Miserden Estate, Gloucestershire
A Brief Introduction to Miserden
The featured image is re-used from privatenewport.com
The village of Miserden sits high in the Cotswolds, overlooking a deer park and the valley of the River Frome. Just north of Stroud, the Miserden Estate is a family-run estate comprising a manor house, gardens, woodland and farmland.
Before the current iteration of the house, there was a medieval manor onsite. During the early Tudor period, Sir William Kingston (infamous as Anne Boleyn’s goaler) owned Miserden House. Sir William owned extensive land and several large properties in this area of the Cotswolds, his portfolio swelling following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. From the spoils of the monastic closures, he was granted Flaxley Abbey and Prinknash Abbey (previously the country home belonging to the Abbots of Gloucester). No doubt, Sir William was generously rewarded for his role in overseeing the imprisonment and execution of Anne and the men who died with her.
There are records of Henry VIII visiting Miserden Park while staying in Gloucester in 1535. Although not explicitly stated, we know Anne Boleyn was by his side during this progress, and it is likely she, too, accompanied the King in riding out to Miserden from the city.
The house we see today dates back to the 1620s, and the gardens, now open to the public, were designed at a similar time and are now amongst the longest in private ownership. A garden that has stood the test of time, Miserden is home to an ancient mulberry tree planted in 1620 and a sycamore tree that has grown through a Cotswold stone wall.
Its yew hedges and topiary yew walk are of particular interest, designed by the architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, who also designed a wing of Miserden Park. Its renowned mixed borders are bursting with colour from spring to autumn.
Visitors can now enjoy Miserden for longer by staying in a one-bedroomed flat in the manor house.
Historic Properties Nearby
Visitor Information
Miserden Park Flat can be booked through Air BnB.
Address: The Garden, Cafe and Nursery at Miserden, Miserden, Nr Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL6 7JA.
