East of England - Bedfordshire

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WREST PARK

Wrest Park, Silsoe, Luton,
Bedfordshire
MK45 4HR
t: 01525 860000
e: wrest.park@english-heritage.org.uk
w: www.english-heritage.org.uk/wrestpark

Garden-loving groups can while away hours in Wrest Park’s magnificent 90-acre gardens, taking in the delightful statues, woodland and lakes. The grounds were developed over more than three centuries by the aristocratic de Grey family and bear the imprint of Capability Brown. And recently completed garden restoration work means you can enjoy the features of the vast and varied gardens to their full. For archaeology enthusiasts our collection spanning over 2,000 years, from prehistoric antlers to Victorian bannisters is a real highlight.


  • Stroll beside the Long Water to the beautiful domed Archer Pavilion, recently unveiled after months of conservation work. Once the ultimate garden dining room, it still displays its spectacular classical interior decoration.
     
  • Discover how the house served as the country’s original First World War convalescent home. Draw close to the people who worked and convalesced there through diary entries and photographs.
     
  • Take in the newly restored Chinese Temple and the Bath House of Jemima, Marchioness Grey. And wander pathways restored last year in honour of the 300th anniversary of Capability Brown’s birth.
     
  • Visit the stately Orangery and the colonnaded Bowling Green House and view the garden sculpture gallery in the ornamental Dairy.
     
  • Step into Countess Henrietta’s Sitting Room, furnished as it was in the 1840s and take in views across the conservatory.
     
  • Pre-book a guided tour of the Archaeological Collections Store: home to treasures from English Heritage sites all over England.

 

ITINERARY IDEA

Take in two stately homes in one day. Audley End, with its imposing house and extensive gardens, is just an hour away