Silsoe is a small village south of Bedford. It has a long High Street, lined by brick built cottages right on the pavement. At the end is the George Hotel, a Georgian coaching inn, which was a staging post between Bedford and Luton. Behind the High Street, there are tree-lined lanes with houses of varying ages, ranging from 16th century timber and thatch cottages, to Georgian houses. There is a lock-up with an arched doorway in the garden of a house in Church Road.
Silsoe was much in the news in 2011, when English Heritage announced the re-opening of Wrest Park, after an extensive four million pound restoration. The entrance to Wrest Park is in the centre of Silso, by the ironstone Church of St. James.
Wrest Park has been little known for decades, but will now take its place as one of England’s most important landscape gardens. There are over 90 acres of formal and informal gardens, as well as woodlands. Wrest Park was home to the de Grey family from the 13th century until they left in 1917. Within the grounds is the Parisian styled mansion built by Thomas Earl de Grey in 1834. At the end of the Long Water, is the magnificent 18th century pavilion, which embodies the grandeur and elegance of Wrest Park.
Where in England is Silsoe?
[codespacing_progress_map post_ids=”6335″ faceted_search=”no” carousel=”no”]