The English County of Bedfordshire contains four properties
that are maintained by English Heritage and made accessible to visitors
Bushmead Priory
Bushmead Priory is in the far north of the county, close to
the border with Cambridgeshire.
This was a small priory, founded in 1195 as a community of
Augustinian “black canons”. It was never home to more than four canons plus the
prior.
All that can be seen here today is the Refectory – the only
building still standing - but this has been well preserved. It is notable for
its original timber roof and 14th century wall paintings, one of
which shows the Creation of Eve.
De Grey Mausoleum, Flitton
The village of Flitton is between Silsoe and the small town
of Flitwick. The Mausoleum is attached to the parish church and can only be
accessed via the church.
This is a large sepulchral chapel that contains 17 monuments
to members of the de Grey family of Wrest Park, these dating from between 1614
and 1859.
Houghton House
This is the unroofed shell of a country mansion built in the
early 17th century for Mary Sidney Herbert, Dowager Countess of
Pembroke. It is near the small town of Ampthill, a few miles south of Bedford.
Houghton House may well have been the inspiration for John
Bunyan’s “Palace Beautiful” in “The Pilgrim’s Progress” – Bunyan was a native
of Bedford.
Houghton House is of interest for its architectural style,
combining as it does features of the Jacobean and Classical styles, given that
the Classical Revival was in its early stages at the time of its construction.
There are two Italian-style loggias (covered walkways) that
could have been designed by Inigo Jones.
Wrest Park
Wrest Park (pictured above) is near the village of Silsoe, about half way
between Bedford and Luton. It was the estate of the Robinson family who were
also Barons Grantham. Wrest House was completed in 1839 to designs by Thomas de
Grey, 3rd Baron Grantham.
The house resembles a French chateau-style mansion, although
visitors are restricted to seeing only a few of the ground floor state rooms.
The main interest at Wrest Park is the expanse of gardens, designed
by Capability Brown and covering some 90 acres, that surround the house. These
are what most visitors come to see.
English Heritage is overseeing a 20-year restoration project
at Wrest Park, so return visitors will be rewarded by seeing more features of
the 18th century gardens (which pre-date the current house) that
have been brought back to life.
The park is notable for the many “follies”, statues and
other constructions that adorn it, such as the Archer Pavilion – designed in
the early 18th century by Thomas Archer. This domed building stands
at one end of the Long Water, in which it is reflected on fine days.
The Bath House, dating from 1770, was designed as a
“classical ruin” with a thatched roof. The area around this has recently been
restored.
There is a Chinese bridge and temple with a copper roof.
There are many individual garden areas including a rose
garden, an Italian garden and a French parterre.
Many woodland and waterside walks can be taken. These lead
to features that include an orangery, built in the 1830s, a dogs’ cemetery and
a sculpture gallery in the former dairy.
Also of interest at Wrest Park is the Archaeological Store
that houses more than 150,000 items that have been gathered from English
Heritage sites around the country. These range in date from prehistoric times
to the Victorian era. Some 6,000 items have come from historic houses in London
and include around 1,000 wallpaper samples.
© John Welford
