Wrest Park opens after two decades of restoration work
Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 05:02 · Archive
English Heritage's Wrest Park in Bedfordshire, a 600-year-old estate 40 minutes from Hertfordshire, has reopened after a 20-year restoration project.
Wrest Park, an English Heritage site in Bedfordshire located 40 minutes from Hertfordshire, has reopened to the public following a two-decade restoration project. The estate features a 19th-century mansion styled as a grand French chateau and gardens spanning 300 years of design history. The real gem of the site is the gardens, which tell the story of changing garden design trends.
The estate is more than 600 years old and was once home to the de Grey family, one of the nation's leading aristocratic households. In the 1600s, Amabel Benn, her son Anthony the 11th Earl, and his wife Mary created the formal gardens and a canal named Long Water. The 11th Earl later added extensive woodland gardens surrounded the canal, with statues throughout and garden buildings including an impressive pavilion.
The estate's fortunes changed in the early 1900s when it became a military hospital during the First World War. A fire destroyed the hospital in September 1916, and the following year Wrest Park was sold and fell into disrepair. It was used by the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering from 1948 until English Heritage took over in 2006, beginning the restoration that has now returned the estate to its former condition.
How it is being reported
- The English Heritage gem 40 minutes from Hertfordshire for a great day outThe English Heritage site, Wrest Park, is less than an hour from Hertfordshire and is the perfect place for a day out.Herts Advertiser · 27 Oct, 04:00
- The English Heritage gem 40 minutes from Hertfordshire for a great day outThe English Heritage site, Wrest Park, is less than an hour from Hertfordshire and is the perfect place for a day out.The Comet · 27 Oct, 04:00
In this story: Wrest Park · English Heritage · Bedfordshire · Hertfordshire · de Grey · Anthony, 11th Earl
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