Historic Places in Central Bedfordshire

Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire is the historic seat of the Russell family, Dukes of Bedford, one of the great Whig aristocratic families who shaped the political and cultural history of Britain from the sixteenth century to the present day. The estate, covering approximately 3,000 acres of parkland and the famous Woburn Safari Park, has been in the Russell family's possession since Henry VIII dissolved the Cistercian abbey that previously occupied the site and granted the land to the family following their support for the Reformation. The current house, rebuilt in the Palladian style in the mid-eighteenth century, contains one of the most significant private art collections in Britain. The paintings assembled by successive Dukes of Bedford include works by Rembrandt, Canaletto, Gainsborough, Reynolds and Velázquez among many others, and the Canaletto Room alone, hung with paintings commissioned to record the state rooms of the Bedford London residence before its demolition, is one of the most remarkable single rooms in any English country house. The collection of French furniture and Sèvres porcelain is equally impressive and reflects the cosmopolitan collecting ambitions of the eighteenth-century Russells. The parkland surrounding the house was landscaped in the eighteenth century and contains one of the most celebrated deer parks in England, home to nine species of deer including the rare Père David's deer, a species extinct in the wild in China and preserved at Woburn since the late nineteenth century. The eleventh Duke of Bedford's decision to open the house and park to the public in 1955 made Woburn Abbey one of the pioneers of the heritage tourism industry in Britain, a model that many other aristocratic families subsequently followed. The formal grounds near the house include a Chinese dairy designed by Henry Holland, a sculpted garden and a riding school of elegant Georgian design. The proximity of Woburn Safari Park, separately managed but accessible as part of a combined ticket, allows visitors to combine the house visit with one of England's best-known wildlife attractions on the same day.

The house at Wrest Park is a 19th-century mansion in the style of a French chateau, but its grand gardens are its real glory. Together, they tell a story of 300 years of garden design – and they’re a great place for a fantastic day out. Right in front of the house you’ll find formal gardens, the Long Water and the Archer Pavilion. Elsewhere you can explore the enchanting Bath House; the Chinese Bridge and Chinese Temple; and stroll along the intricate woodland paths of the 18th-century Great Garden. All this remarkable garden history is being brought to life in a 20-year restoration project. You can also visit the unfurnished but opulently decorated state rooms inside the mansion. The spacious café within the Walled Garden offers locally sourced produce, with indoor and outdoor seating overlooking the children’s play area.