King John’s Palace (Langley Farmhouse)

King John’s Palace is an Historic Grade II* listed former Royal Hunting Lodge tucked away on the edge of the Shipton Downs by what was the old Leafield Radio Station, one would never imagine that this was once the site of many a Royal feast after a day’s hunting in the Forest of Wychwood, which, before the disafforestation in 1863 was a haven for the Royal Venison.

As many as ten kings and queens stayed here at Langley between 1204 and 1614. King John, who it is said built a tiny ‘Palace’ at Langley by enlarging the already present building, was first recorded to be here in 1204 using Langley as an annexe to the Palace at Woodstock.

In 1230 John’s son, King Henry III, visited Langley and granted to Thomas de Langlee an acre of ground called Naterigg on which to build a chapel. The eldest son of Henry III, King Edward I visited in 1281, the year he granted to his mother Eleanor the ferm of the forest and the Manor at Langley.

King Edward IV often visited while hunting in the Wychwood, but the Lodge had fallen into disrepair since the Black Death had killed all but one of the Langlee family in 1362.

The Lodge was rebuilt by King Henry VII who married Edward’s daughter Elizabeth thus joining the white and red roses of the houses of York and Lancaster which became the badge of Tudor Regality.

While having the Lodge rebuilt Henry had the floriated initials H and E carved above the window at the top of the stairs leading up to what is known as The Queen’s room; these can still be seen today, and in the bedroom is a perfectly preserved Tudor fireplace which was rediscovered by the current owner’s family.

Above and either side of the front door to the house are two slabs bearing the same initials, but floriated and linked in a lover’s knot which were presumably recycled from the ruins and placed into this part of the house when it was rebuilt again by the Victorians.

Other Tudor features still to be seen are 2 two-light windows and 2 narrow one-lights with a third one blocked up. Leading from the present kitchen/dining hall are 2 stone doorways, one of which leads to what we presume was an old kitchen because in this room, which is now a cosy snug, there is another Tudor fireplace, but the fire grate has an oven set underneath it. A further stone doorway leads from here up the back stairs to the Queen’s room landing.

After Henry VII the next King to visit and stay at Langley was King Henry VIII – the most married King of England – He was particularly fond of hunting and Langley was a favourite residence. He often stayed, being first recorded to be here in September 1526 and again on August 24th 1529.

In August 1532 as is recorded in the Domestic State Papers, King Henry VIII played at dice at Langley with Stephen Gardner, winning £23.6s.8d. and on the 28th of August in the same year, paid to Mr Weston, won from the King at dice £46.13s.4d. It was on this same visit that Henry bought Anne Boleyn to stay with him at “the little hunting lodge his father had built” and while she was here she gave her ‘Royal lover’ a Grey Stag-hound.

The first Princess to stay at Langley was Mary, to become Queen Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII by Catherine of Aragon, his first wife, the then Princess Mary visited Langley in 1543 when she coursed her greyhounds in the forest. This was the only time she came here and possibly one of her few happy occasions during her life.

Queen Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII by Anne Boleyn, visited Langley in 1554 as a Princess, and as Queen when she was on her way to Burford from Woodstock as recorded in the Burford Burgesses’ Book – on the 4th day of August 1574 Her Majesty came from Langley through the town of Burford.

After the two queens we had another visit from a King, James I, son of Mary Queen of Scots, great grandson of James IV of Scotland by Margaret, daughter of Henry VII of England. He stayed at Langley for three days from the 24th of August 1605, attracted no doubt by the excellent hunting which was offered in the Wychwood Forest. He was here again in 1614; an entry in the Shipton Church Register of that date, states that a French boy, drowned in the Evenlode, was buried from Langley, the Court being there.

The only surviving son of James I, King Charles I stayed at Langley as a Prince with his father on more than one occasion, but as King the only connection he has with Langley is that it was under his orders that a wall was begun which was to surround the park, and it is probably at this stage in time the Hunting Lodge at Langley was allowed to fall into disrepair during the Rebellions that followed. The majority of the Lodge was demolished in 1690.

Apart from the Royal visitors the only real clues we get to the size and layout of the Lodge are that hearth tax was paid on 17 hearths in 1665 and in 1536 masons were paid for taking down and rebuilding part of the walls of the wardrobes of the king’s and queen’s beds, and pasters for working in the king’s and queen’s lodgings. Other work that year included expenditure on the ‘king’s stairs going from the king’s lodgings to the hall’, the queen’s stairs coming from her lodging to the inner court’ and ‘the stairs going to the king’s garden’. Mention of the ‘inner court’ implies that there was also an ‘outer court’ suggesting at least two courtyards which was quite normal in tudor times.

Here and now the Greves family, who bought the farm from the Crown in 1983 in rather a dilapidated and unloved state, have farmed and still farm the land, improved the farm buildings and more recently updated and modernised the house, opening up the old kitchen and passageway area to create a wonderful kitchen/dining hall, and adding extra bathrooms without losing the family feel and history of the house. We are now happy to share with guests our up to date ‘little palace’ together with a small piece of history, and hope that your stay here will be restful and enlightening especially now that you know who has stayed here before you.