My husband was born and bred in
Bedford
but in 1972 when we married, we couldn’t afford a house in Bedfordshire so bought a bungalow in Rushden. The contrast between the 2 towns, separated only by only 15 miles, could not have been greater! I spent some of my childhood in
Yorkshire
, and I was immediately reminded of
Leeds
and
Halifax
, with terraced houses and factories at the bottom of the road, but thankfully, without the dirty chimneys of
Yorkshire
. Even the accent of those born and bred in the area seemed to have a northern “twang” and was very different from that in Bedfordshire.
Initially I was very frustrated with Rushden! Saxbys used to close for lunch on a Saturday and there was no supermarket where I could do my weekly shop so I continued to do this in
Bedford
on a Friday evening. We really used Rushden as somewhere to sleep and travelled to
Bedford
for entertainment and shopping. I can remember complaining about the lack of amenities to a lady who was probably in her early 50s. She said that she enjoyed shopping in Rushden as the shop assistants took time to be helpful and she really wanted to be waited on in a more genteel manner than suffer the rush and tear of larger shopping complexes. I was only 26 at the time and really didn’t understand what she was talking about. Now at 61, I know exactly what she meant, and would never consider going into Bedford
,
Northampton
or
Milton Keynes
for any shopping. True, Rushden shopping facilities have improved over the years but the old-fashioned politeness and willingness to help of the shop assistants has endured and I know just where to go “up the Street” to get anything I require.
