The Thornery

The Thornery is a Grade II* listed pavilion designed in 1808 by Humphry Repton for John, the 6th Duke of Bedford. This small, picturesque cottage is constructed from squared clunch and features a hipped thatched roof. It is a single-storey building with a square shape, and each elevation has a gable at the center. The deep eaves on all sides are supported by pine tree trunks that retain their bark, and the gables are adorned with barkwork bargeboards.

On the north, east, and south elevations, there are round-arched doorways leading to the central gabled bay. These doorways have part-glazed double doors with diamond glazing bars and some colored glass quarries, topped by semicircular fanlights with radiating glazing bars. The west elevation features a central bay with a round-arched window recess that contains a rose window, which is decorated with colored glass and includes a grisaille roundel depicting a figure group in the 15th-century Flemish style. This west gable also has a colorwashed brick ridge stack that serves a small fireplace located below the rose window.

Inside, the ceiling boasts radiating vaulting and a small central cupola, which is not visible from the outside. The walls and ceiling are painted with a decoration of bamboo trelliswork, featuring a variety of plants and birds. The design work was likely done in 1808 by Augustine (or Agostino) Aglio, an artist from Cremona who studied in Milan.

To the west of the Thornery, the ground drops sharply, and set into the bank below is a vaulted serving room. The entrance to this room is made of coursed ironstone with a cambered-arched entrance. It features a part-glazed door flanked by sidelights, with the lower part of the door and the panels below the windows decorated with rustic twig and barkwork. The glazed sections have ornate leading with some colored glass. Inside, the room has cream ceramic tiles on the walls and ceiling, a paved floor, and a small fireplace on the rear wall. Records from the Bedfordshire Record Office indicate that Repton and Aglio were the architect and artist of The Thornery, respectively.