Boscobel House – ‘Boscobel’ comes from ‘bosco bello’, or ‘beautiful wood’, possibly a secluded site where Roman Catholics could feel relatively safe – is a 17th century farm, extended and refurbished in the 19th century. Its fame is as a hiding place for the future King Charles II following his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. Charles hid in one of two ‘priest holes’ in the house, having first (and more famously) escaped detection by climbing an oak tree in the grounds whilst Parliamentary troops patrolled beneath. Before that, Charles hid briefly at nearby White Ladies Priory. The tree is significant, however – it is the reason why so many pubs are named ‘The Royal Oak’.
As well as the interior of a small Stuart farmhouse, Boscobel House has a pleasant garden, stables, smithy and cowhouse. A descendent of the oak tree that Charles climbed is still there; if you’re that way inclined and have a large garden, you can buy a sapling. And its a relatively painless walk to White Ladies Priory.