View of Wrest Park Mansion from the Garden

Inside the mansion; a clever design of door frame size is "reflected" in one mirror at the end

View of the Mansion from the fountain (close to the site of the original house)

View of the Mansion over the Long Water, from the Archer Pavilion

Wrest Park 1; the Mansion House

May 22 in England ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

Wrest Park is a country estate located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire. It comprises Wrest Park Mansion, a grade I listed country house, and Wrest Park Gardens and Woodland (also grade I listed).

Between the 13th and 20th centuries it was occupied by the de Grey family; the original house was demolished in the 1830's, and the current mansion was built by Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, also in the 1830's, in a Louis XV style that is unique in England. Wrest Park was used as a military hospital during WW I; it was eventually purchased by Sun Insurance (who moved from offices in London to Wrest Park during WW II, building 12 huts and converting stables to house 300 employees. After the war, it became a centre for modern agricultural engineering research. English Heritage took over the house and gardens in 2006 and began a 20-year restoration project.

We visit the house, seeing what we are able to (see captions on photos for details).Read more