General & History

As ‘Poscetenetune’, olde English for dwellers on the hill, the site has been inhabited for over two thousand years. There is evidence of an Iron Age Settlement in the park known as Poston Hill Fort.

In 1227 Ralph Scudamore, benefactor of Dore Abbey lived in a fortified house known as Poston. In 1522 it passed into the Parry family, when Lady Blanch Parry, handmaiden to Queen Elizabeth was given a licence to enclose the deer park. In 1635 Henry Earl of Worcester bought the house for £400 and it remained in the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) until inherited by Sir Edward Boughton. The current house was built in circa 1765 by Sir William Chambers for Sir Edward Boughton with later additions made in circa 1882.

The Boughtons were related to the Robinsons, and Sir Thomas Robinson, Master Gardener to George III and supervisor of the King’s garden at Kew, planted many of the magnificent trees on the estate.

Mr ELG Robinson inherited Vowchurch in the late 19th Century. His son married a niece of Lewis Carroll whose brother, the Reverend Dodgson was the local Vicar.

The Golden Valley is thought to be an inspiration for many elements of Lewis Carroll’s work and recently Shadowlands featured settings within the region. Tenniel, illustrator of Alice in Wonderland, lived at Vowchurch for a time.