Chenies Manor House

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Chenies Manor House, at Chenies, Buckinghamshire, built around 1460 by Sir John Cheyne.

In 1494 the incumbent Lady Agnes Cheyne gave the manor in her will to the Earl of Bedford. It was added to in 1526 by John Russell, 1st Earl of Bedford and in 1560 restyled by Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, who had made it his principal home. Henry VIII was entertained here, and in 1570, Queen Elizabeth I.

The manor remained in the possession of the Russells until 1954 and is now the Macleod Matthews family home.

It is open to the public, includes a medieval well, dungeon and a reputed priest hole, and was dug by Time Team in 2004. It is noted for its surrounding gardens, including an extensive Physic Garden and two mazes, set in an estate village overlooking the Chess valley. The architectural historian Nikolaus Pevsner described the manor house as:"Beautifully mellow under the trees by the church, and archaeologically a fascinating puzzle" Twenty three individual cut brick chimneys distinguish the house and are echoed throughout the village.

From the village green a private gravel drive leads invitingly up to the Manor House. Immediately outside the gates is the church of St. Michael, together with the private Bedford Chapel.