Facts and places of interest in Toddington

Interesting Facts about Toddington

• Elizabeth I is reputed to have stayed in Toddington Manor.

• William Blake is said to have drunk at the Angel Public House.

• Toddington is situated on a chalky plateau which rises up to 100ft above the other Mid-Bedfordshire villages.

Places of Interest in and around Toddington

Parish Church of St George of England

The Parish Church at Toddington was consecrated on St. George's Day in 1222, the same year in which St. George became the Patron Saint of England. It is one of only four churches in the country with the full dedication St. George of  England.

The ground on which the church stands had been granted to the Benedictine Abbey of La Coutre Le Mans on a life lease by Roger Peyvre between 1100 -1122, so it is certain that there was a building here in Saxon times. The Church was early endowed with lands in the Parish to which certain manorial rights were attached in the 14th Century.

The Church is built of Totternhoe stone and we are told that it was dug from the same quarries which supplied the stone for the building of Westminster Abbey.

The cruciform plan and general dimensions date from the early 13th Century but only the central tower, South transept and South aisle preserve masonry of that date.

Most impressive is the central tower, 90 feet in height and certainly the finest in Bedfordshire. The cross on the top, which is carved out of oak, has stood there since the days of Charles 1.The weather vane was added in Georgian times.

Houghton House - 3 miles

The ancient monument known as Houghton House lies to south on the hill towards Amptill and overlooks the Marston Vale. The house was built in 1615-1621 on Crown land and is though to have been built by John Thorpe. It has been suggested that Houghton House is the ‘House Beautiful' referred to in John Bunyan's ‘Pilgrim's Progress'.

Wrest Park, Silsoe - 3 miles

Wrest Park was the home of the De Grey family from the 13 th Century until 1917. The old manor house was demolished and the one that now stands of the site was designed by Thomas, Earl de Grey, in 1834 in the French chateaux style; it is the third house to be built on the site.

The gardens amount to 90 acres and were inspired by the gardens of Versailles in France and are formal in style with wooded walks and canals centred around the pavilion designed by Thomas Archer in 1710.

Later additions to the gardens include the Bath House and the Chinese Pavilion. The Orangery, Italian garden and Parterre were added in the 19 th century.

The house was used in the early 19th century as a residence for the US Ambassador, but it is now used by the National Institute of Agricultural Engineering and is run by English Heritage.

Nearby at Flitton is the Grey Mausoleum, the family's burial place.

Regular events such as historical re-enactments take place in the grounds.

Leighton Buzzard Light Railway (LBLR) - 4 miles away

The Leighton Buzzard Light Railway is a narrow-gauge light railway which operates on a 2 ft 0 in (610 mm) gauge, and is just under 3 miles (4.8 km) in length and is now run as a heritage railway.

Woburn Abbey and Safari Park - 5 miles away

Woburn Safari Park is a national award winning park of 3,000 acres. The Woburn Park Estate comprises other major tourist attractions including Woburn Abbey which has been the home of the Dukes of Bedford for 350 years and has a supurb collection of antiques and works of art. There is a fantastic Deer Park and the beautiful village of Woburn itself which has some lovely individual shops and antique shops as well as cafes, pubs and restaurants.