Our newsletter keeps
you up to date with all
our forthcoming shows
and attractions.
Click the button below to
subscribe.
The Parks Department is responsible for the maintenance of the 3000 acres within the walls. Each year they plant one hundred standard oak trees, plus any replacements for trees lost or damaged in gales. There are nine species of deer in the park, looked after all year round by the Head Verdurer. Amongst them are the Père David, which originated in China. In 1985, Lord Tavistock donated 22 deer to the Chinese Government, and they have adapted successfully to their new home, now boasting a population of 360 in their home just south of Peking. The history of the house begins in 1145. Hugh de Bolebec founded a religious house for a group of Cistercian monks, with the monastic buildings following the usual Cistercian pattern. Thus, the north wing is on the site of the monastic church and the present courtyard is on the site of the great cloister and garth. In 1538 the Abbot, Robert Hobbes, was found guilty of treason and the monastery confiscated. Legend states that he was hanged from an oak tree at the Abbey's gate. Edward VI granted Woburn Abbey to Sir John Russell in 1547, though it did not become a family home until 1619. In 1747, the Fourth Duke commissioned Henry Flitcroft to rebuild the west range, including the grand series of staterooms. In 1802, Humphry Repton landscaped the park as it appears today.  |
|