Listed Building History: Manor House, Osler Road
Headington Manor House (above) and its stable block (left) date from about 1770, but it only became the Manor House in 1801.
Sir Banks Jenkinson, the 6th Baron Walcot, built this mansion as a private residence ina bout 1770. He originated from Charlbury, and matriculated from St John’s College, Oxford in 1739, aged 17, obtaining his BA at All Souls College in 1745. He did not marry, and in 1772 was living in Frewin Court. He died in Headington on 22 July 1790, and was buried in Hawkesbury. He was succeeded as Baron by Charles Jenkinson (the first Earl of Liverpool and first Baron Hawkesbury, 1727–1808), and Headington Manor House was put up for sale.
During this period the Lords of the Manor of Headington lived at nearby Holton, whose manor they also held. In 1801 the Lord of both Manors, Henry Mayne Whorwood, decided to sell Holton Manor House and move to Headington, buying for his home Jenkinson’s mansion, which then became known as Headington Manor House.
Jackson's Oxford Journal of 15 May 1802 refers to a “new intended road near the White House [Britannia]", and this must be the present Osler Road, formerly known as Manor Road. In Jenkinson's time, this was known as Sandy Lane, and presumably was not suitable for carriages.
The Whorwoods soon became short of money, and just two years later Whorwood tried to sell the manor including the Manor House, as this advertisement from Jackson's Oxford Journal of 30 June 1804 shows:
On 8 December 1806 Thomas Henry Whorwood senior took out a mortgage on the Manor House and Hollys Farm, Headington, with William Fletcher and John Parsons of Oxford, bankers. By his marriage settlement to Mary Grape dated 16 and 17 April 1807 he made an Indenture of Release relating to the Manor House and 321 acres of its land between (1) himself, (2) Mrs Hannah Grape and her daughter Mary; (3) John Paget Hastings; and (4) the Revd Richard Grape and Revd Benjamin Mence of Worcester. When Whorwood died in 1835, his son sold his effects: the following advertisement appeared in Jackson's Oxford Journal of 11 July 1835:
Thomas Henry Whorwood junior, a Fellow of Magdalen College, who succeeded as Lord of the Manor at the age of 23 in 1835, then put up the whole Manor for auction. The following advertisement appeared in Jackson's Oxford Journal of 29 August 1835:
The auction took place on 3 August 1836: see extract from first auction catalogue below. The Manor House did not sell, however, On 3 December 1836 it was advvertised as being available for immediate let, and was transferred to the ownership of George Alexander Peppercorn, solicitor of St Neots, by an indenture dated 13 July 1838.
Thomas Butler took on the lease by 1840, and his wife Selina moved her ladies' seminary from Temple Cowley to the Headington Manor House. The 1841 census shows the Butlers living in the house with their own six young children and five female servants, as well as 21 girl boarders aged from 11 to 20 and just one little boy aged 9.
John Matthews, an Oxford solicitor, must have bought the Manor House by 1846, because when the manorial land was put up for sale a second time in that year he is clearly marked in an auction catalogue as already being its owner. Half of its park was included in this sale, which explains why in the Headington Rate Book of 1850 (where Matthews is listed as occupier as well as owner), the house and immediate grounds covered just 27 acres (compared with 75 acres back in 1836). Their rateable value was £153 3s and the gross estimated rental £165 2s. The 1851 census shows Matthews at the age of 48 living in the Manor House with his wife Caroline and three daughters, plus a governess, two nursemaids, a housemaid, and an under-housemaid.
In 1858 Mrs Caroline Matthews sold the Manor House for £4,900 to Emilius Watson-Taylor (b. 1819) of Thurston Hall, Northants, a fund-holder and farmer of 117 acres, who lived there with his older unmarried sister, Isabella. By 1881 Miss Isabella Watson-Taylor lived alone in the house with seven servants: a butler, cook. lady’s maid, housemaid, kitchen maid, and two stable boys. By 1891 she had dispensed with the butler and one of the stable boys, and in 1892 she died. The Manor House was then auctioned by Hampton & Sons in London on 27 May 1895: see extract from second auction catalogue below.
Colonel James Hoole (1850–1917) bought the house in 1895, and was the last private individual to live there. (In 1911 he also bought the manorial rights and Manor Farm from William Peppercorn’s executors, so he was also the last Lord of the Manor). He himself was away from home at the time of the 1901 census (probably fighting in the Boer War, for which he received the CMG); but his wife Mary Violet Hoole was at the Manor House with their five children (who ranged in age from 11 months to 17 years) and seven indoor servants (in addition to their lodgekeeper, who lived in Manor Lodge, and their coachman, who lived in Manor Cottage).
The Colonel allowed his parkland to be used for Headington events, such as the annual village fete and flower show, and Headington’s football club played for a short time on part of the 'Manor Ground' as early as 1898. No doubt the Manor House also hosted many good private parties: the book Oxfordshire Leaders states that Colonel Hoole saw "a great deal of Oxfordshire social life".
By 1911 James Hoole (61) and his wife Mary (50) were living at the Manor House with their daughter Margaret Alice Mary (20) and five servants.
In 1917 the Colonel died, and in the same year his heir Francis William Hoole sold the Manor House and its immediate grounds to the Trustees of the Radcliffe Infirmary. Eventually, in the 1970s, the John Radcliffe Hospital was built on this land, dwarfing the old Manor House, which was first used as a training school for nurses and later as offices. In 2007 the Radcliffe Infirmary completed its move to the old Manor, and the Oxford Children’s Hospital opened in its grounds.
The figures on the emblem on the wall of the main house (right) reads 37.14.01. This may represent the date 14 January 1837, around the time that the Manor House changed hands.
Extract from Auction Catalogue, 2 August 1836
The auction was conducted by Mr Mallam at the Angel Inn in Oxford’s High Street. The catalogue is entitled:
Particulars and Conditions
For the Sale of the
HEADINGTON ESTATE,
Freehold, tithe Free, and redeemed from Land Tax,
A very valuable and important property,
Situate within a short walk of the City and University of OXFORD,
comprehending The Manor with its Rights, Fines, Heriots, Quit Rents, &c.
Payable in respect of numerous Estates, held by copy of Court Roll;
A spacious, well arranged, and substantial MANOR HOUSE,
offices admirably adapted to it, delightful pleasure grounds and garden,
A Park belted with thriving Plantations,
TWO VERY DESIRABLE FARMS
of old pasture and arable land,
A large and highly productive orchard,
Many allotments of first rate ACCOMMODATION LAND,
Several plots of garden ground & building sites,
commanding the most extensive and picturesque views
of the surrounding Country and overlooking the City of Oxford
The land and property was divided up into 30 lots, totalling over 345 acres:
- Lot 1 is the Manor House and its immediate land: the details are reproduced in full below
- Lot 2 was the 73 acres of Holley’s Farm (to the north-east of the Manor House grounds and to the south of Dunstan Road)
- Lot 3 was the 57 acres of Little Tile House Farm (to the north-west of the northern end of Pullen’s Lane)
- Lot 4 was the 6 acres of Holley’s Orchard (situated to the west of the sharp bend of Osler Road)
- Lot 5 was part of Brockless Field (adjoining Pullen’s Lane, to the north-west)
- Lot 6 was part of Hopcroft Field and part of Brockless Field (adjoining Pullen’s Lane, to the north-east)
- Lot 7 was part of Brockless Field and part of Bushey Piece (bounded on the south by Cuckoo Lane and the east by the Boundary Brook)
- Lots 8 to 12 comprised Broadway Pond Close and Winding Furlong (viz. all the land fronting the London Road from the present Osler Road to Headley Way)
- Lot 13 comprised part of Bushy Piece (viz. the plot now on the south-western corner of Headley Way)
- Lots 14 to 17 comprised part of Brockless Field (viz. the land fronting the London Road westwards from Lot 13 to Pullens Lane)
- Lot 18 was a "very valuable Plot of Garden ground, with a newly erected Cottage or Dwelling House upon it" (namely the site of Davenport House at the eastern junction of Pullens Lane and London Road)
- Lots 19 to 30 were all part of Brockless Field (Lots 19 to 23 adjoined Pullens Lane on the south-west side, and Lots 24 to 30 were wedged in by Pullens Lane to the west and Cuckoo Lane to the south)
Lot 1 (75 acres)
The Manor of Headington, with Manorial Rights, Fines, Heriots, Quit-Rents, &c. payable in respect of numerous estates held by copy of Court Roll, yielding a good income to the Lord of the Manor, and considerable fees to his Steward; a spacious well arranged and substantial Mansion House, surrounded by fine and stately Timber, standing in a Park through which it has two drives from the Oxford and London road. The domestic arrangements are good, and the rooms well proportioned, as will be evident from the following detail: The entrance hall, including the staircase, is 26ft by 10ft; it leads to a library 24ft by 18ft, drawing room 24ft by 22ft, dining room 22ft by 15ft, all fitted up well and in good taste; also to nine spacious and airy family bed and dressing rooms, with comfortable and suitable conveniences. The back entrance and staircase lead to the servants' apartments, viz. to five large bed chambers and a store room, to the housekeeper’s room 15ft by 13ft surrounded by presses, closets, and cupboards of an expensive character; to the kitchen, which is very large, servants' hall, pantries, larders, and other offices, and to unusually good cellarage. In the stable yard is a double coach house, stabling for nine horses, and rooms over for servants' sleeping apartments, saddlery, harness, corn, hay, and straw; also a brew-house, wash-house, dairy, fuel sheds, and other offices. In the farm yard, which is a short distance from the mansion, are barns, stable, cow lodge, and other buildings ample for the occupation of the land. The gardens and pleasure grounds are in good keeping with the size and site of the mansion.
This lot is sold with a road from the Oxford and London road (in addition to those now belonging to it) by Joe Pullen’s tree to the north west corner of the plantation [Cuckoo Lane from Pullens Lane to the present Headley Way] ... which road is to be made and maintained at the expense of the purchaser of this lot, subject to the rights of way now enjoyed by the public.
Extract from auction catalogue, 27 May 1895
This catalogue includes a photograph showing the Manor House covered with wisteria. It gives a good description of the house, with the measurements of every room:
- Downstairs there was a large hall, opening into a library, drawing room, and dining room (the last leading into a heated conservatory), plus lobby and W.C.
- On the first floor (reached by two staircases) were seven best bedrooms, two dressing rooms, a large linen room, and a lobby and W.C.
- On the second floor were three servants' bed rooms, a box room, and a lumber room which could be used as a bedroom.
- The "domestic offices", including butler’s pantry, larder, store room, lamp room, kitchen, scullery etc., were on the ground floor, but "well shut off", and there was good cellarage in the basement. The water supply was from deep wells on the property, but there was also rainwater collected in an underground tank.
- Outside there was stabling for twelve horses, a coach house for three carriages, and a wash house with a copper and a large loft and groom’s room upstairs.
- The house was surrounded by pleasure grounds including an ornamental lawn and tennis court, a walled kitchen garden, and a "prolific orchard" of 7 acres containing 400 assorted fruit trees, and park land with elms and beeches. In all it comprised over 36 acres. It included a four-room entrance lodge in Osler Road.
Listed Building references: Manor House and stable block: 1485/880; Wall to Osler Road: 1485/39A
