Woburn Abbey, Historic country house and museum in Woburn, England
Woburn Abbey is a country estate with museum in Woburn, England, set within extensive parkland featuring formal gardens and a deer enclosure. The interior rooms display furniture from several centuries, paintings by Flemish and Italian masters, and collections of silver and ceramics.
A Cistercian monastery arose here in the 12th century, then converted into a family residence for the Russells after monastic dissolution. Later dukes commissioned architects including Henry Flitcroft in the 18th century to redesign the facades and interiors in Georgian style.
The estate preserves several room sequences from the era of the Dukes of Bedford, including salons displaying Venetian paintings and Chinese porcelain. Visitors follow a route through inhabited wings where private family quarters alternate with publicly accessible collections.
The property usually opens from March through October with guided or self-led walks through selected rooms and garden sections. On rainy days waterproof footwear helps with park paths, while shaded avenues offer relief during hot weather.
The adjacent safari park uses portions of the historic deer park that the Russell family has maintained for centuries. Both sites share entrance routes, allowing visitors to move between palace rooms and animal encounters in a single day.
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