The history of the Manor House estates can be traced back
to the Domesday Book and earlier.
1066 - 1331 Prior to 1066 the property was owned by SIRET a
vassal or servant of King Harold. There is a reference to the
Manor of Stoke in the Domesday Book survey of 1086 when it was
held by William Fitz Ansculf direct from King William 1, after
the King s Victory at Hastings in 1066. The family which held
Stoke for nearly 300 years, changed their name to de Stoke and
by 1291 Amicia de Stoke married Robert Poges from Normandy,
giving rise to the present name of STOKE POGES The importance
of the house and property rose in importance with subsequent
owners.
1331- 1441 Sir John de Moleyns who married Egidia de Poges in
1325 rose to great eminence as Treasurer to Edward III. He obtained
royal licence to crenellate and otherwise fortify the Manor
House. His grandson u)as raised to the peerage and married into
the family of Lord Hungerford. .
1441 - 1485 The Hungerford family had a chequered history with
two generations being beheaded for fighting on the wrong side
during the wars of the Roses and the land was forfeit.
1485- 1581 Marriage brought the returned lands to the Hastings
family who became Earls of Huntingdon. They built the present
Stoke Park Manor House in 18.55. When they fell on hard times
and sold the House they ended over 500 years of ownership by
family descendants.
Ownership can be traced to the present day and amongst following
owners and occupiers were.:-
1581 - 1603 Elizabeth I who owned and visited the house. During
this time she let it to Sir Christopher Hat ton 1581 - 1591
and Sir Edward Coke 1598- 1603 Lord Chief Justice. During this
time, King Charles I was imprisoned here before his trial.
King William III of Orange was refused entry.
Sir Edward Landseer the artist had his studio here where he
is reputed to have painted Monarch of the Glen and designed
the lions for the foot of Nelson's Column.
1760- 1848 The Penns of Pennsylvania ~ When John Penn, grandson
of William Penn the founder of Pennsylvania returned after 28
years in Pennsylvania he found the Manor House too dilapidated
to repair and demolished three quarters of it leaving what you
see today. The grounds were laid out by Capability Brown.
1970- The House is currently owned by SOUTH BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
DISTRICT COUNCIL and held on a long lease by Crane Davies Management
Consultants.
THE RED LION at Stoke Green is reputed to have been
an inn or public drinking house for over 400 years. The Pub
and land were formerly part of the estate belonging to the HOWARD-VYSEfamily
of Stoke Place Henry Vallis was recorded as the licensee in
1891 and his family, who had been tenants since then, purchased
the premises in 1964 In 1955 the property was scheduled as a
building of special architectural interest The present Pub sign
showing a red faced lion with a bird on its head caused some
local controversy when itfirst appeared, as being out of place
for such a magnificent and well liked local building and pub.
THE DOG & POT- Rogers Lane The original Public House
is known to have existed before 1758, at which time it was called
the DOG'S HEAD AND POTTAGE POT. It served the residents of West
End where there was a thriving community around the north end
of Rogers Lane, then called Kiln Lane due to the brick-making
near by. As well as the brick makers, it also served travellers
to and from Farnham Common and Hedgerly It was moved to it's
present location in 1898 when the road was diverted and the
old Dog and Pot apart from the stables was demolished Close
by, the house now known as Winterclyde was once a pub called
the ODDFELLOWS ARMS.
SIX BELLS - Gerrards Cross Road The original Five Bells
was at the bottom of the hill in Sefton Park, opposite the Village
Pond in Bells Hill Recreation Ground It moved to the top of
the hill in 1822. When a sixth bell was added to the Church
peal a new public house called the SIX BELLS was built half
way up the hill and the Five Bells was renamed the SEFTON ARMS.
This was demolished in 1967 when the area was redeveloped.
THE PLOUGH - Wexham Street The earliest mention of 'The
Plough' is in 1771 when it was known as 'The Plow Victualling
House' In 1824 a sixth bell was added to the St Giles Church
peal. It was brought to the Plough for parishioners to see it
before it was taken to the church tower. Three sacks of wheat
were thrown down on the floor in triangular fashion in the corner
of the bar and the bell crown downwards was fixed between the
sacks and filled to the rim with beer.
Stoke Park was created in 1331 when Sir John de Molyns received
a royal licence to enclose three woods . For it's early history,
see the Calendar page for January where the history of the Manor
House is detailed.
When John PENN, son of Thomas Penn returned after 28 years in
America, he found the MANOR HOUSE in a very bad state of repair.
He therefore set about building the present mansion, shown in
the picture over, between 1792 and 1808. He used much of the
compensation he received from the new Commonwealth for the loss
of his family's lands in Pennsylvania, following the American
Revolution in 1776, to pay for it.
JAMES WYATT who was architect to George III, designed the Mansion.
He also worked on the designs for the monuments, that can be
seen in the park in honour of Thomas Gray and Sir Edward Coke,
Lord Chief Justice of England.
The historic parkland was laid out by two outstanding landscape
designers of the 18th century, 'Capability' Brown who designed
the grounds and lake in 1750 and Humphry Repton who improved
the landscape and built the Repton bridge
One of the later owners of Stoke Park was Edward Coleman ( 1863
to 1885 ). Red deer had existed in the Park since Norman times
but they were at their best under Coleman, who improved the
herd Sir Edward Landseer was a regular visitor to the Park and
used the deer as models for his paintings.
Wilberforce Bryant, son of William Bryant, the founder of Bryant
and May, bought the estate in 1887 Bryant died in 1906 and in
1908 the Park was acquired by 'Pa' Lane Jackson Uounder of the
Corinthian Football Club )
He leased the mansion and half the land to the Stoke Poges Golf
Club. The other half was sold for development and so the deer
departed after hundreds of years, to other parks and to the
Scottish Highlands.
In 1928 the mansion and golf course came into the ownership
of Sir Noel Mobbs, the founder of Slough Trading Estate. He
also subsequently acquired the old Manor House
In 1958 the Eton Rural District Council became the owner and
it's successor the South Bucks District Council granted a 250
year lease to IHG Ltd who sub-leased it to Stoke Park Club.
Working with English Heritage and the National T rust, Stoke
Park Club have invested an enormous amount of time and money
in restoring the Mansion, the 'Capability' Brown lakes and the
Humphry Repton landscape In addition they have restored the
famous 18 hole golf course and laid out a further 9 holes as
shown in an early aerial photograph.
NOTE. A new Heritage Walkfootpath is planned to open in Spring
2000. It will afford superb views of the Stoke Park Mansion,
the Manor House and other parts of the original estate.
For more information on Stoke Park see the history of Stoke
Poges, currently being prepared for publication by the Parish
Council and written by Lionel Rigby.
In 1690 Patrick Lamb purchased the land of what is now the
Stoke Place Estate and built the central three-storey section
of the William and Mary house. The grounds were later landscaped
by Capability Brown. In 1764 Field Marshal Sir George Howard
bought the estate and it became the family home for the next
200 years. The family name became Howard -Vyse when his daughter
married General Richard Vyse.
Grays Park road (B4 16) originally continued directly south,
from where the current mini-roundabout is, passing close to
the house. This did not please Howard Vyse so that in 1820 he
had the road diverted further west, creating the awkward bends
that exist today. He then had the high brick wall built that
is still a feature of that corner.
The family had a strong sense of local responsibility, helping
to save the Common and running the only Charity school in the
whole area.
The property was purchased in 1963 by the South Bucks District
Council on the death of Major General Sir Richard Howard- Vyse
and is contained within the conservation area of Stoke Green.
It now operates as a Club and Conference Centre, under lease
from the South Bucks District Council, offering meeting and
eating facilities in beautiful surroundings.
The original almshouse, founded by Lord Edward Hastings in
1557, was built near St. Giles Church. A year later the Hastings
Chapel was built on the outside of the Church in the angele
of the Chancel and the south side as the oratory where the inmates
of the almshouse could say prayers for their founder. The original
almshouse was demolished and re-built in about 1765 on its present
site in Park Road. The photograph shows it as it is today, a
private residence called 'The Clock House'.
In the almshouse four poor men and two poor women from the parish
were housed and clothed. The men could be 'sole or married'
but the women were to be 'sole and unmarried'. The inmates were
known as the brethren and sisters.
The building remained in use until 1947 when it was sold because
it was in a bad state of repair. Unfortunately no replacement
was built.
The sculptured arms of Lord Hastings, a sleeve or 'manche' upon
a shield, surmounted bya helmet, and surrounded with the ribbon
and motto of the Garter, can be seen over the entrance door
to the Hastings Chapel at St. Giles' Church.
Uplands
Uplands was built in 1772 by James Squib who ageed to carry
on "a manufactury" where the poor were to be instructed
in spinning and weaving. In 1788 the Overseers of the Poor leased
the house at a rent of s ad per year for use as a workhouse.
It continued as such until 1835 when parishes ceased to provide
their own poorhouses and central workhouses were built covering
much larger areas. The Union Workhouse was built in Slough and
it catered for the poor from all the surrounding parishes. Today
we know it as Upton Hospital.
Most of the documents and Parish records of Stoke Poges, including
a number relating to the workhouse and the poor and Hastings
Trust, are lodged in the County Record Office in Aylesbury.
The first reference to education in the Parish appeared in
1716, when Mary Salter of West End House left in her will for
teaching poor children of the parish to read, write and cast
accounts. Several further bequests follow and the first school
was built in 1751. By 1800 it had been replaced by a school
built in Rogers Lane for a cost of . It is still standing but
is now divided into three houses, the front one being called
"Tuppenny School House" after the cost per week of attending
the school.
The "First School" (main Picture) was built in 1876 and is still
in use today by children aged from four or five years old. Due
to the large increase in population, it was necessary to build
yet another school in 1968. The new "Middle School" was placed
next door to the old Tuppenny School House in Rogers Lane. The
First and Middle Schools were combined under one Head Teacher
in 1996.
For a more detailed account see the history of Stoke Poges,
currently being prepared for publication by the Parish Council
and written by Lionel Rigby
In the 18th Century this was known as Stoke Farm but was purchased
by the 2nd Earl of Sefton as his country seat. On his father's
death, his eldest son returned to the family seat at Croxteth
Hall in Liverpool, leaving the other members of the family at
Sefton Park. The census of 1851 shows three of his daughters
living in the house with a household of 31 servants.
In 1905 the 4th Lord Decies lived here followed by his brother
the 5th Baron who completely rebuilt the South Wing as shown
in the Photograph.
Diamond merchant Sir Bernard Oppenheimer became the estate's
new owner in 1917 but after his death it was sold five years
later to Sir Walter de Freece, husband of the former music hall
star, Vesta Tilley. She lived there until 1928.
During the Second World War the house was requisitioned by the
War Office and occupied by Officers on training courses.
In 1948 the estate was sold at public auction to Glaxo who bought
the house and 28 acres of the grounds. Glaxo developed antibiotics,
Vitamin B 12 and enzymes here. It was also the production centre
for about 80% of the vaccines used during the height of the
Polio Vaccination campaign of the 1950'S and 60'S.
GEC occupied the property from 1982 until 1989 when there was
an extensive redevelopment of the site and Hitachi Data Systems
took up residence in 1992 The Grade Two Listed Building is currently
their Executive Briefing Centre, whilst two new modern buildings
are their European and UK headquarters.
St. Giles, the Parish Church of Stoke Poges, dates from Saxon
times with remains still existing in part of the Chancel Wall
and windows There are parts still surviving from three later
periods, Norman ( 1086 ); the pillars, part of the Chancel and
part of the Tower, Early Gothic ( 12 20 ); the nave reconstructed
on the Norman pillars and Tudor ( 15 58 ); the Hastings Chapel,
built in red-brick.
The Church and Churchyard were formerly enclosed within the
grounds of Stoke Park, 200 yards away from the old Manor House,
hence their remoteness from the village.
Many notable people who occupied the Stoke Park Mansion supported
the Church. The Chancel contains the tomb of Sir John de Molyns,
Marshal of the King's Falcons and Supervisor of the King's Castles.
Sir John founded the Chantry in 1338 and it contains a Piscina
with two basins, a rare feature.
Originally the bells were rung from the floor of the tower.
Mr. John Penn made this into a Manor House pew in 1800 and constructed
a ringing chamber immediately above it. Since 192 4 the bells
have been rung from a higher storey in the tower, accessed from
an external staircase.
The Hastings Chapel was built in red brick with stone mullioned
windows in 155 8. Lord Hastings of Loughborough, son of the
first Earl ~ of Huntingdon, founded a Hospital, or Almshouse
in 1557 and built the Chapel to serve. ~ as its oratory, also
as a burial-place for himself and other members of the Hastings
family.
There are some interesting windows. One known as the 'Bicycle
Window' is made up of fragments of glass, one Piece dated 1643,
as a memorial to those who fell in the Second World War. It
is not possible to deduce the original complete design. Another
pair of windows commemorates the death of a small child belonging
to the Howard- Vyse family. They show the child leaving its
earthly mother and being accepted by its heavenly mother.
The tomb of Thomas Gray is immediately below the east window
of the Hastings Chapel. A tablet on the wall also records that
his mother Dorothy Gray and her sister Mary Antrobus are buried
in the vault below. Gray died at Pembroke Hall, Cambridge and
requested to be buried next to his mother.
For a more detailed account see the guide "Stoke Poges Parish
Church" on sale in the church kiosk or in the church.
The history of Stoke Court has been traced back to 1455 and
there was occupation at the site long before that During its
life it has grown from a simple cottage to the magnificent mansion
of today.
1455- 1617 Richard Bulstrode acquired the property by his marriage
to Alice Knyfft
1617-1653 William Groome lived in the cottage until 1641 when
George Downes, a Clothworker and Merchant whose family had been
granted their own Coat of Arms in the 16th Century, purchased
the Estate for 00 He joined in village life, acting as an unpaid
Constable and checking the accounts of the Overseer of the Poor.
1653-1660 Raymond Graham owned the property, then leased to
his brother-in-law Colonel William Legg. Their wives were daughters
of Sir William Washington, the great-great-great Uncle of George
Washington, first President of the United States.
1660-1828 The Salter family from Shropshire owned the property,
known as West End House for around 170 years.
1739 Jonathan and Anna Rogers (Uncle and Aunt of Thomas Gray)
became leaseholders of WEST END and when Anne was widowed, her
two sisters Mary and Dorothy joined her thert THOMAS GRAY was
a frequent visitor to West End, spending holidays with his mother
Dorothy and his Aunts Whilst there he wrote his famous ELEGY
WRITTEN IN A COUNTRY CHURCH YARD and ODE ON A DISTANT PROSPECT
OF ETON After the death f his mother and aunts, Thomas Gray
gave up the lease in 1758.
1828-1844. Henry Wilmer owned West End Estate, becoming President
of the Royal College of Surgeons.
1844-1851. THE PENN FAMILY Granville John Penn ( son of Granville
Penn, grandson of the founder of Pennsylvania) could not afford
the upkeep of both the Manor House and West End, so in 1845
he sold the Manor, enlarged West End and changed its name to
Stoke Court During this period he sold many of the treasures,
including a painting 'Penns treaty with the Indians'.
1851-1872 The Darby Family resided The Darbys of Colebrookdale
invented a method of smelting iron using coke in place of charcoal
and in 1779 constructed the Iron Bridge.
1872-1927 The property passed to the Allhusen Family ~ Christian
Allhusen was a Danish chemical manufacturer Augustus Henry Eden
inherited his grandfathers estate in 1890 and became a Member
of Parliament from 1897-1906. His wife Dorothy and Clementine
Churchill were cousins so that there were many glittering social
events at the house.
1927-present The house was auctioned and became a private house,
Country Club and TV warehouse In 1958 it had fallen into disrepair
and was to be demolished when Miles Laboratories took it over
and restored it The building was severely damaged by fire in
January 1979 and was again carefully restored and is now the
UK Conference Centre of the Bayer Group ( who also owned the
photographic film company, Agfa )
