Boscobel House

During the Civil War, when King Charles II's enemies (Cromwell's Parliamentarians) won the battle of Worcester in 1651, he needed somewhere to hide. This is one of the homes where the inhabitants helped him. While in fear of searches being made of the house, Charles II hid in a now famous oak tree in the grounds, after which a lot of pubs where named The Royal Oak. The original oak no longer survives but its descendant does, and saplings with a Certificate of Authenticity can be brought for £9.99. (As our garden isn't big enough to have an oak tree grow in it without risking the roots causing damage to buildings, we weren't tempted by this ...  Read the complete review

Boscobel House is located 8 miles North West of Wolverhampton, just inside Shropshire. It is a modest 17th century house which was originally built as a timber framed hunting lodge. After the defeat of Charles11 and his Scottish army at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, Charles and several friends escaped. One can only imagine the fate of the soldiers left behind. They made their way to Boscobel House, which was owned by The Penderel family, supporters of Charles. In hot pursuit were Cromwell’s troops, and almost as soon as Charles arrived, he was forced to seek refuge in a large oak tree, where he must have spent a most uncomfortable day! The whole ...  Read the complete review