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in the county of Bedfordshire

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About Cardington

The rural town of Cardington has a double claim to fame, one is that this pleasant place was the birth place of Samuel Whitbread, founder of the family fortunes, who was born here in 1720 and, the other is that it was from Cardington that the R101 set forth on her maiden flight to India on October 4th, 1930.

Everywhere there are reminders of the generousity of the great brewing family to Cardington. The first Samuel Whitbread and his friend, the penal reformer, John Howard who between them built many of the houses that are so attractively set around an expansive green. A later Samuel Whitbread carried out a good deal of restoration in the area, this includes the rebuilding of the local church. John Howard's house, a three-bay early 18th-century building stands north of the church in Church Lane. The almshouses he built stretch along the western side of the green and date 1763 and 1764.

The local church houses many eye catching monuments to the Whitbread family and there are several remarkable brasses, these include one dedicated to Sir William Gascoigne, Comptroller of the Household of Cardinal Wolsey, in heraldic dress. Nearby is a memorial to John Howard, the reformer, who died of typhus while on a mission to Russia.

The font in the church is well worth seeing. It is an extremely rare example of Josia Wedgwood's work in black basalt and was presented to the church by Harriet Whitbread in 1783.

Commemorated too, is the ill-fated R101 that crashed over Beauvais, France during her inaugural flight. The airship's tattered ensign is enclosed in a glass case on the church wall.

This town is a pleasurable place to visit. There are a host of pleasant inns and public houses in which to enjoy a hearty meal. Shopping facilities in close-by Bedford are excellent but you may prefer the peace of more localised shopping in Cardington itself.

Other nearby attractions are; Wrest Park and formal gardens, Woburn Abbey, Whipsnade Wild Animal Park and Bedford Museum which houses a wonderful collection of works of art.

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Planning a visit? Please see below for other recommended towns, attractions and recommended hotels nearby.

Distances and directions below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near Cardington

Wild Britain	(4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction N)	Pictures
Shuttleworth House	(4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction SE)	Pictures
The Shuttleworth Collection	(4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction SE)	Pictures
The Swiss Garden	(4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Maulden Wood	(4.9 miles, 7.8 km, direction S)	Pictures
Rowney Warren	(5.1 miles, 8.3 km, direction SE)	Pictures
Houghton House	(6.0 miles, 9.7 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Stevington Country Park	(6.3 miles, 10.2 km, direction NW)	Pictures
Cainhoe Castle	(6.4 miles, 10.2 km, direction S)	Pictures
Wrest Park House and Gardens	(7.5 miles, 12.1 km, direction S)	Pictures
Harrold-Odell Country Park	(9.5 miles, 15.3 km, direction NW)	Pictures
Sharpenhoe Clappers	(11.0 miles, 17.7 km, direction S)	Pictures
Santa Pod Raceway	(11.1 miles, 17.9 km, direction NW)	Pictures
Barton Hills Nature Reserve	(11.1 miles, 17.9 km, direction S)	Pictures
Woburn Safari Park	(11.2 miles, 18.0 km, direction SW)	Pictures

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Recommended towns near Cardington

Willington, a Picturesque Village in the county of Bedfordshire (2.2 miles, 3.5 km, direction NE)
Willington lies on the south east outskirts of Bedford, it is most notable for its Dovecote, an oblong structure with nesting chambers and several stepped gables. Its stables are...
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Elstow, a Picturesque Village in the county of Bedfordshire (2.2 miles, 3.6 km, direction SW)
Elstow's fine Moot Hall is a building of 1500, this is a medieval market hall which is open to the public, it houses a collection illustrating John Bunyan's life and times.
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Bedford, a Historic Market Town in the county of Bedfordshire (2.4 miles, 3.9 km, direction NW)
Bedford is the historic County town of Bedfordshire with a beautiful riverside setting on the great River Ouse. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's has strong associations with this town.
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Old Warden, a Picturesque Village in the county of Bedfordshire (4.1 miles, 6.6 km, direction SE)
Old Warden is a sleepy Bedfordshire village with pretty honey-coloured thatched cottages and a wealth of other interesting buildings.
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Sandy, a Historic Market Town in the county of Bedfordshire (5.2 miles, 8.4 km, direction E)
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Clophill, in the county of Bedfordshire (6.2 miles, 9.9 km, direction S)
A village surrounded by woodlands and famous for the art of straw plaiting used to make straw boater hats. Legend has it that Dick Turpin stopped here on his famous ride to York....
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Ampthill, a Historic Market Town in the county of Bedfordshire (6.8 miles, 11.0 km, direction SW)
The lovely town of Ampthill lies sheltered by hills in the sandstone belt of Bedfordshire.
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Silsoe, a Picturesque Village in the county of Bedfordshire (7.5 miles, 12.0 km, direction S)
Silsoe is mostly noted for Wrest Park, a mansion in French Chateaux style which was the home of the de Grey family.
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Barton Le Clay, a Picturesque Village in the county of Bedfordshire (10.0 miles, 16.1 km, direction S)
The attractive village of Barton-le-Clay nestles at the foot of the beautiful Barton Hills, it is ringed by beautiful Bedfordshire countryside and is famous for its impressive...
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Ashwell, in the county of Hertfordshire (12.1 miles, 19.5 km, direction SE)
Ashwell embodies some of the finest domestic architecture in England, here in this well preserved village, at a glance you get a pleasurable insight as to what England was like in the 16th and 17th-centuries.
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Woburn, in the county of Bedfordshire (12.5 miles, 20.1 km, direction SW)
The picturesque village of Woburn has an mixture of delightful old cottages and the magnificent Woburn Abbey.
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Olney, a Historic Market Town in the county of Buckinghamshire (12.5 miles, 20.1 km, direction W)
Amongst other things the small town of Olney in Buckinghamshire is famous for its hymns - Amazing Grace was one of the so-called Olney Hymns written by the rector John Newton, and William Cowper, the poet.
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Hitchin, a Historic Market Town in the county of Hertfordshire (12.8 miles, 20.6 km, direction SE)
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Baldock, in the county of Hertfordshire (13.0 miles, 20.9 km, direction SE)
The town lies close to the River Beane, in a spot where the river flows through some lovely water meadows and tranquil English countryside.
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Newport Pagnell, a Historic Market Town in the county of Buckinghamshire (13.4 miles, 21.6 km, direction W)
Visitors here can find plenty to interest them, the town has the worlds oldest iron-bridge still in use for motorised traffic.
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All towns in Bedfordshire
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Nearby travel help

Bedford St. Johns Station	(2.4 miles, 3.8 km, direction W)
Bedford Station	(3.0 miles, 4.8 km, direction NW)
M1 Junction 13	(10.2 miles, 16.5 km, direction SW)
A1(M) Junction 10	(11.6 miles, 18.6 km, direction SE)
London Luton Airport	(16.8 miles, 27.0 km, direction S)
Cambridge Airport	(25.8 miles, 41.5 km, direction E)
Cardington to London	(43.8 miles, 70.4 km, direction S)

Hotels & Accommodation in Cardington

Hotel Name	Approximate distance from Cardington center
The Barns Hotel (Form. Corus Hotel Bedford)	(0.7 miles, 1.2 km)
Express By Holiday Inn Bedford	(2.2 miles, 3.6 km, direction W)
Embankment Hotel	(2.3 miles, 3.8 km, direction NW)
Bedford Swan Hotel	(2.5 miles, 4.0 km, direction NW)
Park Inn Bedford	(2.5 miles, 4.1 km, direction NW)
De Pary's Hotel	(2.9 miles, 4.7 km, direction NW)
Shakespeare Hotel	(3.4 miles, 5.5 km, direction NW)
Holiday Inn Garden Court Sandy	(5.0 miles, 8.1 km, direction E)
Queens Head Hotel	(6.8 miles, 11.0 km, direction NW)
The Carriage House	(7.6 miles, 12.2 km, direction SE)
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