Woburn Abbey

abbey, Central Bedfordshire, England, United Kingdom

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Article History

Woburn Abbey, seat of the dukes of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, Eng., with a house that was rebuilt from a medieval Cistercian abbey by Henry Flitcroft (in 1747–61) and Henry Holland (in 1787–88). Its approximately 3,000-acre (1,000-hectare) park is the home of a magnificent collection of rare animals and birds.

The 13th duke of Bedford, succeeding to the title and to severe death duties (inheritance taxes) in 1953, determined to realize to the full the potential earning power of a “stately home” and opened it as a paying tourist attraction. He was a resourceful publicist, and by the end of the 1950s Woburn Abbey was a name well known to the British public; by the 1960s it was almost as well known abroad.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeff Wallenfeldt.