Welbeck Estate

Welbeck is one of the great traditional landed estates, nestled within Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.

Nestled in the heart of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, Welbeck extends to some 15,000 acres, straddling the borders of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

It sits within an area known as the Dukeries. It gets this name from the four historic neighbouring ducal seats – Welbeck, Clumber, Thoresby, and Worksop Manor. At their height, together they covered 88,000 acres which gave the Dukeries at the time the qualities of a self-contained world.

During its long history, the Welbeck estate has welcomed politicians, dignitaries and royalty and has played a role in major milestones in the country’s history.

Welbeck Abbey, within the heart of the estate, was initially founded as a monastery in 1153. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the Abbey was bought by Bess of Hardwick’s youngest son, Sir Charles Cavendish. It has since passed through the family and became the country seat to a succession of Dukes of Portland. Family members included the 3^rd Duke of Portland, who was twice Prime Minister.

Each generation has made its mark on the estate. Not more so than the 5^th Duke of Portland – most famously known as the ‘burrowing duke.’ He was responsible for commissioning an extraordinary range of buildings as well as a network of tunnels below the estate.

He was also the man behind the creation of the estate’s kitchen gardens – the biggest in Britain – and the development of one of the largest riding schools in the world. It was second only to one in Moscow.