The English Heritage site, Wrest Park, is a breathtaking 19th-century mansion in the style of a grand French chateau and is just a 50-minute drive from Buckinghamshire.
The real gem of the estate is the gardens that tell a beautiful 300-year story of garden design.
Perfect for children and adults, Wrest Park has lots to explore and will keep everyone entertained.
You can find out more about Wrest Park via English Heritage.
The English Heritage gem is less than an hour from Buckinghamshire
Wrest Park in Bedfordshire is more than 600 years old and was once home to one of the nation’s top aristocratic families, the de Greys.
Through each generation of the family, the estate has changed, and in the 1600s, Amabel Benn, with her son, Anthony, the 11th Earl, and his wife, Mary, created the formal gardens and the canal, named Long Water.
The 11th Earl later added the huge woodland gardens that surrounded the canal, creating a woodland with statues throughout and adding some garden buildings like the impressive pavilion.
Throughout time, Wrest Park remained a family estate for a long time, but in the early 1900s, the home became a military hospital during the First World War.
The colourful Italian garden. (Image: Getty Images)
In September 1916, a fire destroyed the hospital, and in 1917, Wrest Park was sold, resulting in it falling into disrepair for some time.
But in 1948, the home was used by the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering before English Heritage took over the park in 2006.
After a 20-year project to restore the gardens and the home, Wrest Park has returned to its former glory and is now open to the public.
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Visitors of Wrest Park will be able to explore the gardens and the grand woodlands, along with paying a visit to the state rooms inside the mansion.
There is also a cafe at the Walled Garden offering locally sourced produce and a children’s play area.
Wrest Park is open daily from 10am until 5pm, and if you book tickets online, you can save 15%.
What English Heritage sites around Buckinghamshire have you visited? Let us know in the comments.
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