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Old Warden

This charming village of thatched cottages along a single street has developed its unique character as a result of the influence of two local families. In the early 18th century, Sir Samuel Ongley, a London merchant, ship-owner, and former director of the South Sea Company, bought this country seat for himself and his family, who stayed here for more than 200 years. In 1776, Robert Henley Ongley was awarded an Irish peerage for his services to Parliament, and it was his grandson, also called Robert, who created Old Warden as it is seen today. Taking the original estate cottages, and building new ones, Sir Robert developed this rustic village and embellished the 12th-century church with some interesting Belgian woodwork. The church also contains some magnificent memorials to the Ongley family. 

However, Sir Robert’s most famous piece of work is the Swiss Garden (see panel below), laid out in the early 19th century. Within its
10 acres are ornate bridges, winding ponds, a breathtaking fernery and a number of tiny follies. In season, the early bulbs, primroses, rhododendrons and the old-fashioned roses make wonderful displays.

In 1872, his fortune depleted by the extensive building and remodelling programme, Sir Robert sold the estate to Joseph Shuttleworth. A partner in a firm of iron founders, it was Joseph who led the way to the development of the steam traction engine, and also built the Jacobean-style mansion house that can still be seen today. Another attraction on the estate is the Bird of Prey Conservation Centre where 300 birds of various species are on public display. In addition to training and flying birds of prey from around the world, the centre is firmly committed to conservation and education, working with schools to create displays and informative workshops; it laso has an Adopt a Bird Sceme. Regular flying demonstration times are 11.30am for the Owl Experience, 1.30pm for Birds of the World and 3pm for Out of Africa, featuring vultures, secretary birds, eagles, owls and falcons. The centre also includes a children’s adventure playground, a picnic site, a restaurant and a gift shop.

Also at Old Warden is the famous Shuttleworth Collection of historic aircraft. In 1923, the 23-year-old Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth, who had inherited the estate, bought his first aircraft, a de Havilland Moth. Over the years he added further planes to his collection. At the outbreak of the Second World War he naturally joined the RAF, but was sadly killed in a flying accident in 1940. After the war his mother put his collection on display and over the years other aircraft have been added. Housed in eight hangars, the collection now comprises some 40 airworthy craft, dating from 1909 (a Blériot) to 1955. Throughout the year there are a number of flying days when these grand old planes take to the skies. Many of them have been featured in films including Reach for the Sky, The Battle of Britain and Pearl Harbour. The planes are complemented by a number of vintage cars, motorcycles and bicycles.

A short drive north of Old Warden are two delightful villages, Ickwell and Northill. The former, which has a Maypole standing permanently on the green, is the birthplace of the great clockmaker Thomas Tompion. The 14th-century Church of St Mary, which dominates the village of Northill, is noted for some fine 17th-century glass and a one-handed clock built, it is thought, by Tompion’s father. Some of the clocks could run for a year without rewinding; the Tompions also made barometers and sundials, including pieces for King William III.