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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

Remember remember the 5th of November…

On Guy Fawkes Night we want to spotlight an overlooked figure of the events that took place on the 5th November 1605, Princess Elizabeth Stuart.

The failed conspiracy to assassinate the Protestant King James VI & I and his heir Henry Frederick, aimed to replace him with the Princess, Elizabeth, who would act as a Catholic head of state. Elizabeth was only 9 years old at the time, and was raised in a Catholic household until the age of 7. The conspirators’ intention was to kidnap her from Coombe Abbey, and forcibly place her on the throne of England to act as a Catholic monarch. Her infant brother, later Charles I, too feeble to be placed on the throne. Elizabeth, on the other hand, had a reputation as a distinguished young woman who had been carrying out royal duties from a very young age. She was popular amongst Catholics and Protestants alike, and the conspirators believed that she could have neutralised domestic conflicts. After the failed plot, Elizabeth was taken to Coventry for her safekeeping.

Her father worked to sow the seeds of peace between Catholic and Protestant factions across Europe, and secured a strong marriage for the Princess. On Valentine’s Day in 1613, she married Frederick V, Elector Palatine of the Rhine in the Holy Roman Empire. They were both 16 years old, and were set to be a power couple of Europe. In November 1619, they were crowned as King and Queen of Bohemia, but this was short-lived. The family fled to exile in November 1620 following the Battle of White Mountain that lit the fuse of the Thirty Years’ War. Elizabeth remained in exile following her husband’s death, and relied on her charm and spirit to sustain her lifestyle. This portrait by the circle of Gerard van Honthorst from the Woburn Abbey collection highlights her strength of character and an influential woman in the 17th century. She finally returned to England following the Restoration of the British monarchy, before passing away of pneumonia on 13 February 1662, aged 65 years.

#WoburnAbbey #portrait #queenofbohemia #arthistory #guyfawkesnight #WoburnTreasures

Today marks the birthday of the 2nd Duke of Bedford, Wriothesley Russell, who was born #onthisday in 1680.

Wriothesley can be seen here in this portrait depicted as a young child, dressed in Roman costume. In his lifetime, he enjoyed acquiring a knowledge of Italian culture, and had a liberating sojourn to Rome as a young man of 18 years on the precipice of the Dukedom. Travelling with a tutor, Wriothesley found immense joy for the people and climate in Rome. He developed an early taste for collecting books and musical scores, and soon filled the shelves of Woburn Abbey with illustrated books on architecture and the history of art.

Following an uncertain period after the execution of his father, William, Lord Russell, the family’s fortunes transformed with the reign of King William III and Queen Anne. The 5th Earl of Bedford (William’s father) was elevated in the peerage to Duke, and Wriothesley stood next in line after his grandfather. Even though Wriothesley passed away at the young age of 30 years from smallpox, he achieved many titles and honours during his short tenure as the Duke of Bedford and brought stability and prosperity to the family. He had gained the reputation as the richest peer in England, and he held the offices of Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, and Middlesex, and he was a Gentleman to the Bedchamber to William III from 1701-1702. After William III’s death, he was invested as a Knight of the Garter in 1702 and served as Lord High Constable of England for the coronation of Queen Anne.

#WoburnAbbey #historichouse #arthistory #portrait #woburntreasures

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

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