Wrest Park

Wrest Park is a country estate located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England. It comprises Wrest Park, a country house, and Wrest Park gardens, both of which are grade I listed. The gardens surround the mansion and include a number of other buildings, monuments and statues, some of which are grade II listed, and an early-18th-century baroque pavilion, designed by Thomas Archer, which is a grade I listed building. The garden entrance of the house aligns with the pavilion, and the long water and pathways from the house that precede it. Between the 13th and 20th centuries the house was occupied by the de Grey family, a family who held positions including Lord High Treasurer of England. The early 18th-century gardens were created for Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent, who along with commissioning Thomas Archer to create buildings in the grounds, employed Batty Langley to design a bowling green house. During this time, the gardens were enlarged and a woodland garden with canals enclosing it were added to the estate. Subsequent generations of the family employed gardeners and landscape architects, including Lancelot "Capability" Brown, to develop the estate further. The current house was built by Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey in the 1830s, in a Louis XV style that is unique in England. His visits to Paris and illustrations in Jacques-François Blondel's publications provided the inspiration for Thomas, who was the first president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, to build the house in this style. The interior state rooms are adorned with Rococo-style gilt and white plasterwork, which experienced a revival in the 19th century. Since the construction, the plan layout of the house and decoration in the state rooms have been well preserved and three rooms contain rare wallpapers. English Heritage own the estate, have managed...