We headed directly to Woburn Abbey, which was built in 1145. The Abbey was dissolved by Henry V111 in 1538 and was granted to Sir John Russell in 1547 and is still in the hands of the Russell Family. It is still the home of Andrew & Louise Russell, the Duke and Duchess of Bedford and their 2 children.
By the time we got to Woburn Abbey it was starting to rain, and the first thing was saw were deer roaming freely on the property. There are 9 different species of deer. They looked magnificent and were not perturbed by the cars entering.
On the driveway right in front of the house, there is a statue of a horse. The horse was named Mrs Moss, who had 15 foals, 12 of whom were notable winners, including the Japan Cup.
We had morning tea in the Duchess' Tea Rooms before our tour of the house.
The house itself was absolutely magnificent, as would be expected of a Stately Home, belonging to one of England's oldest and wealthiest families.
Like most of the Palaces and Stately Homes, Woburn Abbey has Blue, Green and Yellow Drawing Rooms
The Racing Room
The State Saloon
The Holland Library
There are State Apartments, which were kept for visiting royalty and the rest of the time they were shuttered and the furniture put under chamois covers, to keep them in excellent condition. There is a suite of rooms that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert used on their visit in 1841.
The silverware, gold plate and beautiful china are all kept in the Crypt. There is also a most unusual indoor Grotto which is lined with shells and is lit by candles.
The family still owns property in Bedford and Russell Squares in London.
We spent a good hour and a half walking around this house. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside the house, so I have included some from the Guide Book.
After leaving Woburn Abbey we drove to Drinkstone Park, near Bury St Edmonds, using country back roads.
We were welcomed warmly at Drinkstone Park by Michael and Christine and bought up to date on the renovations since our last visit, before being served tea and scones with jam and cream :)
We decided that we would go to the Gardeners Pub in Tostock for dinner, as we had fond memories of the pub and its owner from our previous visit. It hasn't changed :)
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