| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 52.1833°N -0.3972°W |
| Official Name: | Wilden |
| Population: | 399 |
| Population Ref: | (2011 Census)[1] |
| Unitary England: | Bedford |
| Lieutenancy England: | Bedfordshire |
| Region: | East of England |
| Constituency Westminster: | North East Bedfordshire |
| Post Town: | BEDFORD |
| Postcode District: | MK44 |
| Postcode Area: | MK |
| Dial Code: | 01234 |
| Os Grid Reference: | TL096551 |
Wilden is a village and civil parish located in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. The population of 399 in the 2011 Census was estimated at 392 in 2019.[2]
John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales describes Wilden as it was in 1870–1872:
"WILDEN, a parish in the district and county of Bedford; 5 miles NE of Bedford r[ailway] station. It has a post-office under Bedford. Acres, 2,160. Real property, £2,765. Pop[ulation], 501. Houses, 112. The property is subdivided. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Ely. Value, £400.* Patron, Mrs. Chalk. The church is good; and there are an Independent chapel, an endowed school with £47 a year, and charities £26."[3]
The scholar and Bible translator Francis Dillingham died in Wilden in 1625.[4]
The village has a 14th–15th century Grade I listed Anglican church dedicated to St Nicholas.[5] There is a Baptist Chapel in Great Barford Road, with Sunday services held there three times a month. The chapel was probably founded in 1806, although its old Church Book has been lost.[6]
Wilden Primary School is a Voluntary Aided Church of England school. It recently had 59 pupils, and a pre-school section for 10. It dates back to the 17th century and was rebuilt in the 19th. Additions were made in 1972, 1993, 2004 and 2013. It serves as a lower school within a group of schools called St Albans Cluster.[7] [8]
There are five Grade II listed buildings in the village.[5] The single pub is called the Victoria Arms, but it is currently closed.[9] There is also a village hall available for local activities.
Wilden is served by a daytime bus service: Grant Palmer No. 27S between Bedford and Ravensden. It runs four times a day on Monday to Saturday.[10]