Welbeck Abbey is a wonderful piece of architecture which I am fortunate to live near. The Abbey is just one part of the mysterious historical estate that My family have long been tied to. The Welbeck Estate has long been part of the Cavendish families collection and since no heirs were produced by the last descendants it has been inherited by the Parente family. Unlike many estates it is relatively still in tact and able to remain private and is becoming economically diverse due to being let to the military during the wars. Although that has meant a number of issues and alot of repair costs have had to be assumed by the family since the return of the Abbey to the family.
The whole estate is relatively private with alot of high security around meaning you cannot just wander round and take in the sights and amazing architecture. I have been fortunate enough to bag myself a place on tours round the Abbey over the past couple of years and take any opportunity to find out more. The mystery stems from the 5th Duke of Portland, who created a series of tunnels due to his preference for a life of seclusion. This means that there are a number of underground passages leading from the estate to various locations in the area. The photo above depicts just one of the many underground entrances. This tunnel is located at Tunnel End, which is the end of the tunnel leading from abbey to tunnel end which would've enabled the Duke to travel to Worksop train station.
My family has long been connected to this estate. My Gramps grew up in the hamlet of Belph on the edge of the estate and has fond memories of cycling round the estate and tunnels and attending school there. He also sang in the Choir for the estate church (Holbeck) and at the more intimate family services in the on-site chapel. These pictures were taken last year when he introduced me to tunnel end. Its unbelievable that the pictures were taken in March given how foggy and cold it looks in contrast to this year! His family were heavily involved in the state with ancestors being employed by the estates. His Mother, Mabel worked as a nurse during the war at the Abbey and his Great (not sure how many Greats) Grandfather was one of the first men on the scene of the great fire in the South Wing of the Abbey.
Looking at these pictures, you would not imagine that the underground passage exists. However, down the edge of this field were a series of raised panels which are roof lights to allow natural light into the tunnel. Most of the tunnels were big enough to get whole carriages through and so the horses and driver needed to see.
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| My Grandpa |
These are photos of the church at Holbeck which is part of the estate. All of the Duke's are buried here and we took a little time to look at the varying grave stones and how the designs vary over time. This is the church where my Mother was Christened due to my Gramps' connections to Welbeck. Its incredibly interesting to find all these interesting historic stories right on your doorstep and never even know that they are there. When I dropped my Gramps home after this walk, he showed me the family tree of the Welbeck ancestry. And I was amazed to realise how the inhabitants were related to so many historic figures. They are related to Bess of Hardwick, Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire, Princess Diana and even the Queen Mother.
Welbeck is definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. Its one of our hidden gems and should be more celebrated for its beauty, history and intrigue. They have a lovely coffee shop and brilliant farm shop on site and there is also a Garden Centre and Art Gallery.
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