Visitors will experience living history at Woburn Abbey - the Russell family has lived here for almost 450 years and it is still the family home of The Marquess of Tavistock, the Duke of Bedford's eldest son, his wife and their three sons. Successive Earls and Dukes of Bedford have, with their love of art, created one of the finest private collections in England. Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Reynolds and Velazques are just some of the great artists represented here.
The World-Renowned Collections
Touring the Abbey covers three floors, including the vaults, with 18th Century French and English furniture, silver and gold collections and a wide range of porcelain on display. In particular the Abbey is celebrated for housing one of the most important private art collections in the world, including paintings by Cuyp, Gainsborough, Reynolds, Van Dyck and Canaletto.
Use our free house tour booklets, children’s quizzes or purchase the official 2009 guidebook or audio tour to ensure you will make the most of the experience.
The Blue Drawing Room - The Home of Afternoon Tea
This very English tradition is said to have originated around 1840 by Duchess Anna Maria, wife of the 7th Duke who entertained her friends in the Blue Drawing Room. She had found the time between luncheon and dinner too long, so a light tea was served mid-afternoon. A delicious Afternoon Tea can be enjoyed as part of your visit at the Duchess' Tea Room or at The Inn at Woburn (the Duchess Anna Maria Afternoon Tea must be prebooked).
Woburn Abbey Gardens
The 6th Duke was interested in gardening. One of the first commissions he gave when he inherited Woburn was to ask Humphry Repton to produce designs for improving the Pleasure Ground and the park. When the 6th Duke inherited Woburn he commissioned Humphry Repton (1752 - 1818), the famous landscape gardener, to produce designs for improving the gardens and park.
Today the tranquil Abbey Gardens are open for everyone to enjoy the brilliance of Repton. Make your way through approximately 30 acres of serene formal and natural garden environments: from manicured lawns and colourful flower beds to peaceful woodland glades and ponds teeming with life.
Discover the bog garden, a recent addition with it carnivorous plants, the romance of the Doric Temple which was carefully restored last year and watch the recreation work in progress on the rockery and grotto.
Follow the Garden Trail Information Boards to find out more about what you can see in the gardens today and the redevelopment projects over the past five years to recreate and replant Repton's original features and themed garden areas.
The gardens are a work in progress and we hope that you will come back again and watch us grow.
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Every effort is made to make sure that all the information is correct but we strongly recommend that you call Woburn Abbey before you set off on your day out to confirm opening times and admission prices.
Please also note that the position on Google maps for Woburn Abbey is a rough estimate using their postcode in the database and might be slightly out.
It may also be worth clicking the web link for Woburn Abbey to see if there are any special events coming up or currently on.
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