MID BEDFORDSHIRE

district, administrative county of Bedfordshire, south-central England. The district lies almost entirely within the historic county of Bedfordshire, but a small area north of Sandy belongs to the historic county of Cambridgeshire. Predominantly rural, Mid Bedfordshire extends across a broad valley within the River Ouse catchment basin and is crossed by a low ridge oriented northeast to southwest. The eastern half of the district is a principal market gardening area for Greater London. The sandy soils in the eastern part of Mid Bedfordshire are intensively cultivated with brussels sprouts, potatoes, and peas around the market parishes of Biggleswade, Sandy, Potton, and Maulden. Wheat and barley are also grown, and dairy cattle are raised in the district. Brick making constitutes an important economic activity in the northwest, where there are heavy clay beds. Woburn Abbey in the southwest is an 18th-century mansion that was built on the former site of a Cistercian abbey. Biggleswade and Ampthill are the administrative centres of the district. Area 195 square miles (504 square km). Pop. (1998 est.) 123,000.