On Wednesday 21st May, 31 of us set off from Bushey in the morning by coach to visit
Chenies Manor House in Buckinghamshire, for a private tour of the house followed by
lunch.

On arrival we were met on the lawn by the owner of the house, Charles McLeod
Matthews, who told us about some of its history. There has been a house on the site
since medieval times but in the early 16th century it passed to the Russell family, who
were the Earls and later, in the 17thcentury, the Dukes of Bedford. John Russell the
1st Earl of Bedford improved and largely rebuilt the house, so he could host King
Henry VIII. It is believed Henry VIII stayed with his entourage of some 1,000 people on
several occasions. He came with his second wife Anne Boleyn, and the then
Princess Elizabeth. It was also mentioned in evidence, as one of the places Katherine
Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife, committed adultery when she and Henry were staying
there. When the Russell family moved to Woburn Abbey in the 17th century, the house
was let to tenants for several hundred years and gradually fell into disrepair. Chenies
Manor was bought by the McLeod Matthews family in 1954 and since that time they
have lovingly restored and refurbished the house and its gardens.

We were divided into groups and taken on a tour of the rooms of the largely Tudor
house by our three excellent guides, Janice, Sylvia, and Barbara. We were shown the
privy and a mysterious Priest Hole. It was a pleasure to be able to use the chairs and
seating, unlike in most stately homes. We were also taken inside the adjacent
St Michael’s Church, and were able to see into the Bedford Chapel, the large
mausoleum for the many Dukes of Bedford.
After our tour we had lunch and, as the weather was in our favour, most of us sat in
the lovely gardens. We were fortunate to only have one brief downpour so, having
the grounds to ourselves, were able to explore them at our leisure. There is an
ancient oak under which, Elizabeth I is supposed to have sat, a physic garden and
kitchen garden. There is also excellent planting, and we admired the many alliums,
roses and some late tulips and had to ask the gardener the names of some of the
attractive flowering bushes. Surprisingly, the house is looked after by only one
housemaid and two gardeners.

When we returned in the coach to Bushey in mid-afternoon, one lucky person won the
raffle and will receive a refund of the cost of their tour. I think we all had a very
enjoyable and relaxing day.

Sally Brooks