Woburn Abbey

Woburn Abbey, near Woburn in Bedfordshire, is the seat of the Duke of Bedford, head of the Russell Family. The Abbey was a sad half-demolished, half-derelict house in 1953 when the 12th Duke died, exposing the family estates to heavy death duties for the second time in thirteen years. The Abbey, originally given to the family by Henry VIII, had been largely rebuilt by the 4th Duke in the 18th century. The architects Henry Flitcroft and Henry Holland had been employed on the project. Following World War II, dry rot had been discovered and half the Abbey was subsequently demolished.