Bedford's old Goldings building restored to its former glory

The former Goldings building on Bedford High Street has been restored to its former glory.

The work has been done as part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone restoration programme.

And the scaffolding has come down to reveal gold lettering and the iconic Goldings logo painted on the building.

Goldings was a mainstay of Bedford’s High Street, opening in 1867.

The ironmongers managed to last until 2019 when it was forced to close its doors after 152 years – citing lack of custom and being unable to sustain its range of products behind its decision.

The regeneration of the building comes after Bedford Borough Council revealed it had some positive discussions with the owners of the former Beales and Debenham sites in the town centre about future regeneration plans

Called The Mayes Yard site, it’s hoped it could become a culture, entertainment and leisure hub full of smaller retail and hospitality units as well as residential spaces on the upper floors.

Mayor Dave Hodgson said: “The restoration of the Goldings building looks fantastic, and it is a great addition to the town centre.

“We are continuing to deliver more building restorations as well as the regeneration project on Midland Road.

"Through the High Street Heritage Action Zone scheme the Council has helped to restore a number of buildings including Blue Monk and Sundaes Gelato, with many more works in progress. We are ambitious for Bedford Borough, including the town centre which we will continue to develop.”