Bedford National Trust Association

This has been a favourite venue for walkers for years and is a little-known gem in the heart of Northampton.  Restoration has taken place over the last few years and is re-opening this year.

Delapre Abbey was founded in 1145 as a Clunic Nunnery by Simon de Senlis, Earl of Northampton and, in 1290, was a key stopping point on the final journey of Queen Eleanor on her route to burial in London.  In 1460 during the battle of Northampton, Lancastrian King Henry VI was captured by Yorkists and held in the Abbey before being taken to London.  It closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538 and has, since then, been the private home of the Tate and Bouverie families, who extensively altered it for family life, then it has seen service during World War 2 and then been the home of the Northampton Records Office, before closing and then undergoing much needed repair and restoration.

There is a beautiful walled garden, interesting woodland walks down to a lake, and wide open spaces which are used for a popular model train service plus other summer events.