3-096-532 - Ware in the World/Heritage Images

Hunt of Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, c1955. The Oakley Hunt was formed at Woburn Abbey by the 4th Duke of Bedford in 1793. At its prime, in the 19th century, the Oakley Hunt was a predominately fox and hare hunt, which had access to land not only in Oakley but also Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. Following a 2005 ban on fox hunting, mounted hound hunts across the United Kingdom - including those in Bedfordshire - operate as trail hunts or drag hunts, where hounds follow an artificial scent rather than live foxes. Woburn Abbey was built by William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh (died 1613). A second rebuilding occurred under architects Henry Flitcroft and John Sanderson between 1747 and 1761.