Elstow
John Bunyan's Cottage
Places > Elstow > Historic Buildings > John Bunyan's Cottage
After his marriage to Mary in 1649 John Bunyan and his wife moved into a cottage at High Street, Elstow. While they lived there they had two daughters, Mary who was blind and Elizabeth. Mary was baptised in Elstow church on the 20th July 1650 and Elizabeth was born on the 14th April 1655.
The family moved to Bedford in 1655. In later years the cottage became a hardware shop and then a sweet shop run by Miss Fox. The cottage was repaired in November 1944 after a lorry ran into the cottage causing considerable damage.
The cottage remained inhabited for at least another 20 years until the cottage was demolished on the 19th September 1968. A plaque marks the spot where the cottage once stood to the right of the vehicle access to the St. Helena Restaurant.
Sources:
- Newspaper Cuttings Collection, Local Studies Library, Bedford Central Library.
- HART, M. Portrait of Elstow. 2000.
- NICHOLSON, John. An Illustrated guide to Bunyans Bedford. 1989.
John Bunyan's Cottage, Elstow by Bedfordshire Libraries, 2011
Page last updated: 19th May 2014