Woburn, Bedfordshire

Woburn
St. Mary's parish church in Woburn
Population	933 (2011)
OS grid reference	SP949331
Civil parish	Woburn
Unitary authority	Central Bedfordshire
Ceremonial county	Bedfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MILTON KEYNES
Postcode district	MK17
Dialling code	01525
Police	Bedfordshire
Fire	Bedfordshire and Luton
Ambulance	East of England
UK Parliament	Mid Bedfordshire

Woburn is a village and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England. It is about five miles from Milton Keynes. At the 2011 census, 930 people lived in Woburn.

According to the. Illage website, the first record of Woburn was in 969 AD as a hamlet. It was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086. The same source asserts: "the name Woburn comes from the Old English words 'wo', which means crooked, and 'burn' which means village. In 1145 Woburn Abbey was founded by Cistercian monks. In 1538, at the dissolution of the monasteries, the monastery was granted to the first Earl of Bedford."

Woburn has been burned down and rebuilt three times in its history. The first time was due to a chimney fire that spread to the other houses. The second time was during the English Civil War. The third time was in 1724 when another fire destroyed most of the village. It was rebuilt the last time in the Georgian style. New inns and a Market-house were added.

Woburn Abbey

Right in the centre of Woburn is a short road leading to Woburn Park, the large estate of the Duke of Bedford. The present Woburn Abbey is the family seat (country house) of the Russells, whose senior title is the Dukedom of Bedford. The estate includes the Woburn Safari Park, a sizeable herd of deer and ornamental gardens. The house is usually open to visitors, and includes one of the finest private collections of historical portraits and a superb library.

The house, estate and family were the subject of a reality series on BBC 2 running to 29 episodes. The house has been used a number of times as a film set.