Queen Anne’s Summerhouse

Heritage Open Days

The Warren, Shuttleworth Estate, Old Warden, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, SG18 9EB

Queen Anne’s Summerhouse is an early 18th-century brick folly on the Shuttleworth Estate in the picturesque model village of Old Warden. The summerhouse has exceptionally fine rubbed brickwork and a roof terrace with fine views

This satisfyingly foursquare folly has a date stone of 1878 and the clasped gauntlet of the Shuttleworth family – but its exceptionally fine rubbed brickwork is far too good for the 1870s, Its name is the clue to its origins: in 1712, Queen Anne knighted Samuel Ongley, who owned the estate at Old Warden, an event that provides the most likely explanation for the building of this folly. Queen Anne’s Summerhouse earned its date stone when it was renovated in 1878 by Joseph Shuttleworth, who added its pale terracotta roof balustrade. It then served as a summerhouse through the estate’s golden Edwardian years, but became derelict after the Second World War.

The Landmark Trust has restored it for holidays, an elegant bedsit with kitchen, dining, sitting and sleeping all in the main ground floor room and a memorable bathroom in the vaulted brick basement. On the roof, two of the corner turrets hide tiny pavilions.

Free admission and leaflets on the building’s history.