The Bell, Dunstable

There are now no pubs in the village of Edlesborough (the Travellers Rest is a long way out of the village on the Icknield Way), and the contiguous village of Eaton Bray is much the same (the White Horse is a restaurant that serves bar meals, clearly discouraging drinkers). Each village had three pubs in the recent past, but they are now more like housing estates than villages. I used to live in the house next door to the Bell when I was between five and seven, and used to go to the back door to buy sweets with my weekly pocket money. I have only once been in for a beer, about five years ago, when the place was very quiet and a bit gloomy. The building is now looking sadly in need of repair.