John Bunyan Museum and Library

The John Bunyan Museum stands in Bedford, beside the Bunyan Meeting Free Church where Bunyan once preached. The church began in 1672 as a barn bought by his congregation, and the present building dates from 1849. A separate museum opened in 1998 to house Bunyan’s belongings and tell his story. The displays show scenes from his life and Bedford’s 17th-century life. Artefacts include his iron violin, wooden flute, a stoneware jug he used in prison, his will and a third edition of The Pilgrim’s Progress. John Bunyan was born in 1628 at Harrowden, a mile south-east of Bedford in Elstow parish. He became a Christian writer and preacher best known for The Pilgrim’s Progress. The Church of England marks him each 30 August with a Lesser Festival. The Bunyan Meeting Free Church still meets in the same compound. The museum’s exhibits bring together Bunyan’s personal items and documents from his time. Visitors find a quiet museum room filled with recreated scenes and original objects. The iron violin and wooden flute show his musical side. The stoneware jug recalls his imprisonment. His will and a 17th-century copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress sit alongside other memorabilia. Outside, the church and its grounds stand close to the Elstow Moot Hall and Harlington Manor, both linked to Bunyan’s life.