Woburn Abbey (), occupying the east of the village of Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

, the family seat of the Duke of Bedford. Although it is still a family home to the current duke, it is open on specified days to visitors, along with the diverse estate surrounding it, including the historic

landscape gardens The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (french: Jardin à l'anglaise, it, Giardino all'inglese, german: Englischer Landschaftsgarten, pt, Jardim inglês, es, Jardín inglés), is a sty ...

and deer park (by Humphry Repton), as well as more recently added attractions including Woburn Safari Park, a miniature railway and a garden/visitor centre.

Pre-20th century

Woburn Abbey, comprising Woburn Park and its buildings, was set out and founded as a

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

abbey in 1145. Taken from its monastic residents by

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

and given to

John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford (c. 1485 – 14 March 1555) was an English royal minister in the Tudor dynasty, Tudor era. He served variously as Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom, Lord High Admiral and Lord Privy Seal. Among the land ...

, in 1547, it became the seat of the Russell family and the

Dukes of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV of England, ...

, who demolished the original abbey building and built their house on the monastic site, although the name ''Abbey'' was retained. The Abbey was largely rebuilt starting in 1744 by the architects Henry Flitcroft and Henry Holland for the 4th Duke.

Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford Anna Maria Russell, Duchess of Bedford (3 September 1783 – 3 July 1857) was a lifelong friend of Queen Victoria, whom she served as a Lady of the Bedchamber between 1837 and 1841.

, originated the afternoon tea ritual in 19th-century England. Bedford was a keen patron of

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

,FS Ashley-Cooper (1900) At the sign of the wicket: Cricket, 1742–1751, ''Cricket'', 26 April 1900, p.83.
Available online
Retrieved 10 December 2021.) and established a cricket ground in the park in the early 1740s. His own club, Woburn Cricket Club, briefly played against major English sides of the day such as London Cricket Club.Duke of Bedford's Ground, Woburn
CricketArchive. Retrieved 10 December 2021. FS Ashley-Cooper (1900) At the sign of the wicket: Cricket, 1742–1751, ''Cricket'', 22 February 1900, p.21.

Retrieved 10 December 2021.) In April 1786 John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both future Presidents of the United States, visited Woburn Abbey and other notable houses in the area. After visiting them Adams wrote in his diary " Stowe, Hagley, and Blenheim, are superb; Woburn, Caversham, and the Leasowes are beautiful. Wotton is both great and elegant, though neglected". However he was also damning about the means used to finance the large estates, and he did not think that the embellishments to the landscape made by the owners of the great country houses would suit the more rugged American countryside.

World War Two

Visiting Woburn Abbey in March 1939, the MP and diarist Henry Channon described the well-kept-up "feudal magnificance" of the estate shortly before the outbreak of war. This included more than twenty drawing rooms, thirty cars and whole rooms devoted each to collections of

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

, Canalettos and Van Dyck paintings. From 1941 Woburn Abbey was the headquarters of the secretive Political Warfare Executive (PWE) which had its London offices at the BBC's Bush House.

1945 to 1970s

Following World War II, dry rot was discovered and half the Abbey was subsequently demolished. When the 12th Duke died in 1953, his son the 13th Duke was exposed to death duties of $14 million and the Abbey was a half-demolished, half-derelict house. Instead of handing the family estates over to the National Trust, he kept ownership and opened the Abbey to the public for the first time in 1955. It soon gained in popularity and in its first ten years, it had ticket sales of $11 million, helping to pay off much of the death duties. Other amusements were added, including Woburn Safari Park on the grounds of the Abbey in 1970. Asked about the unfavourable comments by other aristocrats when he turned the family home into a safari park, the 13th Duke said, "I do not relish the scorn of the peerage, but it is better to be looked down on than overlooked."

1970s to present

The 13th Duke moved to Monte Carlo in 1975. His son

Robin Robin may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') **Bush-robin **Forest rob ...

, who enjoyed the courtesy title Marquess of Tavistock, ran the Abbey with his wife in his father's absence. In the early 1990s, the Marquess and The Tussauds Group planned to turn the Abbey into a large theme park with the help of

John Wardley John Richard Wardley (born 6 June 1950) is a British developer for theme parks in the UK and Europe: an innovator of special effects, dark rides and roller coasters in the themed attraction industry. Career Wardley started his career as a st ...

, creator of the

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are o ...

s "

Nemesis In ancient Greek religion, Nemesis, also called Rhamnousia or Rhamnusia ( grc, Ῥαμνουσία, Rhamnousía, the goddess of Rhamnous), was the goddess who personifies retribution, a central concept in the Greek world view. Etymology The n ...

" and "

Oblivion Oblivion may refer to: Film * ''Oblivion'' (1994 film), an American space Western * ''Oblivion'' (2013 film), an American post-apocalyptic science fiction film Literature * ''Oblivion'' (''Power of Five''), a 2012 novel by Anthony Horowitz * ...

". However, Tussauds bought

Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, ...

and built one there instead. From 1999 to 2002, the Marquess and the Marchioness, the former Henrietta Joan Tiarks, were the subjects of the Tiger Aspect Productions reality series ''Country House'' in three series, totalling 29 episodes, which aired on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

. It detailed the daily life and the business of running the Abbey. The Marquess of Tavistock became the 14th Duke on the death of his father in November 2002 in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , Spanish for 'Holy Faith'; tew, Oghá P'o'oge, Tewa for 'white shell water place'; tiw, Hulp'ó'ona, label=Tiwa language, Northern Tiwa; nv, Yootó, Navajo for 'bead + water place') is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. ...

, United States. The 14th Duke was the briefest holder of the Dukedom and died in June 2003. On the death of the 14th Duke, his son Andrew became the 15th Duke, and he continues his father's work in running the Woburn Abbey Estate. The building is listed in the highest category of architecture at Grade I.

Collection

The art collection of the Duke of Bedford is amongst the finest in private hands, and encompasses a wide range of western artwork. The holdings comprise some 250 paintings, including works by Rubens, Van Dyck, Canaletto and Velasquez. Moreover, the collection encompasses examples of the finest manufacturers of furniture, French and English in many periods, and a diverse collection of porcelain and silverware.

Paintings

View of the entrance to the Arsenal by Canaletto, 1732

''Dutch School'' :*Asselyn, Jan – 1 painting :* Cuyp, Aelbert Jacobsz – 5 paintings :*Delen, Dirk van – 1 painting :* Flinck, Govert – 1 painting :*Goyen, Jan van – 1 painting :* Potter, Paulus – 2 paintings (''A Hawking Party'', 1653) :* Rembrandt, Harmenszoon van Rijn – 2 paintings ('' Boaz'', 1643 and ''Self-portrait'', 1640) :* Ruisdael, Jacob van – 2 paintings :* Steen, Jan – 2 paintings :* Velde, Willem van de Velde (the Younger) – 1 painting :*Werff, Adrian van der – 1 painting ''English School'' :* Gainsborough, Thomas – 1 painting :* Gheeraerts, Marcus (the Younger) – 2 paintings :*Hayter, Sir George – 4 paintings :*Hoppner, John – 2 paintings :*Knapton, George – 1 painting :* Landseer, Edwin Henry – 2 paintings :* Reynolds, Joshua – 12 paintings :* George Gower – ('' The Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I'', 1588?, one of the greatest English portraits in existence) ''Flemish School'' :* Critz, John de – 1 painting :* Dyck, Anthony van – 10 paintings (''Aubert Lemire, Dean of Antwerp'', c. 1630) :* Eworth, Hans – 1 painting ''French School'' :*Bercham, Nicholas – 1 painting :* Lorrain, Claude (known as Claude Gellée) – 2 paintings :* Lefebvre, Claude – 1 painting :* Loo, Carl van – 1 painting (''Portrait of Louis XV'') :* Poussin, Nicolas – 2 paintings :* Vernet, Claude Joseph – 2 paintings ''German School'' :* Holbein, Hans (the Younger) – 1 painting ''Italian School'' :* Batoni, Pompeo – 1 painting :* Canaletto – 24 paintings (''View of the Entrance to the Venetian Arsenal'', c. 1732 – one of Canaletto's greatest works) :* Ricci, Sebastiano – 1 painting :* Salvi, Giovanni (Il Sassoferrato) – 2 paintings ''Spanish School'' :* Murillo, Bartolomé Esteban – 1 painting :* Velázquez, Diego – 1 painting (''Portrait of Admiral Pulido Pareja, Captain General of the Armada Fleet of New Spain'')

Media appearances

Woburn has been used as a location for filming including: "Five Clues To Fortune" (1957); ''

The Iron Maiden ''The Iron Maiden'' is a 1963 British comedy film. The film was directed by Gerald Thomas, and stars Michael Craig, Anne Helm, Jeff Donnell and Alan Hale, Jr. There are minor roles for ''Carry On'' stalwarts Jim Dale and Joan Sims, and the vet ...

'' (1962); ''

The Flower of Gloster ''The Flower of Gloster'' is a 1911 book by E. Temple Thurston. Published by Williams and Norgate, it sold well enough to merit a second edition two years later. A third unillustrated edition was published by Chapman and Hall in 1918, after whic ...

'' (1967); '' A Lizard in a Woman's Skin'' (1971); an episode of ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' is an English soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Origi ...

'' (1973) which featured a cameo by the 13th Duke; and ''

Treasure Hunt Treasure hunt generally refers to: * Treasure hunting, the physical search for treasure, typically by finding sunken shipwrecks or buried ancient cultural sites * Treasure hunt (game), a game simulating a hunt for treasure Treasure Hunt may refer ...

'' (1986). In Anthony Horowitz's 1987 book ''

Public Enemy Number Two ''Public Enemy Number Two'' is a novel written by Anthony Horowitz, the second in ''The Diamond Brothers'' series. It was first published in 1987.Nick Diamond ''The Diamond Brothers'' is a series of humorous children's detective books by Anthony Horowitz, recounting the adventures of the world's worst private detective, Tim Diamond, and his much more intelligent younger brother, Nick Diamond. The s ...

is framed for the theft of the Woburn Carbuncles.

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

held two concerts on the front lawn of the abbey, in 1977 and again in 2005.

Notes and references

;Notes ;References

References

* Attribution: *

External links

* *Th
Woburn Abbey Collection of Classical Antiquities
in the

Arachne (archaeological database) iDAI.objects arachne (short form: Arachne) is the central object-database (administrator: Reinhard Förtsch) of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) and the Cologne Digital Archaeology Laboratory (CoDArchLab) at the University of Cologne. ...

*https://web.archive.org/web/20110612053031/http://www.mspong.org/picturesque/woburn_abbey.html {{Authority control Gardens in Bedfordshire Grade I listed buildings in Bedfordshire Grade I listed houses Country houses in Bedfordshire Monasteries in Bedfordshire Tourist attractions in Bedfordshire Historic house museums in Bedfordshire Art museums and galleries in Bedfordshire Palladian architecture in England Cistercian monasteries in England 1145 establishments in England Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Gardens by Capability Brown Shell grottoes Foreign Office during World War II Monasteries dissolved under the English Reformation Woburn, Bedfordshire