Woburn, Bedfordshire
Encyclopedia
Woburn is a small Saxon village
and civil parish in Bedfordshire
, England
. It is situated about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the centre of Milton Keynes
, and about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of junction 13 of the M1 motorway
and is a popular tourist attraction.
of 1086. It is best known as the location of Woburn Abbey
(a stately home
), founded by Cistercian monks in 1145 and bequeathed to the first Earl of Bedford in 1538 after the dissolution of the monasteries, and Woburn Safari Park
. Woburn has been burned down and rebuilt three times. A mediaeval chimney fire spread due to the prevalence of thatched roofs and closely built houses. Then, during the English Civil War
, the Cavaliers burned down much of the village and in 1724 a third fire destroyed much of the town, which was re-built in the Georgian style that remains today.
During the nineteenth century, Woburn was an important staging post on a nationwide coaching network. The town had 27 inns and the first 24 hour post office outside of London. However, with Woburn Sands and not Woburn being selected for a railway station, Woburn's importance attached to its strategic location decreased. The population fell from 2100 in 1851 to 700 about a century later.
and Woburn Safari Park
, tourists visit Woburn's Georgian centre and the Woburn Heritage Centre local history museum. Woburn hosts a popular Oyster Festival on the first weekend of September every year attracting thousands of visitors. Every April the local art gallery also organises 'Art Beat' for the promotion of local original art. Facilities for residents include a heated outdoor swimming pool open in the summer months, the Village Hall, St. Mary's Church and Woburn Lower School. Woburn also has a monthly Farmers' Market on the third Sunday of the month organised by the Village Traders.
The last Tiger Moth Rally held at the Abbey was in 2007. Woburn Abbey has also played host to many outdoor live music concerts including Dire Straits
, Elton John
and Neil Diamond
. In July 2007 the Abbey hosted the three day Woburn Live concert featuring Classic FM Live, Van Morrison
and Ronnie Scott
's Big Band on three consecutive evenings.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is situated about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the centre of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, and about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of junction 13 of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
and is a popular tourist attraction.
History
Woburn was first recorded as a hamlet in 969 and is found in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086. It is best known as the location of Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
(a stately home
Stately home
A stately home is a "great country house". It is thus a palatial great house or in some cases an updated castle, located in the British Isles, mostly built between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century, as well as converted abbeys and other church property...
), founded by Cistercian monks in 1145 and bequeathed to the first Earl of Bedford in 1538 after the dissolution of the monasteries, and Woburn Safari Park
Woburn Safari Park
Woburn Safari Park is a safari park located in Woburn, Bedfordshire in the UK. Visitors to the park can drive through the large animal exhibits, which contain species such as White Rhino, Elephants, Tigers and Black Bears...
. Woburn has been burned down and rebuilt three times. A mediaeval chimney fire spread due to the prevalence of thatched roofs and closely built houses. Then, during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, the Cavaliers burned down much of the village and in 1724 a third fire destroyed much of the town, which was re-built in the Georgian style that remains today.
During the nineteenth century, Woburn was an important staging post on a nationwide coaching network. The town had 27 inns and the first 24 hour post office outside of London. However, with Woburn Sands and not Woburn being selected for a railway station, Woburn's importance attached to its strategic location decreased. The population fell from 2100 in 1851 to 700 about a century later.
Modern Woburn
Woburn is a residential village and tourist attraction. Aside from Woburn AbbeyWoburn Abbey
Woburn Abbey , near Woburn, Bedfordshire, England, is a country house, the seat of the Duke of Bedford and the location of the Woburn Safari Park.- Pre-20th century :...
and Woburn Safari Park
Woburn Safari Park
Woburn Safari Park is a safari park located in Woburn, Bedfordshire in the UK. Visitors to the park can drive through the large animal exhibits, which contain species such as White Rhino, Elephants, Tigers and Black Bears...
, tourists visit Woburn's Georgian centre and the Woburn Heritage Centre local history museum. Woburn hosts a popular Oyster Festival on the first weekend of September every year attracting thousands of visitors. Every April the local art gallery also organises 'Art Beat' for the promotion of local original art. Facilities for residents include a heated outdoor swimming pool open in the summer months, the Village Hall, St. Mary's Church and Woburn Lower School. Woburn also has a monthly Farmers' Market on the third Sunday of the month organised by the Village Traders.
The last Tiger Moth Rally held at the Abbey was in 2007. Woburn Abbey has also played host to many outdoor live music concerts including Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
. In July 2007 the Abbey hosted the three day Woburn Live concert featuring Classic FM Live, Van Morrison
Van Morrison
Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...
and Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott
Ronnie Scott was an English jazz tenor saxophonist and jazz club owner.-Life and career:Ronnie Scott was born in Aldgate, east London, into a family of Russian Jewish descent on his father's side, and Portuguese antecedents on his mother's. Scott began playing in small jazz clubs at the age of...
's Big Band on three consecutive evenings.
External links
- Guide to shops and services
- The Village Hall's Website
- Contact details for parish council
- Woburn pages at the Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records ServiceBedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records ServiceThe Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service is a county record office, holding archival material associated with Bedfordshire and Luton. Established in 1913 by George Herbert Fowler as the Bedfordshire Record Office, it was the first county record office in England. It is located in...
- Tourist Information and local history
- The Hogsty End Handbook local community magazine