Duncroft Manor

Image: © Sean Davis Taken: 9 Oct 2012

Duncroft Manor can tell lots of stories, and holds many secrets from over the centuries. The present building dates from 1631 but has been changed through the years. The original house on the site is thought to have been Saxon and according to “Exploring Surrey’s Past” there is evidence of activity here during the Bronze Age and from Roman Times. Some sources claim that King John stayed here before sealing Magna Carta in 1215 at Runnymede. However, tradition claims it is more likely the Bishops and Barons stayed here the night before meeting King John at Runnymede on 15th June 1215 to seal Magna Carta. The Domesday Book (1086) mentions the Manor of Staines, and often the Manor House is referred to in other sources. However, there is no conclusive evidence to where the Manor House was. Duncroft is one place which could lay a claim, and excavations over the years have not disproved this. Through the years Duncroft has been owned by many influential people including members of the Ashby brewing and banking family. Between 1948 and 1982 Duncroft was both a home and an approved school for girls. It was originally run by the Home Office, then the local authority and in October 1976 was then taken over by Dr Barnardo’s. The girls here came from troubled backgrounds and from reading reports, plus blogs from girls who attended, many had high IQs. It was a requirement that girls entering Duncroft between 1962 and 1972 had an IQ in the top 10% of the population. On a darker side, the old manor house has recently come to unveil some of its previously hidden secrets. Jimmy Savile (1926-2011) often visited in the early 1970s and it was through evidence given by some of the girls that The Metropolitan Police had set up an investigation named “Operation Yewtree” in 2012 to look into claims of sexual abuse by Jimmy Savile and others. You can read more about Duncroft Manor at https://sites.google.com/site/staineshistoricalwalks/home/staines-history-walk-part-1 Today Duncroft Manor is divided up into luxury flats.

Images are licensed for reuse under creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0