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Silsoe

Although the manor of Wrest has been held by the de Grey family since the late 13th century, the house standing today dates from the 1830s. Built for the 1st Earl de Grey from the designs of a French architect, it follows faithfully the style of a French chateau of the previous century. The real glory of Wrest Park is the gardens, which extend over 90 acres. They are a living history of English gardening from 1700 to 1850 and are the work of Charles Bridgeman, with later adaptations by Capability Brown. The layout remains basically formal, with a full range of garden appointments in the grand manner – a  Chinese bridge, an orangery, an artificial lake, a classical temple, and a rustic ruin.

Two buildings of particular interest are the Baroque Banqueting House, designed by Thomas Archer, which forms a focus of the view from the house across the lake, and the Bowling Green House, dating from about 1740 and said to have been designed by Batty Langley, who was best known as a writer of architectural books for country builders, but built little himself. Immediately beside the house is an intricate French-style garden, with an orangery by the French architect Cléphane, flowerbeds, statues and fountains. The village of Silsoe itself boasts more than 130 listed buildings.