ASPECTS OF BEDFORDSHIRE LIFE
B U O N G I O R N O B E D F O R D continued from page 16
one time, some 600 million bricks were produced every year. As a result, many buildings across the country were built using Bedfordshire clay. And so the brickworks to which the migrant
workers came were places of long heritage; the centrepiece of Bedfordshire’s industrial success. When men in southern Italy heard of this new opportunity, many saw a brighter future beckoning in a more prosperous country. For, if the early 1950s saw something of an
economic boom in the UK, in Italy, life was very different. The country was still struggling to recover from its years of fascism and war; years of controversy and division under ‘il Duce’, Benito Mussolini. Poverty was rife, especially in the rural south, known as the Mezzogiorno. These communities were limited by few employment opportunities and there seemed little likelihood of economic or technological progress at that time. So, the many young men who came to take up
work in the brickworks gradually adjusted to life in England. Initially, they tended to lodge in hostels in Bedford, which could be crowded with fellow migrants, who travelled to the brickworks every day by bus. As they settled here and became more established, many more arrived with their wives and families, and became an integral part of the local community. Little by little, over the years, shops and cafes selling or serving Italian produce opened. The women found jobs in local businesses or factories, and the children attended local schools. There were tensions and difficulties along the
way. If the wages here were considerably higher than in the Mezzogiorno, so too was the cost of living, so that there was still little spare money. Life in the crowded hostels was also far from ideal during the early years. Nor was the weather. To migrants used to sunnier and warmer climes, Britain’s grey skies could seem dismal indeed. But, in the main, the Italians either moved back south or settled here and thrived. Bedford’s ‘Little Italy’ was born. As the years have gone by, the Italian presence in
Bedford and the local area has become less evident, as in other areas with Italian communities. Children and grandchildren of those 1950s’ migrants were born and have lived all their lives here, and their
18 County Life
Italian roots may be less obvious. But that heritage remains strong. Special events maintain these links. The
Sharnbrook Hotel has held regular Italian car and bike days, when Ferrari, Lamborghini, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Lancia, Pagani, Moto Guzzi, MV Agusta, Ducati’s all gather at The Sharnbrook Hotel. Bedford’s successful Italian festivals see crowds enjoy Italian food stalls, serving bruschetta or pizza, as well as entertainment and face painting. Once again, cars feature here, highlighting Italy’s traditional engineering prowess. The fame of Bedford’s Italian community has
travelled far and wide. When stand-up comedian Mark Steel came to Bedford for his BBC Radio 4 show, Mark Steel’s In Town, the Italian presence here featured heavily. Bedford was also the setting for the opening episode of Peyton and Polizzi’s Restaurant Rescue on Channel 5 earlier this year. Renowned catering and hospitality experts Oliver Peyton and Alex Polizzi descended on one of Bedford’s Italian restaurants, Riobello, to transform the menu and interior design. You need only look at the range of pasta in any
supermarket to see to what extent Italian food has become a staple part of the British diet - tagliatelle, farfalle, penne and conchiglie, to name but a few. And Italian culture has become interwoven with our own in so many ways over the years in the country as a whole. Painters and sculptors like Michelangelo and Titian have left a unique heritage. Then there are other art forms like opera, which first evolved in Italy, and pantomime. And the country also has a strong tradition for design and engineering. Bedfordshire’s brick-making tradition has faded
over the years. The London Brick Company and Hanson Brick left Stewartby more ten years ago, and now have a newer plant in Peterborough. But the high kiln chimneys remain and are now officially listed buildings. Soaring over the Bedfordshire countryside, they stand as testament to this part of the county’s history. They also stand as testament to an industrial and economic boom that attracted new workers and built a vibrant Italian community, which still remains strong more than sixty years on.
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