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Heritage > Historic Houses
Woburn Abbey
The Grand Staircase
In 1747 Henry Flitcroft was commissioned by the 4th Duke to rebuild the Abbey and it is now thought that he may have been responsible for designing the attractive staircase ascending to the top of the house. There are no visible signs of support, each step being supported and held in place by the one above and beneath, but it is quite safe and has been here for over 200 years. On the first flight of stairs are pictures of houses once owned by the Russell family, amongst them Chenies Manor in Buckinghamshire, the home of the 1st Earl of Bedford, (members of the family are interred in the vaults underneath the Bedford Chapel in the church near the Manor). Family portraits on the staircase are arranged in chronological order. At the top of the first flight is a portrait by Van Dyck of the 4th Earl of Bedford. Other paintings by Van Dyck are to be found in the State Dining Room.
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