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

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Wrest Park

The grounds and parts of the House at Wrest Park are now open for you to visit. You now need to book your timed tickets in advance. 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. There are other new steps in place to ensure everyone’s safety, so your visit will be a little different.

How to book your visit

Read our FAQ

Keeping you safe

What to expect on your visit

Spooky Wrest Park

24 Oct - 1 Nov 2020

See full prices and opening times

Address

Silsoe, Bedfordshire, MK45 4HR

Book your visit

The beautiful gardens, woodlands and grounds are open for you to enjoy while keeping to social distancing.The house is open from 10am – 4pm with a new one-way system in place. The ante library, library and print room will be open, while other areas including the drawing room, staircase hall and dining room will be open to view only to ensure social distancing.

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?

House - Some areas including the drawing room, staircase hall and dining room will be open to view only to ensure social distancing.

Archer Pavillion and Sculpture Gallery - The Archer Pavillion and Sculpture Gallery will remain closed.

Bookshop - The Bookshop will remain closed.

What changes have you made to your facilities?

Cafe - Our cafe and kiosk will be open for takeaway service of tea, coffee, cakes and ice-creams. Our cafe will also be serving lunch options including soup, sausage rolls and sandwiches.

Shop - The shop is open offering a range of gifts and souvenirs. There will be a new one way system in place and we encourage contactless payments. You can also visit our online shop.

Toilets - Toilets are open as usual. Additional hand sanitising stations will be available across the site.

Playground - The playground is open. Please note to use the play area visitors will need to book a visit to Wrest Park in advance.

Plan your Visit

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

Hotel Chocolat Halloween Chocolate Workshops

From 29 October - 1 November, treat your little pumpkins to a Halloween themed chocolate workshop for kids at Wrest Park. Discover the history of cocoa and how it's grown from our partners Hotel Chocolat before getting hands on and making your own scary chocolate masterpiece. Accompanying grown-ups can also indulge by picking up a treat from the famous Chocmobile, which will be at Wrest Park during each day the workshops are held.

Places are £10 per child and booking is essential as places are limited. You can book your place on the workshop directly from our partners Hotel Chocolat. In order to take part, you must also have an admission ticket for Wrest Park on the day of your visit. To ensure you can attend your preferred time slot, we recommend checking availability and booking your Wrest Park admission ticket first.

Book your place

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

Spooky Wrest Park

Sat 24 Oct - Sun 1 Nov 2020 10am - 5pm
Spooky Woodland Walks at Wrest Park

Thu 29 Oct - Sat 31 Oct 2020 Tours at 5.30pm, 6.30pm & 7.30pm
Christmas Adventure Quest at Wrest Park

26 Dec 2020 - 3 Jan 2021 10am - 4pm
Half Term Explorer Quest at Wrest Park

13 Feb - 21 Feb 2021 10am - 4pm

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