Old Warden is a picturesque village recreated in a Swiss style in the
early 19th Century by the third Lord Ongley. The Ongley family bought the
estate in 1700 and remained here for almost 200 years. The 12th Century
Church of St. Leonard is noted for its woodcarvings, some said to have come
from the private chapel of Anne of Cleaves, one of Henry VIII's wives.
Located very close to the village are three very popular visitor
attractions:
- The Shuttleworth Collection
- The Swiss Garden
- The English School of Falconry
The Shuttleworth Collection
The Shuttleworth Collection is a remarkable collection of veteran and
vintage aeroplanes dating back to the earliest days of flight. Unlike many
museums, most of Shuttleworth's planes are airworthy, and fly regularly in
flying displays held between May and October. Shuttleworth also features
regular displays of modern aircraft in addition to the popular vintage
machines. The extensive collection fills seven large hangers, including a
workshop where you can see vehicles being worked on, and a separate coach
room for horse-drawn carriages.
Shuttleworth is frequently used as a rallying point for vintage and
antique vehicle clubs.
Swiss Garden
The Swiss Garden is part of the same complex as the Shuttleworth
Collection of vintage aircraft and automobiles. These gardens began life in
1830 as a romantic gesture by Lord Ongley for his mistress, who was
Swiss.The gardens fell into disrepair until they were leased by the
Bedfordshire County Council in 1939 and restored. The 10 acre site is rich
in trees, with wonderful Cedars of Lebanon, Arolla Pines, and unusual
variegated sweet chestnut.
Numerous small canals are spanned by wrought-iron bridges fashioned by
Lady Emma Hamilton's uncle, who was a blacksmith at Old Warden. The garden
is striking in the spring, when flowering bulbs emerge beneath azaleas and
rhododendron bushes. The grotto and fernery provide a startling contrast in
dark and light. The garden is said to be haunted, and gardeners of old would
only work in pairs!
English School of Falconry
The English School of Falconry and Bird of Prey and Conservation Centre
is a family run business with over 50 years experience in Falconry. The
collection of birds has grown to almost 300 and is one of the finest
collections of birds of prey in the Country. Once again it is based in the
magnificent grounds of Shuttleworth in Old Warden Park. It has been
carefully sited to create a woodland setting as near as possible to the
birds' natural surroundings. It is home to birds from all around the Globe
including Falcons, Hawks, Owls, Eagles and Vultures. Some of the birds on
site are part of the World Wide Breeding Programme of rare and endangered
species.
The centre is dedicated to helping in conservation and enabling
everyone
to have a chance of visiting and working with these magnificent creatures.
As you enter the village brown tourist signs will direct you to these
attractions.
The Cache
Parking in the village is very limited so use the car park at St
Leornards Church N52 05.113 W000 20.572.
The following clues need to be answered to give the cache
locations. You do not need to enter the churchyard to answer these
clues!!
Doris Waller:- ABCD - 199E
Edna Clouds:- Died aged F5
Richard Shuttleworth killed:- 19G0
Village School Closed:- 198H
The caches are located on or very close to public footpaths so there is
no need to go "bush whacking" to find either of them. The paths are
uneven
in places and quite narrow so not recommended for baby buggies or wheel
chairs. GPS cover was OK at both caches.
Cache 1 is a 35mm Film Case, hidden on a public footpath and simply
contains the location of the main cache. Watch out for walkers while you try
and retrieve this one!
Can you please make sure it goes back EXACTLY where you find it, you
will
see why.
Location is:-N52 CG. BE(F-F) W000 (B-D)C.(H-A)DG
Cache 2 is a Black Ammunition Box located
close to the
"Orange Tree" with all the normal bits and pieces. As you will see,
not the
type of tree you find in your normal garden centre and you don't even have
to worry about it growing any more?!
Since we placed the cache another "tree" has
appeared.