John Bunyan played as a child on the green in Elstow village. The Moot Hall is located here with the village sign also showing the connection to John Bunyan.
Inside the church are the memorial stained glass windows dedicated to John Bunyan including scenes from 'Pilgrim's Progress' and 'The Holy War'.
John Bunyan's scenes from 'The Holy War' are displayed in the north wall and scenes from 'The Pilgrim's Progress' are shown in the south wall.
There is an inscription below 'The Pilgrim's Progress' window which reads: 'The above Window illustrating The Pilgrims Progress is erected In Memory of John Bunyan. Born in this Parish A.D. 1628.'
Windows in 'The Pilgrim's Progress' scenes include the following:
Lower Left: Evangelist gives Christian directions for his pilgrimage.
Top Left: Christian flees from the City of Destruction and starts his journey to the Celestial City, amid the jeers of his neighbours and the entreaties of his wife and children.
Lower Centre: Christian knocks at 'The Wicket Gate'. There is a wicket gate at the back of the church at the end of the nave you are standing in.
Top: Christian, seeing Christ on the cross, is freed from his burden of sin.
Lower Right: In the valley of Humiliation Christian fights Apollyon, who flings fiery arrows at him.
Top Right: Christian and his friend Hopeful cross the river of death to the Celestial City, and are welcomed by angels on the heavenly shore.
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'The Holy War' window series has a further inscription: 'To the Memory of Bunyan, and to remind all Christian people of The Holy War they should be engaged in on the side of Emmanuel.'
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Also inside the church of Elstow is the old font where John Bunyan was baptised.
A sign on the wall declares the baptism dates of John Bunyan and his family:
'In this FONT were baptised
John Bunyan, 30th November, 1628
Mary Bunyan, his blind daughter, 1650
Elizabeth Bunyan, another daughter, 1654'
There is a wooden, carved figure of John Bunyan on the pulpit (the main image) and another sign with the following inscription:
'The ALTAR RAILS and TABLE
have been preserved in memory of
JOHN BUNYAN
who was familiar with them during
the first twenty-five years of his life,
what time he worshipped in this
Curch regularly twice every Sunday.
"I adored the Priest, Clerk, Vestment, Service and what else
belonging to the Church." '
Another interesting piece of information is a framed description of John Bunyan's Military Service which reads:
'JOHN BUNYAN'S MILITARY SERVICE.
In the year 1898 there were discovered at the Public Record Office, among some unsorted Commonwealth papers, a number of muster rolls of the Parliament Garrison of Newport Pagnell. These were bound together in a complete volume entitled "Newport Pagnell Garrison Muster Rolls, 1644-7." under the reference S.P.28/121A. John Bunyan's name appears repeatedly spelt variously as Bunion and Bunnion. On November 30th 1644, he was mustered among the Company of Colonel Richard Cockayne. Richard Cockayne succeeded as Governor of the Newport Garrison when Sir Samuel Luke retired under the self denying ordinance. He also appears as late as June 17, 1647, in Colonel Charles O'Hara's Company, so that he was a soldier in the Newport Pagnell Garrison for more than two years and a half. All the musters in the volume are certified by Henry Whitbread as Muster Master. The name of another Whitbread appears as Captain of one Company - possibly the Captain Whitbread of Cardington whose pardon at the Restoration is now at Southill.
The rank of Muster Master occurs frequently in the Parliamentary Army. Oliver Cromwell had a Muster Master General as one of his most important military officers, and there was a Muster Master apparently appointed to almost every station where there were any troops. His functions appear to have been to check the numbers of each unit as a precaution against pecculation in matters of pay. It may be noted at the same time that another important military officer in Cromwell's army was entitled Scout Master General.
The above note is derived from a letter from Dr. John Brown to Samuel Whitbread, dated April 30th 1898, and partly from a visit paid by me to the Public Record Office and the War Office Library.
April 1933. S.H.W.'
Another feature is the FEPOW (Far East Prisoners of War) Memorial Altar which lies in the Bunyan Memorial Chapel. The altar itself stands in front of a wooden screen with the following inscription:
'My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles who will now be my rewarder.
So he passed over; and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side.'
These are quotes from John Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress. It is fitting that John Bunyan who was a prisoner, is remembered with our prisoners from World War II in the Far East.
St Mary and St Helen's Church dates back to 1078.