Gazing upon Boston Manor, can you sense the echoes of centuries past? Boston Manor stands as a testament to time. It has witnessed the ebb and flow of history. This Jacobean masterpiece, built in 1622, whispers tales of intrigue, resilience, and transformation. Boston Manor has seen it all. It has been a grand estate and a refuge for the wealthy. It even served as a school.
Boston Manor started as a medieval manor. It was mentioned as “Bordwadestone” around the 1170s. It was owned by Ralph de Brito, who built a chapel dedicated to St. Lawrence. The manor’s boundaries stretched from what is now the Piccadilly line to the River Brent, then down to the Thames, and back along Boston Manor Road. It was later granted to the prioress of St Helen’s Bishopsgate around 1280. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Henry VIII reclaimed the manor. He subsequently granted it to Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset.
After the Duke’s execution, Boston Manor passed through several hands, including Queen Elizabeth I’s favorite, Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester. Eventually, it was sold to Sir Thomas Gresham. He then left it to his stepson, Sir William Reade, whose widow, Mary, built the Boston Manor House we see today. Mary remarried Sir Edward Spencer of Althorp. After her death, the manor went to John Goldsmith, who sold it in 1670 to James Clitherow I for a hefty sum.
The Clitherow family held onto Boston Manor for over two centuries. The estate gradually shrank due to the expansion of neighboring Brentford. The last private owner, John Bourchier Stracey-Clitherow, sold Boston Manor House and 20 acres to Brentford Urban District Council in 1923. It opened as a public park in 1924.
Boston Manor House bears the scars of time. A V1 bomb damaged it during World War II. Extensive restoration work, including foundation repairs, brought it back to life. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother reopened it in 1963 as a visitor center and museum. The house has unique architectural details. These include a porch likely salvaged from another building and a rare trompe l’oeil balustrade on the staircase. Look closely at the rainwater downpipe headers, they’re embossed with dates marking key moments in the house’s history. The state drawing room has a magnificent Jacobean ceiling and an ornate chimney-piece inspired by a biblical scene.
Today, Boston Manor Park flourishes. It proudly boasts a Green Flag Award. The park offers a children’s playground, tennis courts, and a basketball court. Car boot sales take place monthly. You’ll find formal lawns, an ornamental lake, and even a nature trail. Boston Manor has journeyed through the ages, enduring wars, changing hands, and urban encroachment. Its story is a tapestry woven with threads of history, resilience, and community. As you stand here, imagine the lives lived within these walls, and appreciate the legacy of Boston Manor.