Day 28 - January 28th

This afternoon we went for a walk around Ampthill Great Park. Its been over 10 years since we last visited.

There are several signposted trails round the park and we chose to walk the long trail - 3.2km (2 miles) around the perimeter of the park.

The park is approx 160 acres of parkland and woodland. It has a long and notable heritage, famously once belonging to the Crown – site of Ampthill castle, built by Henry VIII and home to Katherine of Aragon whilst the King sought the annulment of their marriage in 1533. More latterly the park was landscaped by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown and also utilised as the training camp for a regiment established by the Duke of Bedford during WWI.

Cattle were grazing in part of the park and the trail passed by them.

In 1687 125 common lime trees were planted to create a pedstrian avenue and the avenue of trees is possibly the oldest surviving example of such a planting in the county and by the 1830’s horticulturalist and author John Claudius Loudon, described Lime Walk as being “…one of the finest avenues of lime trees in the world.” 

In 1914 Lord Kitchener (Secretary of State for War) issued a call to arms. The 11th Duke of Bedford responded by establishing the ‘Bedfordshire Training Depot’ in Ampthill Great Park, at his own expense. This was a well-equipped, hutted camp to help recruit and train soldiers for the Bedfordshire Regiment. Of the 2,235 men trained here, 707 lost their lives in the war. The Duke of Bedford Memorial Cross commemorates those 707 men including 'Harry Ansell' - my Dad's uncle who was killed in 1918 in France.

There is also another memorial in the Park - Katherine's Cross. Ampthill castle was built by Sir John Cornwallin the early fifteenth century. In 1508 it became the property of Henry VII. Queen Katherine of Aragon stayed at Ampthill castle for three years while her divorce from King Henry VIII was under discussion at Dunstable Priory (1531-1533). The site of the castle is now marked by a cross erected in 1770 with an inscription on its base.