Woburn attractions

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Home of the 15th Duke and Duchess of Bedford, Woburn Abbey and Gardens are currently closed to facilitate a major refurbishment programme. We look forward to welcoming you back to enjoy the Abbey and its surroundings in spring 2026 when this is completed.

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Woburn Safari Park

Woburn Golf Club Working at Woburn Golf Club

In the late 18th-century, a gallery of portraits of artists was arranged above the bookcases in the Library at Woburn Abbey, believed at the time to represent artists including Rembrandt, Titian, Kneller and Murillo amongst others.

As well as acquiring these esteemed ‘Old Masters’ generations of the Russell family have been proud patrons of the arts, supporting living artists, and we are highlighting their impact on #InternationalArtistDay. A patron can be somebody or an organisation who financially supports artists by purchasing their works, requesting commissions, or supporting them in any way they might need in order to succeed. Perhaps most notably, the 4th Duke was a patron to Thomas Gainsborough and Canaletto, purchasing early works and requesting large commissions. Furthermore, his grandson and namesake, the 6th Duke of Bedford, would continue in these footsteps. He had a close rapport with Edwin Landseer, and the Russells took the artist on his first of many trips to the Highlands where he found great inspiration. It is important to note that the Russell family’s patronage extended beyond painters. During a visit to Rome, the 6th Duke was greatly impressed by sculptor Antonio Canova. A portrait of Canova was later contributed to the Library’s Gallery.

The Russell family’s patronage of artists continues to this day, and is a proud, longstanding commitment which has spanned many generations.

#WoburnAbbey #artist #historichouse #arthistory

Autumn has arrived. Enjoy this atmospheric image from a tranquil morning stroll through the Deer Park here at Woburn Abbey, where the leaves are starting to turn in the autumnal weather.

#WoburnAbbey #deerpark #autumn #repton #landscape

Today marks the birthday of Francis Russell, known as Hastings, 9th Duke of Bedford (1819-1891). In 1844, Hastings married Elizabeth Sackville-West, who was a bridesmaid at the wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert four years previously. Hastings was MP for Bedfordshire from 1847 until 1872 when he succeeded to the Dukedom following the death of his cousin, William Russell, 8th Duke of Bedford. His cousin was a reserved character, and Hastings had already taken on a large amount of responsibility for managing the estates before officially inheriting the title. He was President of the Royal Agricultural Society in 1880 and continued the family’s tradition of botanical and agricultural experimentation and study. In 1884 the 9th Duke was appointed as Lord Lieutenant of Huntingdonshire and retained that title until his passing.

To commemorate his birthday, we’re sharing a photograph from the family album, taken at @hotelendsleigh, then part of the Bedford Estates. It shows the 9th Duke with his wife and two of their four children; Lady Ela (seated on the left), and Lady Ermyntrude.

#WoburnAbbey #onthisday

See here a #behindthescenes look at Queen Victoria’s Bedroom at Woburn Abbey, currently undergoing refurbishment. The intricately gilded ceiling has been restored to a high standard and provides the room with a grandeur befitting to its name and function as the State Bedroom. The walls currently sit bare and will be reupholstered with new silks, replicating those which adorned the wall when the Queen visited in 1841. The room will be decorated with familiar paintings and other adornments that highlight the Royal visit, many which were hung on those very walls during her stay and are mentioned in her personal diary entries, showcasing a blend of what she encountered within these rooms and pieces evoking the mid 19th century.

#WoburnAbbey #QueenVictoria #historichouse #restoration #conservation

To celebrate the birthday of Mary, Duchess of Bedford, (1865-1937) we want to share with you one of her many interests, jujitsu!

Jujutsu is a Japanese martial art, and can be directly translated to “Yielding-art” as the philosophy behind the art is to use the opponent’s force against themselves, rather than combatting the force directly.

Mary learned the art of jujitsu from a companion called Emily Watts who taught self-defence to high society women. Emily later wrote a book entitled ‘The Fine Art of Jujutsu’ and dedicated it to the Duchess ‘with Grateful Affection’. Mrs Watts’ aim was not to show the best in the art, but to demonstrate all the various throws with the help of her pupils and friends. All but two of the individuals photographed are women, and the book contains 141 photographs of different manoeuvres in total. Mary kindly lent the tennis courts at Woburn for the purpose of photographing this series at the start of the 20th century, and is the woman standing in this photograph.

A few years later, martial arts and self-defence techniques became popular amongst socially aware women in Edwardian Britain, and the term ‘Suffrajitsu’ was coined by a journalist to describe this trend. It was seen as an effective and practical method of self-defence for women to employ, particularly in the wake of increasing incidents that retaliated against the Suffragette movement, such as the Black Friday Raid.

#WoburnAbbey #jujitsu #martialarts #suffragettes #flyingduchess #womeninsports

To mark the first day of Autumn, we are sharing this tranquil autumnal view of Woburn Abbey as imagined by Humphry Repton, the first self-proclaimed landscape gardener. This timeless image is one that feels familiar on the grounds of the Abbey to this day.

#WoburnAbbey #autumn #landscape #nature

#OnThisDay in 1761, King George III married Charlotte of Mecklenberg-Strelitz. Depicted in this portrait is the Lady Elizabeth Keppel, later Marchioness of Tavistock, one of the bridesmaids at the wedding. She is portrayed in her silver dress worn for the ceremony with a black attendant who is assisting the Lady Elizabeth with decorating the bust of marriage, known as Term of Hymen, with garlands of flowers. The identity of the attendant is unknown, but two sittings are recorded in the artist’s pocketbooks. Some historians have suggested she was a servant, but she may have been an artist’s model.

It is befitting that Joshua Reynolds, the dominant artistic personality during the King’s reign, was to paint this portrait. This is one of Reynolds’ best known compositions and demonstrates his ability to embed a contemporary portrait with pictorial traditions. For example, the statue to Elizabeth’s right depicts the god of marriage with the verses from Catullus painted on its base. Furthermore, it has been noted that this bust of marriage is holding a crown, and that its face resembled Queen Charlotte herself. Careful consideration into the imagery of the portrait demonstrates the importance that the wedding held in society.

#WoburnAbbey #portrait #onthisdayinhistory #bridgerton #queencharlotte

#OnThisDay in 1533 Queen Elizabeth I was born.

When Elizabeth was two years old, her mother was executed and her marriage to King Henry VIII was annulled, declaring Elizabeth an illegitimate child. At the age of 10 years old she was reinstated to the line of succession and, after both of her siblings had died in 1558, Elizabeth succeeded to the throne at the age of 23 and reigned for 45 years.

Elizabeth’s life leading to her reign had taught her to pay careful attention to how she presented herself and how she was perceived by others. The unforgettable Armada portrait demonstrates how she had proven herself to be a strong and powerful ruler of the nation. The portrait commemorates the most decisive victory of Elizabeth I’s reign, the failed invasion of England by the Spanish Armada in July 1588. The portrait summarises the hopes and aspirations of the nation during this moment in history.

There are three versions of this iconic portrait, one is at @royalmuseumsgreenwich and the other @nationalportraitgallery . They all have slight differences, and the one in the Woburn Abbey collection depicts what is believed to show the seascapes as they were originally painted in the 16th century with the advancing Spanish ships being disrupted by Francis Drake’s fire-ships on the left; and the fleeting Spanish fleet shipwrecked on the right.

Several members of the Russell family were prominent in her court and in politics at the time. Francis, 2nd Earl of Bedford (c.1527-1585) was a Privy Councillor in 1558, Governor of Berwick-on-Tweed and Warden of the East Marches of Scotland 1564-67 and Elizabeth I’s Ambassador at the Baptism of Prince James at Stirling Castle, 1566. Various acts of state were carried out at his home, Chenies, including the arrangements for the imprisonment of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland.

The Earl’s daughter, Anne, was a maid-of-honour to Queen Elizabeth I, and later married Ambrose Dudley, brother to one of the Queen’s favoured courtiers.

#onthisdayinhistory #QueenElizabethI #tudor #portrait #WoburnAbbey

See here a beautiful addition to the bog garden here at Woburn Abbey. This sculpture was made by one of Britain’s leading contemporary sculptors, Simon Gudgeon. Simon grew up on his family farm in Yorkshire, and is inspired by the natural world, finding comfort in what lay closest to his heart. He is known for his signature smooth style that evokes nature and tranquillity. This piece ‘Firebird’ is a unique sculpture made of bronze, and was acquired for the Woburn Abbey Collection in 2018, where it merges beautifully with the surrounding foliage.

#contemporaryart #sculpture #landscapegarden #countryhouse #WoburnAbbey

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