Escape to the country
JONJO MAUDSLEY, COPIES KING CHARLES II AND HOTFOOTS IT TO BOSCOBEL HOUSE IN SHROPSHIRE
LOCKDOWN is easing and I’m on my way to The Royal Oak. No, not the pub, but the place (and story) that inspired the third most popular name for pubs in England.
The year is 1651. Oliver Cromwell’s New Model Army has delivered a crushing blow to Charles II’S Royalists at the Battle of Worcester, and the English Civil War has been decided. With Cromwell’s Parliamentarians swarming the countryside, the Merry Monarch flees to Boscobel House, Shropshire.
Built as a hunting lodge by John Gifford, on the grounds of White Ladies Priory, the cosy manor is now leased by William Careless, who offers the king refuge in the attic.
Later, with the Parliamentarians drawing closer – he and Careless had to abandon the house and take refuge in a nearby oak tree. Here they wait out the night, surrounded by would-be captors.
Charles would later make good his escape to the Netherlands, cementing Boscobel House and the so-called “Royal Oak” into the annals of English history (and pub names) forevermore.
This is a story I learned on a guided tour through Boscobel House, the English Heritage property whose interiors have reopened to the public after a £950,000 refresh.
A short drive from the M6, it’s nestled in the heart of the picturesque Shropshire countryside. New additions include the introduction of rare breed animals like Tamworth pigs and
Ryeland sheep, a tranquil animal farm, a play area to keep the kids busy, and a revamp of the cutesy tea room. The woodland once surrounding the Royal Oak has also been replanted using saplings propagated from the original tree.
What is most striking about Boscobel, however, is the house itself, and with a new interactive interpretation tour, I get the chance to fully immerse myself in the atmosphere of this oft-forgotten epoch in English history.
The house’s timberframed exterior and oakpanelled interior have not only been preserved, but augmented with immersive technology that brings the story of Charles’s escape to life. Even the furniture, which had originally been sold, is being meticulously traced and restored – a key piece is an original copy of Thomas Blount’s book Boscobel, a contemporary account of the king’s escape.
And of course, the piece de resistance is undoubtedly the Royal Oak (or rather, the grandchild of the original), which sits in the grounds.
But wait. What, you ask, became of Charles II? Well, after nine oppressive years under Cromwell, the English finally invited him home to resume his place on the throne.
Even the furniture, which had been sold, is being... traced and restored
Entrance to Boscobel House costs £11 per adult, £6.60 per child or £28.60 for a family of four. English Heritage members go free. Visit english-heritage.org.uk