Bedfordshire Brickworks Day at The Higgins Bedford
25th May: Pride, Inspiration, Hope: Bedfordshire Brickworks Day and Invisible Folk Club Festival
26th May: From Open Fields to Fletton Bricks: a History of Landscapes in Bedfordshire from John Bunyan to Sir Malcolm Stewart, by Brian Kerr
A weekend of events and talks comes to The Higgins Bedford on 25th and 26th May, as part of The Journey from Bunyan to the Brickworks exhibition. This exhibition explores the journeys of pride, inspiration and hope made by John Bunyan, alongside those who came to Bedford after the Second World War to work at the Brickworks.
Bedfordshire Brickworks Day and the Invisible Folk Club on Saturday 25th May will fill The Higgins Bedford with music, talks and activities. Visitors will be able to share memories and stories which will become part of the museum's archive, helping to enrich our knowledge and understanding of the social history of the Bedfordshire Brickworks for future generations.
Visitors are also invited to join in a 'Brickworks Question Time' with two Former Directors of London Brick Company, David Szymanski and Richard Manning.
The Invisible Folk Club will be performing a variety of folk songs and stories, with performances from local musicians. This event runs from 11am to 4pm and is free for all to enjoy. It forms part of the Greensand Country Festival which runs throughout May 2019.
On Sunday 26th May, discover the stories of two historical Bedfordians and how they navigated through a period of change in the town. Join author Brian Kerr as he discusses John Bunyan's use of Bedfordshire's topography to inform his writing, and Sir Malcolm Stewart's legacy at Stewartby, the village built for the workers at the London Brick Company. This talk takes place at 2pm and is free to attend. Brian Kerr will be on hand for a book signing of his new publication A Certain Degree of Magnificence: People in the Bedfordshire Landscape.
This is sure to be a fascinating weekend at The Higgins Bedford, looking back on the Brickworks, collecting stories and memories from our Borough's history, with music and fun to be had. This exhibition and events are completely free to visit, so come along and take part in this fantastic weekend at our local museum.