Rutland Water

As the summer had been so lovely in 2016 we decided to take a trip to Rutland Water, we did stay overnight, but from Ampthill it is only just over an hour away and so can be a day trip.  As you will see from the photos we managed to catch the weather when the sun decided to hide for most of it, and the rain came on day 2...putting pay to the planned trip to Barnsdale Gardens.  so I think a re-visit is necessary.

There are car parks around the water, and you can pay one fee for the day and move around the car parks, which work out a better deal for the day.  Some areas are busy than others, one part has a 'beach' in the summer and so was much busier than the rest.

You can get a boat trip across the water:

Rutland Water - with the sun

Oakham

Oakham Museum

Oakham

Rutland water is a man made reservoir that was 'made' in the 70s, there were some people that lost their homes, but they managed to leave a peninsular village that juts out into the water.

Oakham museum was a lovely little museum and filled the gap for our rainy day, it had an exhibition that was 1966 and all that, which was excellent and well put together.

We drove there via the A1 and came back north of Bedford.

https://www.rutlandwater.org.uk/

Bletchley Park

Interesting day out

A substantial investment of lottery funding has been well spent at Bletchley Park. The grounds are great to explore on a nice day and there is plenty of seating (picnic tables and deck chairs). The period sound effects being played in the grounds are evocative but not too intrusive.  There are also a few games to entertain the kids and a small lake to relax next to. 

The Mansion and Huts

There is plenty to see inside as well if the weather is not great, with visitors able to access the ground floor of the Mansion house, which houses a number of temporary and permanent exhibitions. These include the Office of Alastair Denniston, Head of the Government Code and Cypher School and the Library, laid out as it would have looked during WW2 as a Naval Intelligence office.  

There are a number of the original huts, which all have period displays to wander around. The restored Codebreaking Huts 3 and 6 are where Enigma messages sent by the German Army and Air Force were decrypted, translated and analysed for vital intelligence. In these huts, the atmosphere is recreated with rooms recreated to resemble what they once were when codebreakers worked here.  You can also “meet” some of the codebreakers and can listen to recordings of the men and women tell the stories of what happened, including sounds, projected images and authentic props.

Hut 11 houses the Turing-Welchman Bombe machines – now restored and refurbished so you can experience the sounds of the wartime Bombe machines and learn what it was like to work on these machines in the original conditions.  In Hut 12 you can see historic exhibits relating to Bletchley Park, including original wartime documents, historical artefacts and  relevant archaeological items. 

Hut 8, as well as being the Codebreaking Hut leading the breaking of German Naval Enigma messages, houses an interactive exhibitions explaining the different methods the codebreakers used to help them with their work. It also displays the real office of Alan Turing, recreated to how it would have looked in World War Two complete with the mug chained to the radiator. 

The museum in Block B contains a number of fascinating exhibits relating to the history of Bletchley Park and is well worth a visit. There are also wartime garages, complete with WW2 vehicles.

Everything is well laid out and there is plenty of signage and volunteers if you have any questions. There are a couple of cafes serving reasonably priced refreshments. The entrance fee is not too expensive, especially as the ticket is valid for a year so you can return on another visit, if you don't see everything on the first visit. There is a  Visitor Centre in Block C as you enter into Bletchley Park with a coffee shop, gift shop, selling Bletchley Park books etc., and a multimedia, interactive introductory exhibition. I recommend visiting this attraction not only to appreciate its significant historical importance but also for a fun day out. There are also numerous special events held on a regular basis, so check their website.

How to get there 

Leave Ampthill heading west along Woburn Street and turn right onto Woburn Road (A507). Stay on the A507 until you see Woburn signposted. Take the route through Woburn and follow signs to A5 – join the A5 heading north. Stay on the A5 until you reach the junction after Kelly's Kitchen Roundabout (signposted MK West & East). At this junction leave A5 and join Bletcham Way (H10) heading west. Stay on Bletcham Way until you reach V7/Saxon Street/B4034 – follow V7 to Bletchley. When you have passed the shopping centre and Bletchley station, you will come to a roundabout where you turn right onto Sherwood Drive – after a short distance turn left into Jemima Way, which is the approach to Bletchley Park. The satnav postcode is MK3 6DS – jouney time is about 30 mins (15 miles) depending on traffic.

On Arrival

The public car parks are signposted and there are plenty of spaces. They are only a short walk from the pay kiosks and the entrance to Bletchley Park.  You can book on line and get a discount, the ticket lasts for the year.  There is a cafe and a couple of other places to buy food.

https://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/

Stockwood Mossman Collection

See more details about the centre here:
Stockwood park discovery centre
My great grandfather was a coachbuilder based in Holloway, in Marlborough Rd in the late 1800s to early 1900s, and I have some picture of coaches that he built.  It was interesting seeing some similar models in the collection, but I did not manage to see any with the 'Lugg Bros' logo on them.  We took a few photos so thought I would share them as an additional part of the days out.

Interestingly they lived in Hanley Rd, close to Hornsey Road, but I think this was only painted 'fictitiously' of the period, which was a shame, I have yet to find out any history about the business.

Discovery Hall:

The Discovery Hall has transport exhibits associated with Luton and houses The Mossman Collection.   The Mossman Carriage Collection is a collection of horse-drawn vehicles and is the largest collection of such vehicles in the United Kingdom, and includes original vehicles dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.  The collection was donated to the Luton Museum Service in 1991 and has examples of horse-drawn road vehicles and carriages used in Britain dating from Roman timess up until the 1930s.  The collection includes vehicles used by tradesmen and ordinary people as well as luxury vehicles and state coaches used by the British nobility and on the large British estates. Many of the exhibits have also been used in television productions and films including Ben Hur and Carry on Dick.  I will post some of the carriages on another post.

http://www.lutonculture.com/stockwood-discovery-centre/

Stockwood Park & Discovery Centre

Last summer we decided to go to Stockwood Park, we went many years ago, so long ago that it had changed quite a bit with a new building for the Mossman Collection of carriages and a cafe.  Last summer there had been several dry weeks, so the gardens were maybe not looking their best at the end of August.

History
The park was originally the estate and grounds to Stockwood House, which was built in 1740 by John Crawley, one of Bedfordshire's leading landowners.  The enclosed walled gardens provided shelter for growing fruit and vegetables for the house. One of the walled gardens now displays a series of gardens illustrating the changing styles of gardening through the ages. During World War II the house was converted into a children's hospital. The House was eventually demolished in 1964.



Something for everyone
Gardens:
If you are a garden enthusiast there are a number of different gardens to wander around, including formal Period Gardens (Medieval, Elizabethan, Dutch and Italian) and a wartime garden. Once part of the original Stockwood House walled areas, the Period Gardens reflect the changing styles of gardening in this country. The 'Improvement Garden' is a classical garden in which the sculptures (by acclaimed artist Ian Hamilton Finlay) are an integral part of the landscape and can be seen on permanent display.  Newer areas include a contemplative Sensory Garden, a colourful World Garden, and a Medicinal Garden highlighting the usefulness of plants - designed with environmentally green and sustainable principles in mind.  This is not a complete list of the gardens that can be visited and there are also greenhouses to explore.

Galleries:
If you are keen on history, then the old stable block has a number of galleries depicting the development of the local area from pre-historic times through to the last hundred years. Located in the original stables of Stockwood House, these galleries explore the history of the region from prehistoric times to the evolution of Stockwood House and the Farley estate. The first gallery introduces Stockwood looking at its history for the last 200 years. The Landscape and People Gallery explores the changes to the local environment. The  Discover Archaeology Gallery introduces early inhabitants of the area and shows how the past is uncovered. There is a separate Roman and Anglo Saxon Gallery where you can see the legacy that these people left us. Well worth a visit is the Medieval Gallery where you can walk the streets of Luton in the 1400's. The final gallery – the Rural Trades Gallery – shows some of the craft and trade objects collected from Bedfordshire villages in the 1930's-1950's. There is a forge located next to this gallery and a collection of vintage stationary engines are also located at this end of the site.

This is a great attraction provided by Luton Council that amazingly has free entry. Away from the formal displays there are plenty of open spaces to sit and relax.  There is a children's play area, a cafe and a gift small shop. A great place to spend a few hours browsing and to return to for future visits at different times of the year to fully appreciate the variety of gardens.  There are also regular events and special exhibitions at different times during the year and the annual Country Fair on the Easter weekend.

Discovery Hall:

The Discovery Hall has transport exhibits associated with Luton and houses The Mossman Collection.   The Mossman Carriage Collection is a collection of horse-drawn vehicles and is the largest collection of such vehicles in the United Kingdom, and includes original vehicles dating from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.  The collection was donated to the Luton Museum Service in 1991 and has examples of horse-drawn road vehicles and carriages used in Britain dating from Roman timess up until the 1930s.  The collection includes vehicles used by tradesmen and ordinary people as well as luxury vehicles and state coaches used by the British nobility and on the large British estates. Many of the exhibits have also been used in television productions and films including Ben Hur and Carry on Dick.  I will post some of the carriages on another post.

They have a 'long term' project to restore the last surviving Luton tram.....

How to get there:
Leave Ampthill heading south along Dunstable Street, carry on through Flitwick and Westoning and join the southbound M1 at junction 12. Keep on M1 until junction 10 and exit towards A1081/Luton Airport. Stay on A1081 and at the big roundabout take the second exit onto London Road. In less than half a mile turn left  onto Cutenhoe Road, keep left and you will shortly see the signs for the Discovery Centre and car parks. The satnav postcode is LU1 4LX – jouney time is about 30 mins (17 miles) depending on traffic.

On arrival
There is plenty of parking only a short walk from the entrance. There are also large grassed areas next to the car park where you could have a picnic or the kids could run around and play ball (ball games not allowed in the Centre), there is seating around the park and plenty of space to eat a picnic or use the cafe.

http://www.lutonculture.com/stockwood-discovery-centre/

Days out from Ampthill (Cambridge)

Now that we have some nice sunny days, and Easter is just around the corner, I thought I would remind you that there ideas for day trips from Ampthill, they are all less than 1 hour and 10 minutes away....

I have added them all to a page here
Days out from Ampthill

I thought I would share some pictures of Cambridge, which is a nice easy drive, and has loads to offer, walks, views, river, punting, food, Fitzwilliam Museum, shops, market just to name a few.

It also has a fabric shop, homemade fudge, chocolate making, and of course a Country Market stall.

...and of course if you are around in the Easter break don't forget to visit the Ampthill Country Market stall on Thursday morning - we are there until 12

Higgins Museum, Bedford

A few weeks back we decided to pop along to the The Higgins, Bedford, and can honestly say it was a good couple of hours, as the entrance is free, definitely worth the visit.  It was also mentioned in the Standard recently too :standard top 10 places to visit

History
The Higgins now houses three attractions, Cecil Higgins Art Gallery, Bedford Museum and Bedford Gallery in one building in Castle Lane, dating back 200 years. Charles Higgins and his family moved to Bedford in the 1820s, founding a brewery at Castle Lane and building the family home next to it. The family business was very successful and they were important, influential figures within the town for over a hundred years. The brewery remained in the Higgins family until the late 1920s when Cecil Higgins, then over seventy, decided to sell it to Wells & Winch Ltd. in order to focus on his ambition to found a museum. Cecil, who had run the family business for many years, devoted his later life to collecting fine and decorative arts with the aim of founding a museum. The Cecil Higgins Art Gallery opened in 1949 in the house that had been Cecil's family home. Bedford Museum moved into the former Higgins & Sons Brewery building in 1981. The Art Gallery housed the family collection of ceramics, glass and objets d’art. Cecil Higgins left a trust fund to be used for museum purposes, but principally for acquiring works of art ranging from decorative arts to watercolours, furniture and prints.

The Bedford Museum was formed in the 1960s from the collections of Bedford Modern School and Bedford Borough Council and was originally housed in in a former garage and showroom on the Embankment. In the 1970s the former Higgins & Sons Castle Brewery buildings became available. John Turner was appointed Curator in 1974 and he led the transformation of the brewery buildings into the new town museum, which opened its doors to the public in 1981. The museum was merged with the Cecil Higgins Art Gallery in 2005, but both buildings remained essentially separate until the museum closed for redevelopment. The original home of the Higgins family has been developed into The Higgins Bedford. The building, following its recent redevelopment, now contains both the art gallery and museum, which house both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The Museum contains displays of social history, archaeology, natural history and ethnography collections telling the stories of the people and places that have shaped Bedford, and its relationship with the wider world, from prehistory to the present day.

The art gallery and museum are situated in a complex set of historic buildings. As well as the Higgins family home and the Higgins Brewery buildings, there is the Hexagonal Gallery which is the oldest part of the site, and Bedford Gallery, a Grade II listed building. The Hexagonal Gallery was built around 1804 upon the foundations of earthworks from Bedford Castle. The Bedord Gallery was built in the early 1840s. It was originally designed as a club known as the Castle Rooms, for members and supporters of the Whig Party. From 1848, the building was used for various religious gatherings In the early part of the 20th Century it became a billiard hall. For some time during World War Two, the BBC Music Department is believed to have used Bedford Gallery as a rehearsal room and recording studio.

Things to see
Check out the temporary exhibitions, as well as the permanent one, all are on the web site.

One of the temporary exhibitions was Bedford's War Machines and there was a lovely miniature scene created by Bedfrod's U3A, I just could resist taking a couple of photos.

The Higgins Bedford was refitted throughout during the redevelopment. Visitors can now enjoy watercolour, print and decorative art collections of international significance, including major collections of works by William Burges and Edward Bawden.  More local collections tell the story of Bedford and its people through archaeological finds, natural history, geology and social history.

The William Burges Collection’s can be found in the high-ceilinged hexagonal gallery. Burges, one of the most imaginative architects of the 19th Century, filled his buildings with richly-painted furniture, metalwork, ceramics and stained glass, all with his unique take on medieval style. One of the showpieces of the redevelopment, the William Burges Gallery features the art gallery and museum's world-renowned collection of painted furniture designed by Burges for his own use.

The artist designer Edward Bawden was one of the most influential artists of his generation. For the first time the Higgins’ collection of murals, prints, illustrations, wallpapers, textiles and watercolours, which made up the contents of Bawden’s studio, are housed together in this new gallery. There are regular changing exhibitions providing an insight into this artist’s work.

Other exhibits on display include items from the Higgins' collections including textiles, furniture, metalwork and glassware. The Higgins’ home remained in the family for almost a hundred years and contains displays that introduce the family and explore Cecil Higgins’ collection in terms of how the objects might have originally been used.

There is a gallery devoted to the Settlement of the local area. This gallery highlights the human journey through time. Objects, collections and people tell their own story about Bedford, its rivers and its countryside. The journey begins millions of years ago when the land was covered by ancient seas, inhabited by strange creatures, and reveals the forces of nature that have shaped the landscape. When the seas receded, new creatures including early humans began to inhabit the area. Through the objects on display it is possible to gain an understanding of how people worked, lived, played and worshipped from the earliest times up to the Middle Ages. Intertwined within this thread are invaders from now lost empires, seafarers who came to raid and trade, powerful religious houses and vanishing castles. The gallery focuses on some of the most important stories drawn from the Museum's archaeological collections.

A further gallery continues the story of Bedfordshire and its people's history. It explores Bedford and its growth from a small but busy medieval market town to a centre of industry and business today. Bedfordshire's agricultural and engineering heritage is celebrated with a focus on J. & F. Howard's Britannia Ironworks, W. H. Allen's Queen's Engineering Works, and the brickworks. The town and countryside and the people who live in Bedfordshire have all changed significantly over the centuries. The displays feature local people and show how they have responded to events, including the Agricultural Revolution, the coming of the railways, the growth of Victorian Bedford, the Second World War, newcomers looking for work and modern commercial and technology industries.

How to get there:  Leave Ampthill on B530 heading north up Bedford Street. Carry on the B530 until you eventually come to a set of traffic lights on the outskirts of Bedford – at the lights turn left into Ampthill Road (A5141) and drive straight along the A5141 until you reach a roundabout. Take the second exit onto Rope Walk. At the next roundabout, take the second exit onto Longholme Way – after a short distance you will cross the river, take the next left into The Embankment. Keep going along The Embankment until you reach the junction with Newham Road (on your right) – turn at the mini-roundabout into Newham Road. You will come to a junction, turn left into Castle Lane – follow this road round to the left and you will find The Higgins on your left.  The Sat Nav postcode is MK40 3XD but there are brown signs if you don't have a sat nav. It takes about half an hour (9  miles) depending on traffic conditions.

Arrival: There are 4 car parking spaces at the entrance of The Higgins for visitors with Blue Badges.  There is pay and display parking spaces along the Embankment (max. stay 2 hours) and the nearest public car park is at Lurke Street, just 5 minutes walk from The Higgins.  Alternatively, there is a Park and Ride service from Elstow, with frequent buses into the Town Centre.  On Saturdays 2 hours are free in Council owned car parks.
Parking in Bedford

Wrest Park

Wrest Park

Arrival: Once you have parked it is only a short walk to the entrance, which is in the shop.  There is also a cafe, childrens' play area and toilets in this part of the grounds.

History: Wrest Park is a country estate in Silsoe, Bedfordshire.  It comprises a Grade I listed country house, and Wrest Park Gardens surrounding the mansion.  Although there was an earlier House on the site, it was demolished in the 1830's and the present house was built in 1834–39, to designs by its owner Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey (1781–1859), an amateur architect and the first president of the Royal Institute of British Architects, who was much inspired by French architecture.   Thomas was responsible not only for designing the new house at Wrest Park but also for carefully furnishing its interiors – again in a French theme.  De Grey also developed the gardens created by his ancestors.  The gardens and dairy contain a significant collection of 18th- and 19th-century statues.

 

Wrest Park was used as a hospital during the First World War until in September 1916 the mansion was badly damaged by fire.

In 2007 English Heritage obtained funding for the restoration of a number of the key features of the Wrest Park estate, including the mansion's formal entrance area, the garden statuary, railings and gates, and to alter the height of the carriage drive.  There are plans for the lakes and canals to be restored.  The long term objective is to restore Wrest Park House and gardens to their original splendour.

Inside the House 

Unfortunately, although it is a spectacular house, there are only a few rooms open to the public, and even these may be limited if there is an “event” going on.  The Conservatory is small but worth a visit, beyond that there is a small exhibition area with a few displays of historical information relating to the House.  As yet we have not been without event, so not able to comment, so worth checking before you set out, and there is no reduced fee.

The Conservatory

The Gardens 

Most visitors to Wrest Park come to see the impressive gardens, which were partially created by Lancelot "Capability" Brown.  He was involved with the family and gardens at Wrest Park for 20 years.  At Wrest Park, Brown created a man-made series of lakes that look like one flowing river, removing avenues and planting tree clumps to make the surroundings appear more natural.  There is a memorial column dedicated to Brown.

There are over 90 acres of gardens showcasing French, Dutch, Italian and English styles side by side.  Wrest Park's also has sweeping landscapes and plenty of woodland walks.  The appearance of the grounds does change depending with the seasons.

There are a number of hidden gems in the gardens.  These include the Orangery (now restored to its former glory), an ornate marble fountain, the 18th century Bowling Green House, a Chinese Temple and Bridge, the Bath House and Cascade and over 40 statues dotted around the grounds.  The Chinese Temple and Bridge originally formed part of a tableau imitating scenes found on Chinese willow pattern plates.  The Bath House was built c 1770 when plunge pools were popular.

The Long Water is encased on either side by walkways leading to the spectacular Archer Pavilion.  Built by Thomas Archer between 1709-11, this baroque pavilion, with its stunning interior, is the focal point of the gardens.

The Dairy Sculpture Gallery showcases some of the estate's most beautiful statues, now restored to their former glory.  The dairy which used to supply butter and cream for the de Grey family, was converted into an intimate gallery, bringing together precious garden statues too fragile to remain outside.

The bath house is my favourite part of the garden, even though it is a ‘ruin’.  Note that the Orangery is booked for events too.

The Bath House

How to get there:  Leave Ampthill on A507 heading east.  After a couple of miles take the turning to Silsoe on your right and follow this road until you reach a T junction in the centre of Silsoe.  Turn right onto High Street and after a short distance turn left by the Church into Park Avenue.  Carry on down the Avenue into the grounds of Wrest Park – you will see the visitors' car park signposted  to the right.  Pull into the car park where there are plenty of parking spaces.  The Sat Nav postcode is MK45 4HR but there are brown signs if you don't have a sat nav.  It takes about a quarter hour (4.5  miles) depending on traffic conditions.