Boscobel House
Boscobel House (
Location
The building is just inside Shropshire, as is clear from all
History
Origins
Boscobel House was created around 1632, when landowner John Giffard of White Ladies Priory converted a timber-framed farmhouse, built some time in the 16th century on the lands of White Ladies Priory, into a hunting lodge.
The priory and its estate, including the farmhouse site, had been leased from the Crown by William Skeffington of Wolverhampton at the
John Giffard decided to make the farmhouse more useful by building a substantial extension to the south, including a living room and bedrooms more fitted to use by a gentry family. Giffard called the new hunting lodge Boscobel House. Thomas Blount (writing 1660), the main source for the events, portrays the naming as an after-dinner activity, and attributes it to Sir Basil Brook(e), a prominent recusant from Madeley, Shropshire, who was one of Giffard's guests at the housewarming party.[3] Boscobel is believed to come from the Italian phrase bosco bello meaning "in the midst of fair woods": in 1632, Boscobel House was surrounded by dense woodlands. Also, the many branches of the Giffard family all claim ancestry from the lords of Bolbec or Bolebec and Longueville in Upper Normandy: Osbern de Bolebec became lord of Longueville in the early 11th century and his sons, Osbern Giffard and Gautier or Walter Giffard of Bolbec, were companions of William the Conqueror.
Recusancy and the escape of Charles II
The Giffard family were
Initially, Charles was led to
Subsequent history
Frances Cotton, née Giffard, died shortly after these events, and both White Ladies and Boscobel passed via her daughter, Jane Cotton, who had married Basil Fitzherbert in 1648, to the Fitzherbert family of
Boscobel House today
House
The three stages of building are readily apparent to the modern visitor. The 16th-century farm is clearly central and is easily distinguished from the 19th-century farm which adjoins it at right angles. The latter is brick-built but painted black and white to simulate timber framing. The main house, built by John Giffard around 1632, is mainly hidden behind the earlier and later structures on first approach. It is timber-framed, part brick, but covered in stucco, which was applied in the 18th century to cover up faults in the structure and materials. Its east and west ends are marked respectively by the bowed structure, probably originally housing the staircase, and the chimney stack.
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Frontage of the 16th-century farm, adjoining the 19th-century structure, seen in the background. The older building is genuinelytimber framed, although the outer skin has been replaced with brick.
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The wattle and daub construction of the 16th-century building, still exposed where it is partitioned between the dairy and entrance hall.
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16th-century timber framing seen inside the entrance hall, formerly part of an undivided 16th-century hall.
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The hunting lodge, framed by its ownstairway.
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The hunting lodge from the west. The stucco that covered the original patchwork of brick and daub has false windows painted on.
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The stuccoed "turret" of the hunting lodge, actually a former stairwell that was turned into living and sleeping rooms by the 19th-century modification.
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The 19th-century farm building, painted inmock-Tudorstyle. This later building dominates the site from the farmyard and strikes the visitor first.
The 19th-century farm today houses an introductory display, covering the escape of Charles II and the history of Boscobel. The 16th-century farm, known as the north range, houses an exhibition of dairy equipment, focussing on the butter and cheese making that were important here in the Victorian period. In 2011, the upper floor was opened to the public for the first time, allowing a much better appreciation of the construction and clearly showing the differing woodwork, indicating that the building was much altered even before John Giffard's additions.
The western end of the north range is now separated off to provide the entrance hall and stairs for the main house, a change apparently made by the Evans family in the 19th century. The ground floor of John Giffard's development is occupied largely by the Parlour, much-altered but containing a good deal of Jacobean panelling. The Victorian fireplace is surmounted by three black marble panels, each engraved to illustrate aspects of Charles' escape – two of them designed by a daughter of Walter Evans. Through the Parlour is the so-called Oratory, presented by the Evans family as a small prayer room, but probably where the 17th-century stairs were housed. This contains a portrait of Jane Penderel, known as Dame Joan, the matriarch of the family to whom Charles owed so much, and a chest, dated 1642, which appears to be mainly 19th-century work.
On the first floor of the main house is a bedroom known as the
The second floor is a large attic, divided into two spaces today. In the first, at the very top of the stairs, is a trapdoor opening into a more convincing priest hole. This is where Charles II is thought to have spent an uncomfortable night, as it is only 4 feet (1.2m) in height while he was very tall for the time, around 6 ft 2in (1.85m). Beyond this attic space is the Bower Room, used as a bedroom in the 19th century.
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The Entrance Hall, part of the 16th-century farm. A previous division into two floors is still apparent.
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A dresser in the parlour. 19th-century German reproduction of 16th or 17th-century work.
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A view into the Oratory from the parlour, showing the fireplace and the portrait of "Dame Joan" Pendrell.
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Carved chest commemorating 17th-century events – probably 19th-century work on an earlier artefact.
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The Squire's Room, a first floor room furnished in 17th-century style.
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The upper floor of the hunting lodge, originally an attic store, but converted into bedrooms in the 19th century.
Grounds
North of the house lies a large farmyard, mostly surrounded by Victorian farm buildings, although there is a large 17th-century barn. The yard provides picnic space, as well as housing a display of Victorian farm machinery and equipment.
To the south are the formal gardens. First is a parterre hedged with box, laid out in recent times but occupying approximately the area of a box garden shown in 17th-century views of Boscobel. On its south-west corner is the Mount, a mound topped by a modern shelter, where Charles spent the day reading.[8]
Beyond the formal area is a kitchen garden with an orchard of fruit trees. Alongside runs a walk flanked on both sides by hazelnut trees.
The Royal Oak
The Royal Oak stands about 150 yards (137m) south-west of the house, in a farmer's field, but with an access path. It is believed to be a direct descendant of the original tree used by Charles and Careless to hide from the Parliamentary soldiers, although it has sometimes been presented as the actual tree. It has been surrounded by iron railings for many decades, but an outer wooden fence was added to protect visitors from falling timber after major cracks appeared in Autumn 2010. It has suffered badly from tourist depredations in the past, but its main threat is bad weather.
Three third generation descendants of the Royal Oak have been ceremonially planted nearby:
- In 1897, a tree was planted on the western edge of the garden of Boscobel House by Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.
- A further tree was planted ceremonially in 1951 near the site of the original Royal Oak by the tercentenaryof Charles II's escape.
- Another oak sapling grown from one of the Son's acorns was planted in 2001 by Prince Charles.
Gallery
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Display of butter-making equipment on the ground floor of the 16th-century farm.
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Water pumpoutside the 19th-century farm building.
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The nut garden, an avenue of hazelnut trees.
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The Mount, with the Royal Oak and the tercentenary oak in the background.
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The Royal Oak as it appeared in 2011. It was further distanced from visitors after serious cracks were discovered in Autumn 2010.
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Granddaughter tree of the Royal Oak, planted in 1951 to commemorate thetercentenary of the escape of Charles II.
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Commemorative plaque on the third generation oak planted in 1951.
Opening
Boscobel House and its grounds are generally open from Wednesday to Sunday each week in the summer (April to October). There are entrance charges, although entry is free to English Heritage members. Free educational group visits are available by arrangement.
See also
References
- ^ [1] English Heritage Shropshire page
- ^ Victoria County History, Shropshire, volume 2, chapter 17, p. 83.
- ^ Blount, Thomas: Boscobel or the History of His Sacred Majesties Most Miraculous Preservation, London:Houlston and Wright, 1860 (originally 1660), p. 7.
- ^ Victoria County History, Staffordshire, volume 5, chapter 6, s.2.
- ^ O. J. Weaver (1987): Boscobel House and White Ladies Priory, London: English Heritage, p. 20.
- ^ Keith Farley: Charles I and the First Civil War Archived 26 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine at Wolverhampton Local History.
- ^ O. J. Weaver (1987): Boscobel House and White Ladies Priory, London: English Heritage, p. 20.
- ^ O. J. Weaver (1987): Boscobel House and White Ladies Priory, London: English Heritage, pp. 21–26.
External links
- English Heritage entry: Boscobel House – official site
- Thomas Blount: Boscobel or the History of His Sacred Majesties Most Miraculous Preservation Available in various formats at Internet Archive, this is the earliest, not entirely reliable account, of the escape of Charles II, published shortly after the Restoration in 1660.
- BBC on Boscobel House
- Roland Film's Documentary on the Restoration of Boscobel House
- Postcard images from a personal site
- Historic England. "Boscobel House – Grade II* (1273964)". National Heritage List for England.