If visiting London or southeast England, spend a day exploring Woburn Abbey and its extensive grounds close to the town of Milton Keynes.
Woburn Abbey has been the home of the Dukes of Bedford for over 350 years. The house, set in 3,000 acres of parkland, was derelict, dry-rotted, and half-demolished yet subject to heavy taxes in 1953 when the 12th Duke died. The Abbey was opened to the public in 1955 and has been turned into a virtual theme park, realizing earning power as a source of fascination and a tourist attraction.
After unfavorable comments by other aristocrats when the 13th Duke turned the family home into a theme park, he intriguingly said, "I do not relish the scorn of the peerage, but it is better to be looked down on than overlooked."
Its beautiful art collection has been recognized as one of the most impressive and important private collections on public view. The paintings are by many renowned artists like Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Velazquez. Its galleries include the famous Renaissance painting, “Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I,” by George Gower.
