3.5 km from Shortstown, Bedford Castle leads the list
Around Shortstown, the places to visit include 4 museums, 2 historic sites and a castle. Nothing on our list is inside Shortstown’s built-up area; the 11 places to visit are within 5 km of its edge. 2 of them are cared for by the National Trust. The big name further out is Bletchley Park, 25 km from the centre.
Where to start near Shortstown
Beyond Bedford Castle, there are 3 museums, a theme park and a historic house.
CastleBedford Castle2.9 km outside town, to the northwestTheme parkTheme parkUniversal United Kingdom Resort4.5 km outside town, to the southwest
MuseumThe Higgins3 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumJohn Bunyan museum3 km outside town, to the northwest
MuseumMoot Hall1.9 km outside town, to the west
Historic houseMoggerhanger House4.8 km outside town, to the eastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Map of the places
The map ends at Moggerhanger House, 6.2 km out.
The dashed line is Shortstown’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
Kind by kind
Castles or historic places number 4, museums or galleries 4.
Green: inside Shortstown. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Willington Stables and Willington Dovecote).
The full list
You will find all 11 within 5 km of its edge.
Universal United Kingdom Resort
Planned Universal Studios theme park in Bedford, England.
Moggerhanger House
Grade I listed historic house museum in Central Bedfordshire, England, UK.
9Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
7 listed buildings are on Shortstown’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Shortstown →
Within a day
The standout of the 12 is Bletchley Park, 25 km from town.
MuseumBletchley Park25 km southwestHistoric houseHistoric houseWoburn Abbey18 km southwestMuseumMuseumFitzwilliam Museum39 km east · 364K visitors a year
CastleKimbolton Castle21 km north
Historic house · English HeritageWrest Park12 km south
Historic house · English HeritageHoughton House8.5 km southwest
MuseumIWM Duxford38 km east · 401K visitors a year (2019)MuseumMuseumThe Shuttleworth Collection7.8 km east
MuseumNatural History Museum at Tring39 km southwest · 134K visitors a year (2022)
ZooWhipsnade Zoo31 km south
CathedralNorthampton Cathedral35 km northwest
Historic houseKnebworth House30 km southeastPlaces well known beyond Shortstown (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Common questions about Shortstown
What is there to see near Shortstown?
No attraction is mapped inside Shortstown itself. Within 5 km of it are Bedford Castle, Universal United Kingdom Resort, The Higgins and John Bunyan museum.
Does Shortstown have a museum?
4 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Shortstown: The Higgins, John Bunyan museum, Moot Hall and Panacea Museum.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Shortstown?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Shortstown, 2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Willington Stables and Willington Dovecote).
What are the best-known days out near Shortstown?
Within 40 km: Bletchley Park (25 km), Woburn Abbey (18 km), Fitzwilliam Museum (39 km), Kimbolton Castle (21 km).
Where are Shortstown’s historic buildings listed?
Shortstown has 7 listed buildings. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Shortstown when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (15)
- Bedford Castle: Matthew Paris, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- The Higgins: Simon Speed, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- John Bunyan museum: Simon Speed, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Moot Hall: Shritwod at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Moggerhanger House: John Brightley, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Panacea Museum: Paul Harrop, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bletchley Park: DeFacto, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Kimbolton Castle: Graham Taylor, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Wrest Park: Nigel Cox, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Houghton House: APB-CMX at English Wikipedia, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- IWM Duxford: IxK85, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Natural History Museum at Tring: Rob Farrow. Rob Farrow, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Whipsnade Zoo: Mike Pennington, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Northampton Cathedral: JohnArmagh, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Knebworth House: Heron2 (Heron on en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
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