Tired of London’s bustling streets? The Boston Manor Viaduct awaits with whispers of history. Before us stands a testament to Jacobean ambition. It’s not just a bridge. It’s a portal to a time when manors dotted Middlesex. Now a part of the London Borough of Hounslow, Boston Manor Viaduct carries echoes of lords, ladies, and royal intrigue.
The story of Boston Manor begins long before the viaduct itself. We go back to the 1170s. The area was known as Bordwadestone. It meant “Bord’s farmstead.” Ralph de Brito was the lord of the manor. He established a chapel dedicated to St. Lawrence. Its boundaries mirrored the manor’s.
Fast forward to 1280. King Edward I granted the land to the prioress of St Helen’s Bishopsgate. This convent housed unmarried daughters of goldsmiths. The King saw it as a way to collect more taxes in silver. Clever.
Then came Henry VIII’s reforms in 1539. The convent was dissolved. The manor reverted to the Crown.
In 1547, Edward Seymour, the Duke of Somerset, gained ownership. But his good fortune didn’t last. After being beheaded his lands were forfeited. Elizabeth I then granted it to her favorite. It was Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester. Dudley quickly sold it to Sir Thomas Gresham. He was a wealthy merchant. He already owned Osterley.
Gresham died without an heir. The manor passed to his stepson, Sir William Reade. Reade obtained a patent of possession from James I in 1610. After Reade’s death, his wife Mary Goldsmith built Boston Manor House. The house was completed in 1623. She then married Sir Edward Spencer.
In 1670, James Clitherow I bought the house and 230 acres. He paid a sum equivalent to over a million pounds today. The Clitherow family owned the manor for the next 250 years.
During their tenure, Brentford expanded. It became known as the Manor of New Brentford. The population grew. By 1621, the chapelry council gained administrative control.
In the 18th century, the area was predominantly called Boston Manor. John Bourchier Stracey-Clitherow was the last private owner. In 1923, he sold the house and 20 acres to the Brentford Urban District Council. It opened as a public park in 1924.
But let’s focus on the house itself. It’s a Grade I listed Jacobean manor. It sits on the west side of Boston Manor Road. It stands within 20 acres of parkland. It is Hounslow’s only Jacobean building.
Note the red brick walls. The house has three stories. Stone architraves frame the windows. Look at the rainwater downpipe headers. They show the dates of construction. The dates include 1662, 1670, and 1915.
During James Clitherow’s ownership, the east side window became a doorway. A porch was added. It’s made of light golden grit stone.
Inside, the entrance hall leads to a dining room. It is painted a bright yellow. The library is next. Sadly it remains locked due to wall damage.
The Jacobean staircase has a gentle slope. The treads creak underfoot. Trompe-l’œil balustrades mirror the stairs.
The second floor has a state bedroom. It features a Jacobean plaster ceiling. The central panel depicts “Hope” with her anchor. The state drawing room has a magnificent ceiling. Marcus Gheeraerts designed some elements.
The M4 motorway now runs through Boston Manor Park. But Boston Manor’s legacy lives on. It stands as a reminder of London’s rich history.