With a history stemming from the Domesday Book, we take the journey through the ages, as we discover Boringdon Hall’s heritage and remarkable history.
Intwined between the decadent archways and beneath the rugged paths of Boringdon Hall holds whispers of the many stories through times past. Hosting a notable line of royal figures, over the years, our enchanted castle has housed many a slumber, boasting primary residence to a handful of Kings.
The granddaughter of Richard Mayhew married John Parker in the late 15th century, to which Boringdon was passed by marriage to the Parker family. Parker remodelled the manor to a more traditional “E” shaped Elizabethan design, still incorporating much of the medieval house. The re-modelling of the house was completed in 1587.
It was in this year that John Parker gave a great banquet in honour of his old seafaring friend Sir Francis Drake, to celebrate the sea dogs’ well-planned raid on the Spanish fleet in Cadiz Harbour. Many distinguished guests were present at the banquet, Drakes’ uncle Sir Hawkins, Richard Grenville, Sir Walter Raleigh and William Parker (brother of John Parker) who became Lord Mayor of Plymouth and was the most distinguished of the Caribbean Pirateers.
In 1588, Queen Elizabeth I reportedly stayed at Boringdon Hall during her progress through the West Country. It was during the civil war that Cromwell’s Roundhead Forces destroyed much of Boringdon Hall. The Parkers remained loyal to King Charles, but when civil war broke out in 1642, the house was confiscated, and the family fortune was lost. When King Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660, the Parkers were rewarded for their loyalty so house and fortune were returned to them. The picturesque village of Colebrook was built by the Parkers to house their estate workers and was part of the land owned by the family, which stretched to the old gateway at Plym Bridge.
By the end of the century the wealth of the Parker family had increased considerably and in 1712 they purchased Saltram House, which they enlarged and remodelled to their own needs. The Parker family moved into Saltram in 1750 which left Boringdon Hall as a humble farmhouse.
The fireplace in the Great Hall has been the source of two fires at Boringdon. The first in the 1800s when a servant forgot to put the fire out before bed, resulting in extensive damage to the house. The second occurred in the 1980s, causing significant structural damage.
Boringdon was left to crumble and although many owners came and left, Boringdon continued to fall into disrepair. At one time the whole property could have been purchased for little more than £5,000.
In 2011, the Nettleton family purchased Boringdon with the aim of bringing it back to its former glory. A considerable amount of time and money has been invested to transform Boringdon into a five-star hotel with a luxury spa and exquisite dining experiences.
