The Old Grange, Ravensden

This page was written by Trevor Stewart

Nothing now remains of the original Grange once owned by Warden Abbey, then after the dissolution by the Gostwicks, the Duchess of Marlborough, the Duke of Bedford and finally the Sunderland family.

Records do exist though of some of the many tenancies over that long period.

The ancient house probably first built by the Abbey was located in the middle of the fields  behind Great Wood and Little Wood on the north side of the road from Bedford to Kimbolton (now the B660), and about half a mile north of the present Grange building. The last owner was Rev. Thomas Sunderland who purchased the property in 1845 but demolished it when he built the ‘’new’’ Grange in 1854.

Early plans do show the exact location of the house and the 1884 map still indicates the various access drives and footpaths from Church End and how they converged onto the site of the original house.