Pictures of Old Warden

in the county of Bedfordshire

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About Old Warden

Old Warden is a sleepy Bedfordshire village with pretty honey-coloured thatched cottages and a wealth of other interesting buildings. The village is situated on the Shuttleworth Estate, where Old Warden Park, a superb historic mansion, formerly the home of the Shuttleworth family, acts as a grandiose centre piece. The house, surrounded by 500 acres of parkland is now an elegant country hotel.

The village offers plenty to do. It has the most delightful mixture of properties, some are highly decorative after the style of a "picture postcard" Swiss chalet, whilst others have attractive gables or thatch.

High summer is an important time in the village, many events take place and the estate offers falconry displays, Swiss gardens, classic car shows, craft fairs and an air show, held on the old Warden airfield. The airfield is part of the Shuttleworth Trust, and here you will find a living museum with glorious aviation relics from the earliest days of flying, right through the golden age of flight, war time aviation, and later aircraft. The museum is a tribute to Pioneer pilots and everything to do with the birth of aviation, it has wonderful machines and exhibits that make you marvel and wonder as to how the fragile early aeroplanes flew, and at the daring, skill and courage of men and women who flew them.

The church of St. Leonard is late 12th century, with an older tower of brown cobbles. It has an interesting interior showing fine woodwork. Some of the interior was restored and renewed by the generosity of Lord Ongley in 1841. The church has a large font from the 14th century and stained glass from Warden Abbey. Of the several fine monuments to see the most interesting is to Sir Samuel Ongley, dated 1726 and signed by Scheemakers, and Delvaux.

One mile west-south-west of the village on the site of Warden Abbey, originally founded by Walter Epec in 1135, there now stands a flourishing vineyard, the home of award winning Warden Wines. The vineyard was started in 1986 by Jane Whitbread on the site of an earlier vineyard worked by medieval monks. The abbey was once famous for Warden pears, a variety of fruit mentioned by William Shakespeare.

North of the church are the earthwork's of Quint's Hill, probably dating from the early Iron Age.

The village has the usual village amenities including the Hare and Hounds, a picturesque, traditional country pub at the heart of the Shuttleworth estate.

Set within easy driving distance to Bedford, Old Warden makes the perfect destination for a pleasant day out or to use as a base for exploring one of England's most interesting counties.

Planning a visit? Please see below for other recommended towns, attractions and recommended hotels nearby.

Distances and directions below are approximate. For true driving distances please visit the AA Route Planner

Recommended attractions near Old Warden

The Swiss Garden	(0.7 miles, 1.1 km)	Pictures
Shuttleworth House	(1.1 miles, 1.7 km)	Pictures
The Shuttleworth Collection	(1.1 miles, 1.7 km)	Pictures
Rowney Warren	(2.4 miles, 3.9 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Maulden Wood	(3.9 miles, 6.2 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Cainhoe Castle	(4.6 miles, 7.3 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Wrest Park House and Gardens	(5.8 miles, 9.3 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Houghton House	(6.6 miles, 10.7 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Barton Hills Nature Reserve	(9.0 miles, 14.5 km, direction S)	Pictures
Sharpenhoe Clappers	(9.2 miles, 14.8 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Stevington Country Park	(10.3 miles, 16.6 km, direction NW)	Pictures
Sundon Hills Country Park	(10.5 miles, 16.8 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Woburn Safari Park	(12.1 miles, 19.5 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Woburn Abbey	(12.6 miles, 20.3 km, direction SW)	Pictures
Wimpole Hall	(13.2 miles, 21.2 km, direction E)	Pictures

All attractions in Old Warden
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Recommended towns near Old Warden

Cardington in the county of Bedfordshire (4.1 miles, 6.6 km, direction NW)
The rural town of Cardington has a double claim to fame
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Willington in the county of Bedfordshire (4.5 miles, 7.3 km, direction N)
Willington lies on the south east outskirts of Bedford, it is most notable for its Dovecote, an oblong structure with nesting...
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Clophill in the county of Bedfordshire (5.0 miles, 8.1 km, direction SW)
A village surrounded by woodlands and famous for the art of straw plaiting used to make straw boater hats. Legend has it that...
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Elstow in the county of Bedfordshire (5.4 miles, 8.7 km, direction W)
Elstow's fine Moot Hall is a building of 1500, this is a medieval market hall which is open to the public, it houses a collection illustrating John Bunyan's life and times.
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Silsoe in the county of Bedfordshire (6.1 miles, 9.9 km, direction SW)
Silsoe is mostly noted for Wrest Park, a mansion in French Chateaux style which was the home of the de Grey family.
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Potton in the county of Bedfordshire (6.3 miles, 10.2 km, direction NE)
Potton is a small market town lying close to the Cambridgeshire border. It has a long history, holding its first market in the 13th century when much of the land on which the town stood belonged to the Earls of Huntingdon.
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Bedford in the county of Bedfordshire (6.5 miles, 10.5 km, direction NW)
Bedford is the historic County town of Bedfordshire with a beautiful riverside setting on the great River Ouse. John Bunyan, author of Pilgrim's has strong associations with this town.
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Ampthill in the county of Bedfordshire (7.4 miles, 11.9 km, direction SW)
The lovely town of Ampthill lies sheltered by hills in the sandstone belt of Bedfordshire.
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Barton Le Clay in the county of Bedfordshire (8.2 miles, 13.1 km, direction SW)
The attractive village of Barton-le-Clay nestles at the foot of the beautiful Barton Hills, it is ringed by beautiful...
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Ashwell in the county of Hertfordshire (8.3 miles, 13.3 km, direction E)
Ashwell embodies some of the finest domestic architecture in England, here in this well preserved village, at a glance you get a pleasurable insight as to what England was like in the 16th and 17th-centuries.
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Baldock in the county of Hertfordshire (8.9 miles, 14.3 km, direction SE)
The town lies close to the River Beane, in a spot where the river flows through some lovely water meadows and tranquil English countryside.
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Hitchin in the county of Hertfordshire (9.2 miles, 14.9 km, direction S)
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Woburn in the county of Bedfordshire (13.5 miles, 21.7 km, direction SW)
The picturesque village of Woburn has an mixture of delightful old cottages and the magnificent Woburn Abbey.
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Stevenage in the county of Hertfordshire (13.5 miles, 21.8 km, direction SE)
Its history began in Roman times when it grew as a small town beside the Great North Road and its heritage from those times is evidenced by the Six Hills, a 2,000 year old Roman burial site.
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Ardeley in the county of Hertfordshire (14.7 miles, 23.6 km, direction SE)
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Nearby travel help

Biggleswade Station	(3.5 miles, 5.6 km, direction E)
Sandy Station	(4.1 miles, 6.7 km, direction NE)
A1(M) Junction 10	(7.5 miles, 12.1 km, direction SE)
A1(M) Junction 9 (Letchworth Gate)	(9.8 miles, 15.8 km, direction SE)
London Luton Airport	(14.1 miles, 22.7 km, direction S)
Cambridge Airport	(23.6 miles, 38.0 km, direction NE)
Old Warden to London	(40.4 miles, 65.1 km, direction S)

Hotels & Accommodation in Old Warden

Hotel Name	Approximate distance from Old Warden center
The Carriage House	(3.8 miles, 6.2 km, direction S)
Holiday Inn Garden Court Sandy	(4.2 miles, 6.8 km, direction NE)
The Barns Hotel (Form. Corus Hotel Bedford)	(4.8 miles, 7.7 km, direction NW)
Tudor Oaks Lodge	(6.1 miles, 9.8 km, direction SE)
Embankment Hotel	(6.4 miles, 10.3 km, direction NW)
De Pary's Hotel	(7.0 miles, 11.3 km, direction NW)
Shakespeare Hotel	(7.5 miles, 12.0 km, direction NW)
Sleep Inn Baldock	(8.2 miles, 13.1 km, direction E)
Firs Hotel & Restaurant	(8.9 miles, 14.3 km, direction S)
Menzies Flitwick Manor	(8.9 miles, 14.3 km, direction SW)
All hotels in Old Warden