Wrest Park, Luton, England

Site is open to the public. Opening may be limited, please check Visitor Information for any restrictions.

Brief description of site

The formal gardens at Wrest Park developed over 150 years, from the late-17th to early-19th centuries. The style was inspired by the gardens at Versailles. The gardens dating from the late-17th to early-18th century survive almost intact, with some 18th-century landscaping and 19th-century development. The registered site covers some 380 hectares. There are a number of distinctive garden buildings.

Brief history of site

From 1671 to 1702 the Earl and Countess of Kent altered the medieval and 16th-century house, laying out a formal landscape around it, largely focused on the axial canal called the Long Water. In 1702 Henry, the 12th Earl, created the Great Garden around the 17th-century features. He laid out the woodland garden flanking the Long Water, the formal canals enclosing it and the canals at right angles to the Long Water. He also built the Pavilion. Jemima, Marchioness Grey employed Lancelot Brown in about 1758 to 1760 to work on the periphery of the Great Garden to soften the contours of the perimeter canals.

Location information:

OS Landranger Map Sheet Number:	153	Grid Ref:	TL091353
Latitude:	52.00542	Longitude:	-0.4120082

Key information:

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