Elstow Village


​Come and visit the delightful village where John Bunyan was born and grew up.
​See the places that John knew and locations that may have inspired
places in his book The Pilgrim's Progress:
  • ​​Elstow green where, as a youth, John played the game of Tip-cat.  ​Did the large commercial fairs that were held here give John the idea for 'Vanity Fair'?  His grandfather, Thomas, lived in a cottage at the side of the green, right next to the Moot Hall. 
  • Scripture Union hold "Lifepath Bunyan" here in May on alternate years. This event is for Primary Schools and gives over 1000 local children the opportunity to explore the Christian faith through the life-path of John Bunyan. This includes a range of workshops, including weaving, visiting Vanity Fair and walking their own Pilgrim's Progress - taking them on a narrow path to the ;Celestial City'.
  • ​The Abbey church where John was baptised, became a bell-ringer and where he first learned the message of the Gospel.  The church is the remaining half of Bedfordshire's first Abbey - founded by the Countess Judith, it was a wealthy Benedictine nunnery. The church is unusual in having a free-standing belfry, which are rare in Britain and yet Bedfordshire has three.  Bunyan,rang the bells here but ceased during his traumatic conversion experience, fearing that the belfry would topple and crush him.
  • Moot Hall. Built for the Abbey as a medieval market house and manor courtroom, this unique ancient monument stands on Elstow green.  ​John Bunyan is said to have attended dances here and his grandfather, Thomas, lived next door.  From 1812 to 1910,  it was leased by the Elstow congregation of the Bunyan Meeting, who used it as a chapel and a Sunday school. It is now a museum containing many items related to John Bunyan, including the pulpit from which the Reverend Christopher Hall preached the sermon that lead to John's conversion.
Picture
The 'Bunyan' Pulpit
  • The wicket gate set within the northern-most of the Abbey church's two west doors. A wicket gate is the starting point of Christian's journey to salvation in The Pilgrim's Progress - just as the Abbey's door had been the start point for Bunyan's actual spiritual journey.
Picture
Wicket gate
  • The ruins of "Elstow Place".  Formed from part of the Abbey cloister buildings, this was a mansion built for lord of the manor Sir Thomas Hillersden whilst Bunyan was growing up, Such a grand mansion may well have been the original inspiration for Bunyan's 'House beautiful'. Two substantial sections of wall remain and have had new stone window frames inserted, in preparation for being integrated into a new visitors' centre.
  • The site on Elstow High Street where John and his first wife lived for the first few years of their marriage. (This is now the entrance to St. Helena restaurant.)
  • The path beside Elstow brook is a route that the young John Bunyan, would have had to negotiate many times, as he made his way from the family home to the main part of Elstow village. Even today, the area either side of Elstow  feels remote and can become quite boggy in wet weather, so site may have been the original  inspiration for his 'Slough of despond' in The Pilgrim's Progress. 



Visitors can also (during the summer months) partake of refreshments in the wonderful atmosphere of Elstow Tea Garden
For more information about Elstow, including many modern and historic pictures and local history archive,
visit the Elstow Village website

To go to the 'Places to Stay' page - click HERE