Mike MacKechnie has lived in or around Bedford since 1965. His pub-going career started when he was far too young to know any better, sneaking off with his school mates to the Wolseley Arms and after leaving school, to the Crown cellar bar.

He was invited to join the Wolseley Arms pool team in 1984, and continued playing for various teams until 2010. Whilst playing for the Clarence, he developed a taste for real ale and became an active member of the North Bedfordshire CAMRA branch, becoming the vice-chairman and Pubs Protection Officer for a number of years.

During that time, he also contributed various articles for the CAMRA branch magazine; the introduction to this book explains where that took him.

Early retirement (plan your pension, kids!) has given him time to collate all his research into the book you see before you.

Mike has resided just outside of the borough since 2018, but still visits Bedford regularly and maintains an interest in the status of the licenced houses of the town.

The photo on the right was taken as Mike was waiting for a train home from the 2025 Biggleswade Beer & Cider Festival, so nothing has really changed!