Wrest Park - Bedfordshire

Rolands P.

Lovely place to visit on a good day for a walk in gardens. The building is interesting too although compared to other historic manors the rooms are mostly empty, which was nice and calm and allows you to appreciate the architecture. Gardens are well kept and beautiful, plenty of paths through the woods for an easy walk. Definitely worth visiting if you’re an English Heritage member as the entry price is quite high otherwise.

Becky T.

This English Heritage site is a decent home and gardens. The house doesn’t have tons to see - a few fairly empty rooms on the ground floor (library, drawing room, etc), a staircase, and 4-5 room exhibition. If you take the free wallpaper tour, it will take you upstairs to three rooms, and last around 30 minutes. Candidly I wasn’t sure about a wallpaper tour beforehand, but it was interesting and they provided extra tidbits about the room and family as well. However, there is not tons to see in the house otherwise - a few signs, and 15-20 minutes in the exhibition, which goes through the decor, sport, leisure, gardens, use in World War I, family, etc.

Gardens: When we came, the main gardens were closed for high winds, so could only experience the smaller gardens closest to the house.

Dairy sculpture garden: We also missed as wasn’t very well marked on signs. One room with a few sculptures nice to visit. (To access from the entrance, walk through the gardens nearest the house, and it’s on the opposite end/far side of the house.)

Cafe has a nice selection of lunch and cakes, with options for both indoor and outdoor seating.

Small shop with a few interesting options available.

Kids play area looked well used.

Parking is on grass outside the gate.

Toilets clean though dated near the front. Single toilet also in the house.

Marco M.

I loved the visit, not only because I work there but also because it's a really beautiful park and piece of history. I wish they could clean the fish ponds because there is a lot of wildlife around and because that's one of the main reasons people visit the place, the animals give another vibe and magic to the Park.

Catherine B.

Beautiful place to visit.
Gardens are very well manicured. Absolutely stunning. The food in the cafè was very good and reasonably priced.
You need at least 4 hours here to see all the beautiful Gardens.

Tim B.

This is an incredible place to visit. The history is deep, and there are plenty of volunteers here to purvey every single detail. I appreciate this part of the experience at Wrest Park. The outdoor attractions are just as stunning as the main building itself. Whether it's winter, summer, or any season in between, I recommend taking the time to see this place if you're in the area. It's stunning!

jon K.

wow, such a beautiful park! The grounds are wonderful. Definitely worth a visit. the extra to see the house isn't really worth it in my view though. Still, we had a lovely time navigating the gardens

Diane P.

Wrest Park is a bit of a surprise at Silsoe. It's a lovely garden to wander through or picnic in. It has the hunting lodge as the focal point at the bottom of the lake and the house itself has one or two interesting points - if there are enough volunteers, you might even get into the wallpaper rooms (a rare treat!)
Cafe, shop and play area for kids and enough space to picnic and not feel hemmed in.

Paul S.

Beautifully maintained English Heritage site. Word of caution don’t visit on a windy day. They close off the forest area. Regardless of this. Still a very beautiful property and a lot of culture to observe and take in.