Name: Wrest Park
Address: Silsoe, Bedfordshire, MK45 4HR
Telephone: 0370 333 1181

Home
Visit
Places to Visit
Wrest Park

Wrest Park is open. Measures are still in place to keep everyone safe, and you need to book your visit in advance. Find out more below.

How to book your visit

Read our FAQ

Keeping you safe

What to expect on your visit

Kids Rule! at Half Term Sat 29 May - Sun 6 Jun 2021

Find out more

See full prices and opening times

Address

Silsoe, Bedfordshire, MK45 4HR

Book your visit

What you need to know

We've made some changes to help keep you safe, and things might be a little different when you visit. Here's everything you need to know.

Do we need to Book?

Advance booking is now essential. We have introduced limits on visitor numbers to help keep everyone safe, and you won’t be able to visit without your booking confirmation. If you’re a Member, your ticket will be free, but you still need to book in advance. Make sure you've read our ticketing FAQ before you book.

Book Tickets

Booking FAQs

What parts of the site are closed?
To ensure social distancing guidelines, some indoor areas of Wrest Park are currently closed. This includes:

Archer Pavillion

Dairy Sculpture Gallery

How are you keeping us safe?

We've made a number of changes to help keep you safe. Although things might be a little different when you visit, you’ll still be able to enjoy exploring the places where history really happened. And you’ll still be given a warm and safe welcome by our friendly – if socially distant – staff and volunteers.

You can visit our reopening page for information on general safety measures we've taken to help keep you safe.

General Safety Information

Do I need to wear a face covering?

Face coverings must be worn in all indoor areas. We won't be able to provide you with a face covering, so please come prepared so you don't miss out.

I still have questions.

The answers to all frequently asked questions can be found on our FAQ page.

Read our FAQs

Discover our hidden gems including an ornate marble fountain, the 18th century Bowling Green House and a striking Chinese Bridge and Temple. Stroll up the Long Water to the spectacular Archer Pavilion with its stunning interior making it the focal point of the gardens. Marvel at the fancy French curves and intricate Italian geometry of the restored bedding displays. From autumnal reds to lush greens in the summer, explore Wrest Park’s gardens anew throughout the seasons.

Things to See and Do

What's On

Kids Rule! at Half Term - Wrest Park

Sat 29 May - Sun 6 Jun 2021 10am - 5pm
Blooming Gardens at Wrest Park

Sat 12 - 13 Sun Jun 2021 10am - 5pm

Wrest Park Timeline

Early 14th CenturyFirst de Greys

The de Grey family establish the manor of Wrest as their main residence.

1463-5Peak of Prominence

The family fortunes peak when Edward IV makes Edmund Grey his Lord Treasurer in 1463 and Earl of Kent in 1465.

1512-24A Fortune Squandered

Having squandered his inheritance, Edmund’s grandson Richard sells most of the family’s estates, including Wrest, to pay his debts. His half-brother Henry buys Wrest back 12 years later.

1658-1702First Formal Gardens

Amabel Benn, wife of Henry, the 10th Earl, together with their son, Anthony, and his wife, Mary, rebuild the north front of the house, lay out large formal gardens and create the Long Water.

Find out more about the history of Wrest Park

1702-40Continental Style

Henry Grey, Duke of Kent, inspired by what he has seen abroad, creates the Great Garden, a formal woodland garden centred on the Long Water.

1758Mystery of the Gardens

Henry’s granddaughter Jemima and her husband, Philip, bring in Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown to soften the edges of the gardens while keeping their formal spirit – preserving, in Brown’s words, the ‘Mystery of the Gardens’.

1834-9French-Style House

Thomas Robinson, 2nd Earl de Grey, demolishes the old house, builds a new mansion in the French style and complements it with formal flower gardens.

See highlights from the collection at Wrest Park

1859-1905End of an Era

The last Grey to live at Wrest is Anne, the dowager Countess Cowper, a staunch evangelical and philanthropist. Her son Francis, 7th Earl Cowper, inherits, but visits Wrest rarely.

1906-12American in Residence

Francis’s nephew Auberon (‘Bron’) Herbert leases Wrest to the American ambassador, Whitelaw Reid.

1914-16First World War

Wrest is used as a convalescent home and later a military hospital, which is forced to close in September 1916 after a fire.

1916-17Wrest Sold

Bron Herbert is killed in action, and his sister Nan sells Wrest to brewing and mining magnate John George Murray.

1939-45Second World War

The Sun Insurance Company buys Wrest for its wartime headquarters. Many of its employees live on site, sleeping in the converted stables or dormitory huts in the grounds.

1946-2006Research Base

The Ministry of Works buys Wrest and leases it to the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering (later the Silsoe Institute), which becomes world renowned for its research into farm mechanisation and trials of new techniques and equipment.

2006-Restoring the Gardens

English Heritage takes over the house and eastern service buildings, and embarks on a 20-year plan to restore the gardens to their pre-1917 appearance.

Learn more about the history of Wrest Park

Nearby Places
Similar Places

De Grey Mausoleum, Flitton
1.82 miles from Wrest Park
Houghton House
3.93 miles from Wrest Park
Bushmead Priory
15.6 miles from Wrest Park

Nearby Places
- De Grey Mausoleum, Flitton
  1.82 miles from Wrest Park
- Houghton House
  3.93 miles from Wrest Park
- Bushmead Priory
  15.6 miles from Wrest Park
Similar Places

Gallery for Wrest Park

English Heritage

How to book your visit

Keeping you safe

Kids Rule! at Half Term Sat 29 May - Sun 6 Jun 2021

What you need to know

Things to See and Do

Parterres and Woodland

Hidden Garden Gems

Dairy Sculpture Gallery

Archaeological Collections Store Tours

The Revitalisation Project

Eating and Shopping

Children's Play Area

Pop-up Secondhand Bookshop