GREAT BARFORD

Source unknown - probably 1975

The village of one of Bedfordshire's classic views north eastwards to the bridge, Anchor public house, and the late 15th century tower of All Saints completing the composition.  River works will do little to harm this environnlent once grass and reeds have grown again, but the activities of 1974-5 to regularize the channel have been temporarily devastating.

As a community Barford has suffered from straddling the A428, and is frankly suburbanised in parts though not always insensitively. There are individual buildings, and groups of buildings of great quality; College Farm house for example, a frontispiece in fine 18th century brickwork to a 17th century house behind, and the lovely composition of Riverside cottage; thatched roofs and dormers very near the waters edge.

The church tower is a work of the late 15th or early 16th century, refined and beautifully detailed, the body of the church fails to match up to it and has been modified drastically in 1848 and 1860, but combined with the Anchor makes a perfect southward termination to the village.

The bridge is basically medieval with outbuilding westwards in 19th century brickwork to give a greater width of road, and bold cutwaters all vigorously detailed in a tradition which is related and owes much to the canal bridge design of the period. The Anchor, traditionally the anglers' pub is one of several that cater for all tastes, it has been modernised to its detriment in recent years but more traditional drinking is available in the village.