Boston Manor
Encyclopedia
Boston Manor was one of the ancient manors of Middlesex
. It has now been assimilated into the London Borough of Hounslow
west London
, UK. Its Jacobean
manor house of 1622 still stands in what is now Boston Manor Park. The local area is still commonly referred to as Boston Manor today but lacks any formal recognition.
manor house
on the west-side of Boston Manor Road, Brentford
, in the London Borough of Hounslow
, England
. Set in 20 acres (8.1 ha) of parkland, it is Hounslow’s only building of the Elizabethan period.
, from which Brentford gets its name. The house has thick walls of red brick and stands three storeys high. The windows are set into stone architrave
s and a stone cornice
between the second and third storeys of the house. It has three gables on the longer sides and two on the shorter with stone Coping
. The rainwater downpipe headers which collect from the roof gutters are each embossed with dates. The three on the original part of the house are dated 1662, this being the date that building began. Another is 1670, which was when the third gable was added, and 1915 for when improvements were made to the drainage system.
It was traditional with grand houses of this time to consider the front side of the house to be that side which looks out over an elegantly landscaped garden. However, during the ownership of James Clitherow (IV), the central ground floor window on the east side was converted into a doorway and a porch was added. It is fashioned from pale grit stone which has weathered to an almost light golden colour, with Elizabethan detail, and topped with a low ornamental balustrade. Considering its design and apparent age, it is thought to have been salvaged from another building.
Going through this porch and the new front doorway one comes in to the entrance hall. It extends to the west side of the house and the former front door. Halfway between, however, is a wooden divide or screen which was added around the 19c, and the east half was given a new ceiling.
On the immediate left of the hall is the dining room. It is not very large and is painted in a bright yellow which was both popular and expensive when it was in fashion. It has a number of prints and paintings hanging on the walls of local scenes from times gone by.
Once back in the hallway and walking through the screen, there is to the left-hand side a door to the library, which is about the same size as the dining room. It has some interesting features. Unfortunately the room now remains locked and cannot be seen by visitors due to the dangerous condition of the wall on that side of the house. Beyond the library door is the west side door to the garden.
The west side of the hall also has a mostly original left hand winding Jacobean staircase.
The angle of ascent (or rake) of the stairs
is more gentle than in modern buildings, with both a lower ‘rise’ to the next tread and deeper ‘run’ to the next step. The treads are bullnosed and obediently creak to each and every footfall a visitor may place upon them.
Square carved oak newel posts support the ends of banisters with carved tapered balusters running between. The opposite side of the stairs are mirrored with a Trompe d'œil balustrade. For this period in England, this is an extremely rare example of this technique and so is now been preserved behind transparent sheets. The design has striking similarities to those at Hatfield House
.
A 19c addition to the top of the newel posts are small plaster or composition castings of lions which are sitting on their haunches, with their bodies erect and both forepaws raised from the ground (i.e., holding ‘sejant erect attitude’), Each animal hold a shield bearing the arms of a different Clitherow member. These may have been added for the visit of King William IV
and Queen Adelaide
; for although the Clitherow’s were commoners they could nevertheless trace their family tree back to the reign of Henry V.
The two landings give a fine view over the garden with its cedar trees planted in 1754.
With the commanding view that the house provides to the south and south west, one can almost imagine a little over a hundred years before that, when the then King Charles I
could have been pacing from window to window with his loyal supporter Sir Edward Spencer, watching Prince Rupert’s
troops engaging with the Parliamentarians
during the Battle of Brentford
. Apart from local folklore though, there is nothing to support this as having happened. It is almost equally disappointing to discover, that despite the historically rich ambience that follows one about from room to room, only one ghost has chosen to remain in residence. It is said to be that of the unquiet spirit of young master John Clitherow, who drowned at an untimely and early age.
After the second flight of stairs one arrives at the second floor. To the right
it the door to a small anteroom on the west side of the house. Next to this is the state bedroom with a splendid Jacobean decorated plaster ceiling in high relief. The central panel depicts a female figure representing ‘Hope’ with her cross-anchor, below is the word in Latin. This symbol pre-dates Christianity: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Hebrews 6:19 (KJV). Despite this, Dame Mary Reade died childless.
From here and though the doorway to the east side is the state drawing room
; so called because this is where the ladies would withdraw after dinner, leaving the menfolk to smoke and sample the cellar. This is the room that Boston Manor House is so famous for. It is large, with a high and magnificent Jacobean ceiling, some with elements designed by the 17th-century Dutch artist Marcus Gheeraerts
, and engraved by Galle. In one corner is recorded the date of building, and Mary Reade's initials in another. An equally ornate chimney- piece over the mantel is based on a print by the Flemish-born engraver Abraham de Bruyn
which depicts Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac on the Mount of Moriah
. All of these high relief mouldings are all acknowledged to be excellent examples of the Jacobean period.
On the wall along the final top flight of stairs can be seen some 18c wallpaper, which was discovered during restoration work. While it has become distressed with time, it is considered to be among the best examples which have survived into present times.
Like most houses that have served as homes, it has when needs prevail, been improved and modernised, by the Clitherow family. The original windows were replaced by box-sash
and unfolding wooden panels or screens. These would be unfurled across the windows at dusk to keep in the heat, as well as keeping the house more secure. Central heating was also installed, as was gas for the kitchens.
The wall have been hung with hand-printed flock wallpaper. Much of the furniture in the house has been lent by the Gunnersbury Park Museum
.
To the north of the house the Clitherrow family added extensions that contained the kitchen services and quarters for the domestic staff.
John Bourchier Stracey-Clitherow was the last private owner of Boston Manor which he sold in 1923. The house and the surrounding 20 acres (8.1 ha) was purchased by the Brentford Urban District Council
which was opened as a public park in 1924.
The house was badly damaged during World War II by a V1
dropping across the road.
For a time it was used as a school. After extensive restoration work, was re-opened in 1963 by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
as a visitors centre and Museum.
Due to its unique architecture and decoration it has been often used as a setting for period films.
Since then, the south west corner has been propped up by scaffolding. It was intended to be a temporary measure but has become a permanent feature for several years. English Heritage
judge that urgent work is needed in order to consolidate the foundations to prevent further deterioration and possible collapse.
The lower courses of brickwork are visibly bowing out and a wide vertical crack can be clearly seen running up the wall. The Library room behind this corner has now been closed to the public due to these health and safety issues. The whole of the top floor is also closed off.
An organization called the Friends of Boston Manor now exists with the aim of helping to restore and maintain the historical aspects of Boston Manor Park and House.
's railway sidings and would have roughly followed Piccadilly line west as far as the river Brent
. Turning south, it followed the Brent down to the Thames. After a very sort distance east, it turn north following Half Acre Road, then up along Boston Manor Road and thus back to the Tube station again
The northern extent of the manor was marked by a boundary stone. Later a tree to the west of it, came to be the local Gospel Oak. Here the old pagan custom of blessing the field and crops took place whilst beating the bounds
. Thus, thus the boundary of chapelry of St. Lawrence not only coexisted with that of the manor but was also a subdivision of the Parish of Hanwell.
Then in about 1280 King Edward I granted this area of the township to the prioress of St Helen's Bishopsgate
. It is at this point that one can consider that it becomes a district in its own right. For under the feudal system, lands could be divided up according to use, ownership, possession (right to take profit), and occupancy. The prioress received what amounted to both “constructive possession” and ‘ownership.’ Although the King did this to make raising tax easier, it had the benefit of preventing alienation of any parts of the property by subinfeudation
, thus keeping it more or less intact over the coming centuries.
The King may have favoured this particular Convent in Bishopsgate because it was full of the unmarried daughters of members of the Guild of Goldsmiths
, and so by making them self supporting by given them the means to charge their new tenants rents and to sell the produce grown on their newly acquired demesne
, he could justify taxing their fathers more heavily and collect the tax in the form of silver coinage, which was more convenient.
Things stayed this way until 1539 when under Henry VIII the convent was dissolved and these manor holdings returned to the Crown.
It passed out of the control of the Crown in 1547 and into the hands of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
during the reign of King Edward VI.
After the Duke was forced to forfeit both his lands along with his head, it once more returned to the Crown until Elizabeth I granted it to her favourite Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
who immediately sold it to a Sir Thomas Gresham
who had become a fabulously wealthy merchant and financier who had also bought Osterley
as his summer residence. He went on to found the Royal Exchange
.
As the neighbouring settlement of Brentford village grew, it expanded onto the property of this manor, and thus it became known as the Manor of New Brentford to reflect the fact that is was under a different Lord to that of Old Brentford.
The population had grown so much by 1621 that the chapelry council could no longer refer every issue back to the Hanwell parish council for direction but needed to take control themselves. Not yet have parish status the area covered by the Manor became an administrative township and known as the New Brentford Township. This is why the letters NBT can be seen on local boundary stone.
It was during the 18th century that both the manor landholdings and the area of the New Brentford township, the boundaries of which were now coterminous, were being commonly referred to as simply Boston Manor rather than the Manor of New Brentford.
As Gresham died without issue, the property went via his wife, to his stepson Sir William Reade, whom she had borne during a previous marriage. As Sir William resided in nearby Osterley
, he too had to obtain a Patent of Possession (1610) from James I
so that he could legally administer the estate.
He went on to marry Mary Goldsmith. It was she who built Boston Manor House in 1662/3 immediately after his death.
She quickly married Sir Edward Spencer of Althorp. As Sir William’s second wife he didn't let her inherit the legal ownership, instead she came into legal possession of the property but only to last for her own lifetime. However, they appears to have had bought out the claims of the late William Reade's heirs to the property so that upon her own death (1658) the title in the property of Boston Manor passed to her kinsman John Goldsmith as they themselves had had no children to leave it to. On Goldsmith’s demise (1670) executors sold it to another very wealthy city merchant James Clitherow I. The price he paid for the house with its then 230 acres (93.1 ha) for his own use, was £5,136/17s/4d.
It stayed within the Clitherow family for the next 250 years although over those years parts of the estate were sold off.
John Bourchier Stracey-Clitherow was the last private owner of Boston Manor and in 1923 he sold the remainder of the Boston Manor estate. The house and the surrounding 20 acres (8.1 ha) was purchased by the Brentford Urban District Council and opened as a public park in 1924.
The Green Flag Award scheme, which recognises and rewards the best green spaces in England and Wales, has given this award to Boston Manor Park in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
It has a modern and fully equipped children's play ground, plus 3 tennis courts, and a basketball court.
Friends of Boston Manor volunteers run a Cafeteria 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Recently a Nature Trail has been laid out. There are formal lawns and an ornamental lake with wild fowl.
Car Boot sales are held first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Each year Boston Manor Park hosts the Brentford Festival.
The House itself is currently closed to the public for urgent repair and maintenance. Work stated on the 19th July 2010 and is expected to last 14 months.
Two London Buses
serve the area; the 195
and the E8
. The area's local station is the Boston Manor tube station
, served by Piccadilly line
trains on the London Underground
.
Its post town is TW8 BRENTFORD, in the TW postcode area.
The M4 motorway
overpass runs through Boston Manor Park.
by UK pop band Saint Etienne
.
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
. It has now been assimilated into the London Borough of Hounslow
London Borough of Hounslow
-Political composition:Since the borough was formed it has been controlled by the Labour Party on all but two occasions. In 1968 the Conservatives formed a majority for the first and last time to date until they lost control to Labour in 1971. Labour subsequently lost control of the council in the...
west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, UK. Its Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
manor house of 1622 still stands in what is now Boston Manor Park. The local area is still commonly referred to as Boston Manor today but lacks any formal recognition.
History & Boston Manor House
Boston Manor House is a Grade I listed JacobeanJacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
on the west-side of Boston Manor Road, Brentford
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
, in the London Borough of Hounslow
London Borough of Hounslow
-Political composition:Since the borough was formed it has been controlled by the Labour Party on all but two occasions. In 1968 the Conservatives formed a majority for the first and last time to date until they lost control to Labour in 1971. Labour subsequently lost control of the council in the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Set in 20 acres (8.1 ha) of parkland, it is Hounslow’s only building of the Elizabethan period.
Description of the house
The manor house is situated in beautiful grounds which gently slope down to the nearby River BrentRiver Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
, from which Brentford gets its name. The house has thick walls of red brick and stands three storeys high. The windows are set into stone architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
s and a stone cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
between the second and third storeys of the house. It has three gables on the longer sides and two on the shorter with stone Coping
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
. The rainwater downpipe headers which collect from the roof gutters are each embossed with dates. The three on the original part of the house are dated 1662, this being the date that building began. Another is 1670, which was when the third gable was added, and 1915 for when improvements were made to the drainage system.
It was traditional with grand houses of this time to consider the front side of the house to be that side which looks out over an elegantly landscaped garden. However, during the ownership of James Clitherow (IV), the central ground floor window on the east side was converted into a doorway and a porch was added. It is fashioned from pale grit stone which has weathered to an almost light golden colour, with Elizabethan detail, and topped with a low ornamental balustrade. Considering its design and apparent age, it is thought to have been salvaged from another building.
Going through this porch and the new front doorway one comes in to the entrance hall. It extends to the west side of the house and the former front door. Halfway between, however, is a wooden divide or screen which was added around the 19c, and the east half was given a new ceiling.
On the immediate left of the hall is the dining room. It is not very large and is painted in a bright yellow which was both popular and expensive when it was in fashion. It has a number of prints and paintings hanging on the walls of local scenes from times gone by.
Once back in the hallway and walking through the screen, there is to the left-hand side a door to the library, which is about the same size as the dining room. It has some interesting features. Unfortunately the room now remains locked and cannot be seen by visitors due to the dangerous condition of the wall on that side of the house. Beyond the library door is the west side door to the garden.
The west side of the hall also has a mostly original left hand winding Jacobean staircase.
The angle of ascent (or rake) of the stairs
Stairs
-People:* Scott Kannberg , guitarist of Pavement* A. Edison Stairs , New Brunswick politician* Denis Stairs , engineer, Montreal businessman* Ernest W. Stairs , New Brunswick politician...
is more gentle than in modern buildings, with both a lower ‘rise’ to the next tread and deeper ‘run’ to the next step. The treads are bullnosed and obediently creak to each and every footfall a visitor may place upon them.
Square carved oak newel posts support the ends of banisters with carved tapered balusters running between. The opposite side of the stairs are mirrored with a Trompe d'œil balustrade. For this period in England, this is an extremely rare example of this technique and so is now been preserved behind transparent sheets. The design has striking similarities to those at Hatfield House
Hatfield House
Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, First Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I and has been the home of the Cecil...
.
A 19c addition to the top of the newel posts are small plaster or composition castings of lions which are sitting on their haunches, with their bodies erect and both forepaws raised from the ground (i.e., holding ‘sejant erect attitude’), Each animal hold a shield bearing the arms of a different Clitherow member. These may have been added for the visit of King William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
and Queen Adelaide
Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen
Princess Adelaide of Saxe-Meiningen was the queen consort of the United Kingdom and of Hanover as spouse of William IV of the United Kingdom. Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, is named after her.-Early life:Adelaide was born on 13 August 1792 at Meiningen, Thuringia, Germany...
; for although the Clitherow’s were commoners they could nevertheless trace their family tree back to the reign of Henry V.
The two landings give a fine view over the garden with its cedar trees planted in 1754.
With the commanding view that the house provides to the south and south west, one can almost imagine a little over a hundred years before that, when the then King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
could have been pacing from window to window with his loyal supporter Sir Edward Spencer, watching Prince Rupert’s
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
troops engaging with the Parliamentarians
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
during the Battle of Brentford
Battle of Brentford (1642)
The Battle of Brentford was a small pitched battle which took place on 12 November 1642, between a detachment of the Royalist army, under the command of Prince Rupert and two infantry regiments of Parliamentarians with some horse in support...
. Apart from local folklore though, there is nothing to support this as having happened. It is almost equally disappointing to discover, that despite the historically rich ambience that follows one about from room to room, only one ghost has chosen to remain in residence. It is said to be that of the unquiet spirit of young master John Clitherow, who drowned at an untimely and early age.
After the second flight of stairs one arrives at the second floor. To the right
it the door to a small anteroom on the west side of the house. Next to this is the state bedroom with a splendid Jacobean decorated plaster ceiling in high relief. The central panel depicts a female figure representing ‘Hope’ with her cross-anchor, below is the word in Latin. This symbol pre-dates Christianity: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Hebrews 6:19 (KJV). Despite this, Dame Mary Reade died childless.
From here and though the doorway to the east side is the state drawing room
State room
A state room in a large European mansion is usually one of a suite of very grand rooms which were designed to impress. The term was most widely used in the 17th and 18th centuries. They were the most lavishly decorated in the house and contained the finest works of art...
; so called because this is where the ladies would withdraw after dinner, leaving the menfolk to smoke and sample the cellar. This is the room that Boston Manor House is so famous for. It is large, with a high and magnificent Jacobean ceiling, some with elements designed by the 17th-century Dutch artist Marcus Gheeraerts
Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger
Marcus Gheeraerts was an artist of the Tudor court, described as "the most important artist of quality to work in England in large-scale between Eworth and Van Dyck" He was brought to England as a child by his father Marcus Gheeraerts the Elder, also a painter...
, and engraved by Galle. In one corner is recorded the date of building, and Mary Reade's initials in another. An equally ornate chimney- piece over the mantel is based on a print by the Flemish-born engraver Abraham de Bruyn
Abraham de Bruyn
Abraham de Bruyn, a Flemish engraver, was born at Antwerp in 1538. He established himself at Cologne about the year 1577, and died there very old. He is ranked among the Little Masters, on account of his plates being usually very small. He engraved in the manner of Wierix, and worked entirely with...
which depicts Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac on the Mount of Moriah
Moriah
Moriah is the name given to a mountain range by the Book of Genesis, in which context it is giv. the location of the sacrifice of Isaac. Traditionally Moriah has been interpreted as the name of the specific mountain at which this occurred, rather than just the name of the range...
. All of these high relief mouldings are all acknowledged to be excellent examples of the Jacobean period.
On the wall along the final top flight of stairs can be seen some 18c wallpaper, which was discovered during restoration work. While it has become distressed with time, it is considered to be among the best examples which have survived into present times.
Like most houses that have served as homes, it has when needs prevail, been improved and modernised, by the Clitherow family. The original windows were replaced by box-sash
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
and unfolding wooden panels or screens. These would be unfurled across the windows at dusk to keep in the heat, as well as keeping the house more secure. Central heating was also installed, as was gas for the kitchens.
The wall have been hung with hand-printed flock wallpaper. Much of the furniture in the house has been lent by the Gunnersbury Park Museum
Gunnersbury Park
Gunnersbury Park is a park in the Brentford ward of the London Borough of Hounslow, in west London, England. Purchased for the nation from the Rothschild family, it was opened to the public by Neville Chamberlain, then Minister of Health, on 21 May 1926...
.
History of the manor house
The manor house was built in 1622-3 for the newly-widowed, and shortly to be remarried Dame Mary Reade. whose late husband was granted a patent of possession for Boston Manor from James I.To the north of the house the Clitherrow family added extensions that contained the kitchen services and quarters for the domestic staff.
John Bourchier Stracey-Clitherow was the last private owner of Boston Manor which he sold in 1923. The house and the surrounding 20 acres (8.1 ha) was purchased by the Brentford Urban District Council
Brentford Urban District
Brentford was a local government district in the county of Middlesex, England from 1874 to 1927.Brentford Local Government District was created in 1874 under the Local Government Act 1858 and covered the civil parish of New Brentford and the chapelry of Old Brentford in the parish of Ealing...
which was opened as a public park in 1924.
The house was badly damaged during World War II by a V1
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
dropping across the road.
For a time it was used as a school. After extensive restoration work, was re-opened in 1963 by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
as a visitors centre and Museum.
Due to its unique architecture and decoration it has been often used as a setting for period films.
Since then, the south west corner has been propped up by scaffolding. It was intended to be a temporary measure but has become a permanent feature for several years. English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
judge that urgent work is needed in order to consolidate the foundations to prevent further deterioration and possible collapse.
The lower courses of brickwork are visibly bowing out and a wide vertical crack can be clearly seen running up the wall. The Library room behind this corner has now been closed to the public due to these health and safety issues. The whole of the top floor is also closed off.
An organization called the Friends of Boston Manor now exists with the aim of helping to restore and maintain the historical aspects of Boston Manor Park and House.
History of the former Manor of Boston
The earliest reference to Boston (or Bordwadestone as it was then spelt) was around the 1170s. It may mean Bord's tun or farm by the stone. It was situated towards the northern end of the Manor Boston. The lord of the Manor is recorded as Ralph de Brito. There is no record as to where he built his manor house. He founded a chapel at the southern end of the Manor call St. Lawrence on a site that is now derelict. The ecclesiastical boundary under this chapel was -or became over time- coterminous with that of the manor boundary. Today, this boundary would have been approximately to east side Boston Manor tube stationBoston Manor tube station
Boston Manor is a London Underground station serving the Boston Manor area between Brentford and Hanwell in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Underground's Piccadilly Line, between Osterley and Northfields stations...
's railway sidings and would have roughly followed Piccadilly line west as far as the river Brent
River Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
. Turning south, it followed the Brent down to the Thames. After a very sort distance east, it turn north following Half Acre Road, then up along Boston Manor Road and thus back to the Tube station again
The northern extent of the manor was marked by a boundary stone. Later a tree to the west of it, came to be the local Gospel Oak. Here the old pagan custom of blessing the field and crops took place whilst beating the bounds
Beating the bounds
Beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in some English and Welsh parishes. A group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest and church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for...
. Thus, thus the boundary of chapelry of St. Lawrence not only coexisted with that of the manor but was also a subdivision of the Parish of Hanwell.
Then in about 1280 King Edward I granted this area of the township to the prioress of St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate is a large conservative evangelical Anglican church, in Lime Street ward, in the City of London, close to the Lloyd's building and the 'Gherkin'.-History:...
. It is at this point that one can consider that it becomes a district in its own right. For under the feudal system, lands could be divided up according to use, ownership, possession (right to take profit), and occupancy. The prioress received what amounted to both “constructive possession” and ‘ownership.’ Although the King did this to make raising tax easier, it had the benefit of preventing alienation of any parts of the property by subinfeudation
Subinfeudation
In English law, subinfeudation is the practice by which tenants, holding land under the king or other superior lord, carved out new and distinct tenures in their turn by sub-letting or alienating a part of their lands....
, thus keeping it more or less intact over the coming centuries.
The King may have favoured this particular Convent in Bishopsgate because it was full of the unmarried daughters of members of the Guild of Goldsmiths
Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company, which has origins in the twelfth century, received a Royal Charter in 1327. It ranks fifth in the order of precedence of Livery Companies. Its motto is Justitia Virtutum Regina, Latin for Justice...
, and so by making them self supporting by given them the means to charge their new tenants rents and to sell the produce grown on their newly acquired demesne
Demesne
In the feudal system the demesne was all the land, not necessarily all contiguous to the manor house, which was retained by a lord of the manor for his own use and support, under his own management, as distinguished from land sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants...
, he could justify taxing their fathers more heavily and collect the tax in the form of silver coinage, which was more convenient.
Things stayed this way until 1539 when under Henry VIII the convent was dissolved and these manor holdings returned to the Crown.
It passed out of the control of the Crown in 1547 and into the hands of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
during the reign of King Edward VI.
After the Duke was forced to forfeit both his lands along with his head, it once more returned to the Crown until Elizabeth I granted it to her favourite Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
who immediately sold it to a Sir Thomas Gresham
Thomas Gresham
Sir Thomas Gresham was an English merchant and financier who worked for King Edward VI of England and for Edward's half-sisters, Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I.-Family and childhood:...
who had become a fabulously wealthy merchant and financier who had also bought Osterley
Osterley
Osterley is a district in the London Borough of Hounslow in west London. It is situated approximately west south-west of Charing Cross.Osterley lies north of the A4 and extends further northwards beyond the M4 Motorway...
as his summer residence. He went on to found the Royal Exchange
Royal Exchange (London)
The Royal Exchange in the City of London was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham to act as a centre of commerce for the city. The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, and is trapezoidal, flanked by the converging streets of Cornhill and...
.
As the neighbouring settlement of Brentford village grew, it expanded onto the property of this manor, and thus it became known as the Manor of New Brentford to reflect the fact that is was under a different Lord to that of Old Brentford.
The population had grown so much by 1621 that the chapelry council could no longer refer every issue back to the Hanwell parish council for direction but needed to take control themselves. Not yet have parish status the area covered by the Manor became an administrative township and known as the New Brentford Township. This is why the letters NBT can be seen on local boundary stone.
It was during the 18th century that both the manor landholdings and the area of the New Brentford township, the boundaries of which were now coterminous, were being commonly referred to as simply Boston Manor rather than the Manor of New Brentford.
As Gresham died without issue, the property went via his wife, to his stepson Sir William Reade, whom she had borne during a previous marriage. As Sir William resided in nearby Osterley
Osterley
Osterley is a district in the London Borough of Hounslow in west London. It is situated approximately west south-west of Charing Cross.Osterley lies north of the A4 and extends further northwards beyond the M4 Motorway...
, he too had to obtain a Patent of Possession (1610) from James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
so that he could legally administer the estate.
He went on to marry Mary Goldsmith. It was she who built Boston Manor House in 1662/3 immediately after his death.
She quickly married Sir Edward Spencer of Althorp. As Sir William’s second wife he didn't let her inherit the legal ownership, instead she came into legal possession of the property but only to last for her own lifetime. However, they appears to have had bought out the claims of the late William Reade's heirs to the property so that upon her own death (1658) the title in the property of Boston Manor passed to her kinsman John Goldsmith as they themselves had had no children to leave it to. On Goldsmith’s demise (1670) executors sold it to another very wealthy city merchant James Clitherow I. The price he paid for the house with its then 230 acres (93.1 ha) for his own use, was £5,136/17s/4d.
It stayed within the Clitherow family for the next 250 years although over those years parts of the estate were sold off.
John Bourchier Stracey-Clitherow was the last private owner of Boston Manor and in 1923 he sold the remainder of the Boston Manor estate. The house and the surrounding 20 acres (8.1 ha) was purchased by the Brentford Urban District Council and opened as a public park in 1924.
The Green Flag Award scheme, which recognises and rewards the best green spaces in England and Wales, has given this award to Boston Manor Park in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
Opening hours and events
The park is free and open to the public every day: 8am - duskIt has a modern and fully equipped children's play ground, plus 3 tennis courts, and a basketball court.
Friends of Boston Manor volunteers run a Cafeteria 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Recently a Nature Trail has been laid out. There are formal lawns and an ornamental lake with wild fowl.
Car Boot sales are held first Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Each year Boston Manor Park hosts the Brentford Festival.
The House itself is currently closed to the public for urgent repair and maintenance. Work stated on the 19th July 2010 and is expected to last 14 months.
Other historic neighbours
Transport and locale
London Buses
London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
serve the area; the 195
London Buses route 195
London Buses route 195 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, UK. The service is currently contracted to First Centrewest.-History:...
and the E8
London Buses route E8
London Buses route E8 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. The service is currently contracted to Metroline.-History:...
. The area's local station is the Boston Manor tube station
Boston Manor tube station
Boston Manor is a London Underground station serving the Boston Manor area between Brentford and Hanwell in west London. The station is on the Heathrow branch of the Underground's Piccadilly Line, between Osterley and Northfields stations...
, served by Piccadilly line
Piccadilly Line
The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark blue on the Tube map. It is the fifth busiest line on the Underground network judged by the number of passengers transported per year. It is mainly a deep-level line, running from the north to the west of London via Zone 1, with...
trains on the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
.
Its post town is TW8 BRENTFORD, in the TW postcode area.
The M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
overpass runs through Boston Manor Park.
Popular culture
Boston Manor is featured in the song Girl VII on the album Foxbase AlphaFoxbase Alpha
- CD: Warner / 9-26793-2 :2009 release- CD: Heavenly / HVNLP1CDDE :- Credits :The liner notes list the album's personnel as follows:* Sarah Cracknell - vocals.* Bob Stanley - Roland Jupiter 4, Korg M1, tambourine...
by UK pop band Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne (band)
Saint Etienne are an English Pop group comprising Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They are named after the French football team AS Saint-Étienne.-History:Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were childhood friends and former music journalists...
.
External links
- Images of England on Boston Manor House: detailed architectural information
- History of the house
- Boston Manor Park surrounding Boston Manor House
- English Heritage Page on the house, showing scaffolding
- London Metropolitan Archives holdings on Boston Manor House and the Clitherow family
- Official website of the Brentford Festival