1945 to 1970s: Corrected - Half the house was not demolished. More like one quarter.← Previous revisionRevision as of 11:38, 13 November 2026 Line 99: Line 99: == 1945 to 1970s == == 1945 to 1970s == [[Image:Woburn Abbey - plan of the pleasure ground from Hortus Gramineus Woburnensis (1816).jpg|thumb|200px|Layout of Woburn before partial demolition. Building 'C' and the upper half of building 'A' (the east part of the main western building) were demolished.]] [[Image:Woburn Abbey - plan of the pleasure ground from Hortus Gramineus Woburnensis (1816).jpg|thumb|200px|Layout of Woburn before partial demolition. Building 'C' and the upper half of building 'A' (the east part of the main western building) were demolished.]] Following [[World War II]], [[dry rot]] was discovered and half the Abbey was subsequently demolished. When the [[Hastings William Sackville Russell, 12th Duke of Bedford|12th Duke]] died in 1953, his son the [[John Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford|13th Duke]] was exposed to death duties of $14 million{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=27 November 1963|page=1|title=Boxoffice Now Lifts The Family Mortgage}} and the Abbey was a half-demolished, half-derelict house. Instead of handing the family estates over to the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], he kept ownership and opened the Abbey to the public for the first time in 1955. It soon gained in popularity and in its first ten years, it had ticket sales of $11 million, helping to pay off much of the death duties. Other amusements were added, including [[Woburn Safari Park]] on the grounds of the Abbey in 1970. Asked about the unfavourable comments by other aristocrats when he turned the family home into a safari park, the 13th Duke said, "I do not relish the scorn of the peerage, but it is better to be looked down on than overlooked."{{Cite web |date=2002-10-29 |title=Duke of Bedford |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11912193.duke-of-bedford/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=The Herald |language=en}} Following [[World War II]], [[dry rot]] was discovered and the east wings of the Abbey was subsequently demolished. When the [[Hastings William Sackville Russell, 12th Duke of Bedford|12th Duke]] died in 1953, his son the [[John Robert Russell, 13th Duke of Bedford|13th Duke]] was exposed to death duties of $14 million{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=27 November 1963|page=1|title=Boxoffice Now Lifts The Family Mortgage}} and what remained of the Abbey was semi-derelict. Instead of handing the family estates over to the [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]], he kept ownership and opened the Abbey to the public for the first time in 1955. It soon gained in popularity and in its first ten years, it had ticket sales of $11 million, helping to pay off much of the death duties. Other amusements were added, including [[Woburn Safari Park]] on the grounds of the Abbey in 1970. Asked about the unfavourable comments by other aristocrats when he turned the family home into a safari park, the 13th Duke said, "I do not relish the scorn of the peerage, but it is better to be looked down on than overlooked."{{Cite web |date=2002-10-29 |title=Duke of Bedford |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11912193.duke-of-bedford/ |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=The Herald |language=en}} == 1970s to present == == 1970s to present ==