The town of Bedford is about 1000 years old. There was a castle there, but it was destroyed in 1224. A small hill with a tower now stands in the place of the castle. It overlooks the river Great Ouse which flows through the town. Every four years a River Festival is held there, with stalls, a fair and dragon boat races. Bedford was a market town from the early Middle Ages. It was given its borough charter in 1166 by Henry II.