Boscobel House and The Royal Oak

Over het museum

Boscobel House began as a simple timber-framed lodge built around 1595 by John Giffard, whose main home was at nearby White Ladies Priory. Tree-ring dating has shown that the oldest part, now in the north wing, is a two-room cottage. Around 1624 to 1630 Giffard added a three-storey wing with panelled and plastered rooms and a formal hedged garden. The name comes from the Italian for 'beautiful wood', which describes the dense woodland that once surrounded the house.

The Giffards were a Catholic family, and Boscobel was probably built as a retreat and safe house. It contains priest holes, in which hunted priests could hide at a time when Catholic worship was punished.

The house became famous in September 1651. After his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in the Civil War, the young Charles II fled to Boscobel to escape Parliamentary soldiers. He spent a day hidden in an oak tree near the house and a cramped night in a priest hole. After the Restoration of 1660 the house and the Royal Oak, as the tree became known, drew many visitors.

Boscobel later became a working farm, and its surviving barns and machinery give an insight into nineteenth-century farming. Today the site is cared for by English Heritage and includes the house with a guided tour, a Victorian farmyard, a seventeenth-century style garden with a knot garden, and the Royal Oak.

Hoogtepunten

• Timber-framed lodge with hidden priest holes
• The Royal Oak, linked to Charles II's escape in 1651
• Victorian farmyard with historic barns
• Seventeenth-century walled and knot gardens
• Family trails, a playground and a willow tunnel

Vaste collectie

• Boscobel House – The restored lodge with priest holes and a house trail telling the story of Charles II's hiding place.
• The Royal Oak – The tree site linked with Charles II's escape in 1651, reached by a short walk from the house.
• Victorian farmyard and garden – A working-farm yard with historic barns, and a walled seventeenth-century style garden with a knot garden.

Beheerder

English Heritage

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices shown are advance online tickets without a donation. Booking online until midnight the day before saves 15 per cent. Adding a voluntary donation raises the adult advance price to £13.60 (child £6.80, concession £12.75, family £34.00). On the day the adult price is £14.50 without donation or £16.00 with donation (child £7.20 or £8.00, concession £13.60 or £15.00, family £36.30 or £40.00). Prices change with the season. Tickets are valid all day and are free for English Heritage members; up to six children enter free with each adult member.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: niet aanwezig
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

Wheelchair access is limited: the grounds can be reached through the shop or a side gate with assistance, but the house and exhibition cannot be entered by wheelchair, and there is a virtual tour in the shop. There is no lift. Historic cobbles in the farmyard and garden paths may be difficult for visitors with limited mobility. Accessible toilets, an adult changing area, wheelchair loan, handrails, seating in the grounds, an induction loop in the shop, Braille guides and signage are listed. Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the site. A large deep pond lies by the car park at the entrance.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
• Doe- en voelstations
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

Families can follow a trail around the house and play a hide-and-seek style game based on the king's escape, with costumed storytellers on some days. There is a tree-themed playground near the tearoom, a willow tunnel in the garden and a family trail. Baby changing, high chairs, children's cutlery and child-sized portions are available. Pushchairs cannot be taken into the house.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

Boscobel House is 8 miles north-west of Wolverhampton, on a minor road off the A41 Whitchurch Road, a 5-minute drive north of junction 3 of the M54. Cyclists can find routes on the National Cycle Network and use bike racks on site. what3words: oaks.factually.pill.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

The Coffee House in the stables serves hot and cold drinks, cakes, cream teas and ice cream. The shop sells English Heritage gifts, guidebooks and light snacks, and there is a second-hand bookshop. Picnics are welcome in the grounds.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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