The History of Adwell Estate
The House and Garden at Adwell
The ancient Parish of Adwell lies on ground sloping down from the Chiltern Hills. It contains Adwell Cop (490 ft) on which is a Bronze Age barrow; In the 13th C it was referred to as “Copinghemeway” or the “Way of the People of the Cop”. An early traveler was reported to have heard the fairies singing round the Cop. This has always been a rather remote and quiet spot.
With no more than 15 houses the hamlet of Adwell lies in a valley by a stream which rises in Spring Covert opposite the House.
The Saxons called it Aed(d)a’s Spring, or Aedda’s Well, and thus named a settlement of Church, Manor and Mill. The mill stream was diverted in the 18th Century and now forms a part of the water garden.
An earlier, modest pre-conquest house was remodeled by William Newell in about 1700 and this was further altered in the 1780s by his granddaughter Elizabeth Newell who also first laid out the gardens. She planted the gently sloping lawns and incorporated the Mill Stream into a system of successive pools and cataracts with a rocky waterfall which remains a major feature of the garden.
She also planted many trees, many of which survive today.
Others were planted in the Victorian era, and these are a major feature of the garden.
Much planting of trees has continued in the 20th Century, and this generation of owners have continued this tradition, planting many trees in the garden, and overall about 7,000 on the estate.
In the 19th Century the Owners developed the garden further – with a woodland dell for “pleasure walks” and island beds on the lawn as shown in the watercolour by Admiral Smythe, a friend of the then Owners, painted in about 1860.
In those days the garden was very labour intensive, employing many gardeners, and after the second world the lawns were cleared of the island beds and what you see today is pretty much what remained after the war.
The extensive walled kitchen garden extended from the iron gate down to the stream and there were large green houses where the tennis court now is. The kitchen garden has been transformed into three sections with a flower garden, a tennis court and the simple “Italian Garden” with fountain and modern sculpture, dominated in May by a magnificent wisteria which extends for 70 metres. A major feature of the garden is certainly the water garden, first created by Elizabeth Newell in the 18th Century. The present owners are focusing on developing the water garden by extensive planting and removal of unsuitable or over enthusiastic plants!
In the late 20th Century when the M40 was built there was a need for clay and this afforded the opportunity to build a series of lakes in the grounds, later extended to form an extensive “river walk”. Over 40,000 daffodils have been planted in the past few years around the lakes, and this creates a magnificent effect in the spring. Planting of daffodils will continue, and it is hoped that we will create a significant collection for future generation.
Brewer in 1819 described Adwell as 'one of the most remarkable seats in the country', although it is not entirely clear why! The hall with its balustrade staircase beneath a dome is impressive and a feature of the house, unusual in a reasonably modest manor house.
The Church
There has been a church at Adwell since medieval times, but the church was rebuilt in the Early Decorated style in 1865 by the well-known Victorian architect, Sir Arthur Blomfield who was also the architect for the Royal College of Music and the Lower Chapel at Eton College amongst many other churches and other mainly civic buildings.
He re-used in the South wall the old Norman doorway with an arch with roll and hollow moldings on jamb shafts with bell capitals. The church has an extravagant bell-turret corbelled out from the West wall and decorated with gables, gargoyles, and a short spire. There is an interesting effigy of a knight holding his heart, obviously “left over” from the Medieval Church and in memory of a crusader. The pews were also designed by Blomfield, which is an interesting and unusual feature of the Church.
The new Church was opened with much ceremony as can be seen from the Oxford Times article of 1865, which concludes:
”A most touching and eloquent sermon was preached by the Bishop of Oxford in the morning, which was listened to with great attention by a large attendance of the neighboring families of the gentry, who afterwards partook of a handsome luncheon, provided by Mr and Mrs Birch Reynardson at their hospitable mansion. The service in the evening was numerously attended by the poor of Adwell and the parishes adjoining where the Rev. Davis of Aston Rowant gave a most appropriate discourse… The poor of Adwell were not forgotten but were regaled with good old English cheer.”
The Birch Reynardson Family
The Birch Reynardson’s are connected to Adwell through the Newell’s who purchased the house and lands in the 17th Century from Henry Franklin who had married Anne Newell in 1658. Mary Newell, who was the great granddaughter of William Newell who bought the house, married George Birch in 1770. Their eldest son Thomas married Ethelred Ann Reynardson of Holywell in Lincolnshire. They moved to Holywell in 1811, changing their names to Birch Reynardson. Their second son, Henry, inherited Adwell and Birch Reynardson’s have lived at Adwell since then.
A recent book, Survivors, by Bill Birch Reynardson traces the history of the 3 branches of the family, the Reynardson’s, the Birch’s and the Newell’s from Sir Abraham Reynardson who was Lord Mayor of London during the Civil War and having refused to hand the keys of the City to Oliver Cromwell in 1649 was locked up in the Tower of London until the Restoration in 1660.
Adwell Today
Adwell today is a thriving estate where, like many similar estates, the owners have diversified and created new sources of income in addition to traditional farming. When the M40 was built more lakes were dug because the construction companies needed clay for the foundations and the Adwell “blue clay” was ideal for this. As a result, a fishing business has developed, and many people enjoy the peace and quiet of Adwell to have an enjoyable day fly fishing on the eight lakes which now exist. Most fishermen join the fishing syndicate and are entitled to fish several days each year, but it is also possible to buy a day ticket.
Adwell also hosts weddings in the garden and with the Church “on the doorstep” it is an ideal location for a Church wedding. Ceremonies can also take place in the garden and in the house. The Estate has some marquees for small events and can arrange larger marquees through local companies who have held many events here before if required.
We can also recommend local catering companies and so on.
Adwell also hosts companies for corporate entertainment such as fishing and clay pigeon shooting and companies use the estate for office parties. We have a field which is set aside for large corporate events with plenty of parking and room for glamping if required.