Boscobel House, on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border, England, was built around 1632, when landowner John Gifford of Whiteladies converted a timber-framed farmhouse into a hunting lodge, Boscobel house became one of the most evocative sites in the English historical imagination. It was at this property that Charles II famously hid in a tree to escape discovery by Puritan soldiers.

History

Gifford called the new hunting lodge Boscobel House which is believed to come from the Italian phrase "bosco bello" meaning "in the midst of fair woods". At the time, Boscobel House was surrounded by dense woodlands.

The Royal Oak

The Gifford family were Catholics and, at that time, the Catholic religion was outlawed. The house itself served as a secret place for the shelter of Catholics in England and there were numerous priest-holes and hiding places dotted around the premises. This secret purpose of the house was to play a key part in the history of the country.

Near the end of the English Civil War, after the Battle of Worcester, Charles II fled for his life, seeking refugue at Boscobel House. He hid in a nearby oak tree from where he could see the patrols searching for him. The tree famously became known as The Royal Oak.

Outside Link

• BBC on Boscobel House
• English Heritage on Boscobel House
• Roland Film's Documentary on the Restoration of Boscobel House
• Photos from a personal collection