Turvey is a pretty village seven miles west of Bedford. Many of the buildings were built by the Lord of the Manor in the nineteenth century, from locally quarried limestone. The history of Turvey is dominated by two great families, the Mordaunts, who held the Turvey Estate from the 13th century until 1783 and the Higgins family. The estate was sold to the Higgins family, who built Turvey House in 1794. The churchyard of All Saints Church contains many monuments to both families.
Turvey House is privately owned now by the Hanbury family and stands in parkland. It is open to the public in the summer months. The Church of All Saints, dates mostly from the 13th century, has eleven arches and crosses three branches of the River Great Ouse. Beside the bridge, is the 17th century Ye Three Fyshes Inn. There is an excellent view of Turvey Mill (now a residential development) and two stone statues standing on the end of the mill’s island. One is known locally as “Jonah”. He stands ten feet tall and has a dolphin (not a whale) at his feet. Its age is unknown, but was brought there by John Higgins in 1844, from Ashridge House in Hertfordshire.
Where in England is Turvey?
[codespacing_progress_map post_ids=”6359″ faceted_search=”no” carousel=”no”]