Wrest Park
Wrest Park is one of those places that makes you wonder why it isn't better known. Tucked away in Bedfordshire, it combines an impressive French-inspired mansion with formal gardens, lakes, woodland, statues, bridges and enough follies to keep an eighteenth-century aristocrat happy for a very long time.
It is also one of those places where the gardens are arguably more interesting than the house.
The present Wrest Park House dates from the eighteenth century and was built for the de Grey family. It is an imposing building, heavily influenced by French architecture, and its pale stone frontage looks particularly impressive when approached through the surrounding gardens.But don't make the mistake of arriving, looking at the house and assuming you've seen Wrest Park.
The real attraction lies outside.
The gardens cover a substantial area and are divided into a series of distinct styles and spaces. There are formal parterres, avenues, woodland walks, lakes and ornamental gardens, with statues and architectural features scattered throughout.
The French Parterre is particularly impressive, with its geometric planting and carefully arranged beds providing a sharp contrast to the more informal landscape beyond.Then you have the Long Water, one of the most attractive parts of the estate. The lake stretches through the landscape with bridges and trees providing a succession of views. On a sunny day, it is the sort of place where you find yourself slowing down considerably, which is probably the idea.
There are also plenty of little surprises.
Wrest Park contains a number of temples, bridges and garden buildings, including the Bath House, the Chinese Bridge and the Arched Bridge. Some are decorative, some have practical origins and others seem to exist largely because somebody thought the garden looked better with another interesting building in it.
And they were right.
The gardens have evolved considerably over the centuries. Earlier formal designs were followed by more naturalistic landscaping, influenced by the fashion for the English landscape garden. The result is a pleasing mixture of formality and informality rather than one enormous expanse of regimented flower beds.
That variety is one of Wrest Park's strengths.
You can be standing beside an immaculate formal garden one minute and wandering through woodland beside a lake a few minutes later. It prevents the visit from becoming repetitive.
There are also some excellent walks through the wider parkland. If the weather is good, you could easily spend several hours here without feeling that you've simply walked around the same garden three times.The house itself is now largely a shell compared with the grandeur it once possessed, but there are still interiors and exhibitions to explore when open. Much of the story of Wrest Park is really told through the landscape, which makes it rather different from the great country houses where the interior is the main event.
And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
The gardens feel spacious without being overwhelming. Unlike Stowe, where you can spend most of the day walking and still discover that you've only seen part of it, Wrest Park is manageable enough to explore comfortably while still providing plenty to see.
It is particularly good in spring and summer when the formal gardens are at their best, although autumn brings its own rewards when the surrounding trees start changing colour.There are, naturally, a few Old Moaner grumbles.
Some of the buildings and garden features are inevitably weathered, and you occasionally encounter an area that looks as though it could do with a little more attention. But this is a historic landscape, not a film set, and a little patina is hardly the end of the world.
The other issue is the weather. Wrest Park is primarily an outdoor attraction, so a wet day can turn what should be a leisurely stroll into an endurance test. Take a decent coat and sensible footwear and you'll be considerably happier.
But when the sun shines, Wrest Park really comes into its own.
The combination of the French-style gardens, lakes, woodland and historic buildings makes it a surprisingly varied place to visit. It is also somewhere you can enjoy without feeling that you have to read an information board every thirty seconds.Sometimes it's nice simply to walk.
Old Moaner's verdict: Wrest Park is a very pleasant surprise. It doesn't have the sheer scale of Stowe or the overwhelming grandeur of some of Britain's great country houses, but its mixture of formal gardens, water, woodland and architectural features makes it an excellent day out.
It is also refreshingly free of the feeling that you are being marched from one attraction to the next.
Take your time, explore the paths, admire the gardens and enjoy the lakes. And if you've never heard of Wrest Park before, don't worry — you're certainly not alone.
Highly recommended — a genuine Bedfordshire gem that deserves rather more attention than it gets.
Opening Hours:- March 28 – October 24: Open daily from 10:00 – 17:00, October 25 – March 16 Open daily from 10:00 – 16:00.
Admission Costs:- English Heritage Members: Free. Non-Members: Adult tickets typically range from £10 to £15 depending on peak times, weekends, and gift-aid options, with reduced rates for children (ages 5–17) and concessions.
Prices correct as at September 2016
Return to East home page