Improvements Commission in 1835. Dame Alice was the wife of Sir William Harpur and the Harpur Trust had been largely responsible for building the almshouses in the street, which replaced a number of cottages destroyed in a fire in 1802.

Sources

• The Newspaper Cuttings Collection, Local Studies Library, Bedford Central Library
• FREEMAN, Ian From Saxons to Speed : a new history of old Bedford. 2006

Page last updated: 7th May 2014