Boscobel House and the Royal Oak

The English Civil Wars were a series of conflicts that took place in the middle of the 17th century. Fought between those loyal to King Charles I and those loyal to Parliament, the wars divided the country at all levels of society and at the heart of the conflict were fundamental questions about power and religion.

National Portrait Gallery

Charles I was executed in 1649, leaving the country without a monarch, but it was only a matter of time until his son, also called Charles, attempted to regain the throne. In 1650–51 he came out of hiding and made his first stand, but was defeated and forced to flee to safety.

Now managed by English Heritage, Boscobel House is a picturesque hunting lodge on the northern border of Shropshire where King Charles II took refuge in 1651, fleeing for his life after the Battle of Worcester. Created around 1632, Boscobel is on land which belonged to White Ladies Priory leased from the Crown by William Skeffington of Wolverhampton following the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

At 3am on the 4th September 1651, sixty Royalist soldiers arrived at White Ladies Priory. Amongst them was the 21-year-old Charles. son of Charles I, who had escaped the decisive defeat of the Royalists at the Battle of Worcester and was now in desperate need of a place to hide.

Having failed in an attempt to reach Wales, Charles headed for Boscobel House where he arrived at about 3am on Saturday 6th September. But even here he wasn’t safe from the Parliamentarian soldiers who were in pursuit. So he and another fugitive, William Careless, hid in a great oak in the grounds of the house from where they watched the soldiers who were searching the estate.

English Heritage have done a wonderful job of making this story come alive! Placing your ‘candle’ in certain places around the house activates various effects, offering an immersive and entertaining experience. Add to this knowledgeable room guides and the natural atmosphere of this old house and grounds and the past seems very present. There is certainly plenty to discover here.

At the top of the house, in the attic, is a priest’s hole, thought to be where Charles hid after leaving the tree. Gazing down through the glass covering, I wondered about this young man- and others who hid here- terrified of being caught, huddled in this tiny space at the mercy of chance and the loyalty of those around him and then my thoughts drifted to the ‘ordinary’ people whose lives were shattered by these national events which had so little to do with them- and sadly, how little things have changed.

A second hidden chamber can be seen on the first floor, but there is some doubt as to whether this is original or a later addition. The Royal Oak in which Charles found refuge no longer stands; however, a tree thought to be a descendant of the original Royal Oak stands in the grounds, accompanied by information charting the tree’s history.

With a Victorian farmyard, a 17th century garden, play area and lovely tea room, there is plenty here in addition to all the history to keep visitors entertained and happy for hours.

Boscobel House,

Brewood,

Bishop's Wood,

Stafford

ST19 9AR

Clifford’s Tower, York

York is one of my favourite cities in the world. Much like London, history calls to you from every corner and its connections with Richard III make it somewhere which, although it is not near home, I visit as often as possible.

Already an ancient place of settlement, the Romans founded York around 71 AD and some of the remains of their city walls can still be seen and much has been made of the city’s settlement by the Vikings with the wonderful Jorvik Centre which allows you to experience ‘the Sights, Sounds and Smells of Our Reconstruction of the Viking City’.

Clifford’s Tower stands high on a grassy knoll, looking down across the city. Previously, a timber tower , built to subdue the rebellious north by William the Conqueror, the now imposing ruin has been here since 1245. The wooden structure was burned down in 1190, after York's Jewish community was besieged there by a mob and committed mass suicide rather than being murdered or forcibly baptised by the attackers. This terrible event- ‘one of the worst anti-Semitic massacres of the Middle Ages’- is now acknowledged on a plaque, installed at the foot of the tower in 1978.  

Originally simply known as the King’s Tower, the first recorded use of 'Clifford's Tower' is not used until 1596.  The name may be a reference to the fact that Roger de Clifford was hanged at the tower in 1322 for opposing Edward II.

When I first visited, many years ago, Clifford’s Tower was a roofless ruin. Although there were amazing views across the city, it all felt a bit precarious! However, in 2020, City of York Council granted English Heritage, who manage the site, planning permission to enable conservation and improvements to visitor infrastructure, resulting in a completely new experience. A timber structure has been installed which partially covers the ruin, providing a fantastic viewing and activity space at the roof level whilst suspended metal walkways give access to previously unseen features at first floor level.

The result is quite breath taking, allowing visitors to explore more of the tower and, of course, to enjoy wonderful 360 degree views across the city. Plenty of information boards offer details about the building’s history and, for those who are truly interested, it is easy to spend quite some time here, learning about the role of the tower in York’s history and enjoying the views.

One of the many treasures of York!

Clifford’s Tower,

Tower St,

York

YO1 9SA

Bolingbroke Castle

Old Bolingbroke is a quiet village in Lincolnshire, near Spilsby, once an important gateway to the Wolds from the Fens.

The village church of St Peter and St Paul has existed on its site continuously for nearly a thousand years. Interesting graffiti, left by Medieval visitors, including mason’s marks, font inscriptions and marks to discourage demons from entering the church, is worth looking for and there is information around the church to guide your search. It was probably here that the future Henry IV, son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and Blanche of Lancaster was christened shortly after his birth. According to the church website, the font dates from this era and may have been used for this ceremony.

Henry was born at Bolingbroke Castle in 1367. It was built around 1220 by Randulph de Blundevill, Earl of Lincoln and after his death, the castle remained in the ownership of the Earls of Lincoln and was later inherited through marriage by John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who became the guardian of Richard II when, at the age of 10, the young king succeeded to the throne.

All that remains of this castle today are ruins. During the Civil War of 1642–1648, the castle became base for a Royalist garrison and was besieged by Parliamentarian forces in 1643. The Royalists surrendered that winter, and the entire castle was destroyed. 

The site is now managed by English Heritage. Open to the public at ‘any reasonable time during daylight hours’, there is a very small car park on Moat Lane with space for two or three cars. Both entrances offer wheelchair access, but the ground is very uneven and when we visited, very wet, which would not make manoeuvring a chair easy. Notice boards offer plenty of information about the site so even those visiting with no knowledge of the periods or peoples involved will gain an understanding of the events which took place here.

Wandering about this site, I wondered about Henry IV. Not one of my favourite monarchs, I know far less about him than I do about his father, John of Gaunt or John’s third wife, Katherine Swynford from all the historical fiction I read when much younger. Both of these are fascinating people, but Henry has never really appealed to me, although I like his cousin and predecessor on the throne, Richard II, even less! Still, visiting his birthplace has made me determined to find out more about him- perhaps starting with Ian Mortimer’s ‘The Fears of Henry IV: The Life of England's Self-Made King’.

The castle is a beautifully peaceful spot- the only other visitors were leaving as we arrived- and it is easy to see why they would have chosen to build a castle here. Using the information boards as a guide, it is easy to imagine the ruins as they once were and spend as much time as you like, wandering around, soaking up the atmosphere and reflecting on the past.

Henry IV is buried with his second wife, Joan of Navarre, at Canterbury Cathedral, near the Shrine of St Thomas a Becket, the only tomb of a monarch in the cathedral.

Bolingbroke Castle,

Moat Lane,

Old Bolingbroke,

Spilsby,

Lincolnshire PE23 4HH