Posted:  Monday 5th July. 2010

London Plant Associates
enjoy the Woburn Experience
Wednesday, June 16th 2010.

June 16 began grey and cloudy as the London Plant Associates coach left West Thurrock for a visit to the Woburn Estate.  Thankfully, the sun soon broke through and the sky cleared for the rest of the day.  There wasn't even any congestion on the M25 and M1 driving to Bedfordshire!

Woburn Abbey sits on a 3,000 acre deer park, not including the Safari Park.  It has been home to the Dukes of Bedford for over 300 years and is now occupied by the 15th Duke and his family.  We were fortunate to have access to several exquisite rooms used by the family and not normally open to the public.

We were able to visit the house (but no photos inside).

After a prompt arrival, we had nearly 4 hours to view the House and Gardens and have lunch before touring the Safari Park.

An Abbey stood on the land during the reign of Elizabeth I in the 16thC, then the Earls of Bedford and their families lived at Woburn from about 1619.  Over the centuries that followed the building underwent great changes.  During the reign of Charles II, the 5th Earl of Bedford was executed in 1683 for his part in a plot to assassinate the King but years later he received a posthumous pardon and the Earldom was elevated to a Dukedom.

The Woburn Ladies were very prevalent in the estate's history, the recent and most famous being the Flying Duchess (Mary du Carrouy Tribe) who married the 11th Duke in 1893.

The House and its contents were fascinating, with so much history, art, furniture and memorabilia that it warrants a second visit.  The gold and silver treasures in the vaults were particularly stunning.

The sunny weather showed the lovely gardens and sculptures in their best light.

A lion sculpture.

A wicker elephant.

Getting a perspective on lunch

After lunch (for those who had time!), we took the Safari Drive for over an hour and were lucky enough to see most of the featured animals - lions, tigers, monkeys, black bears, giraffe, rhino, deer and more.
Click here to see photos of the animals.
We have also collected all the photos of the Associates on the trip onto one page.  Click here to go there.

All in all, a very full and enjoyable day with positive feedback from group members.  I for one, will be visiting again as there is so much more to see!

Homeward bound.