Berkshire History for Kids: Shaw House

Battle Centre in the Civil War

Shaw House is a Tudor mansion in West Berkshire. It is near Newbury.
It was built for Thomas Dolman between 1579 & 1581. It is an Elizabethan H-plan house. Thomas was a rich wool merchant from Newbury.
People made fun of him because they thought big houses were for lords and ladies, not businessmen.
Some of the Dolman family supported the King during the English Civil War. King Charles I sent some of soldiers to defend it during the 2nd Battle of Newbury.
There is a plaque inside the house marking where an enemy soldier just missed shooting the King before the battle. But it's not true! The King stayed in Newbury and never went to Shaw.
In Georgian Times, the Duke of Chandos bought the house. He installed some of the first flush toilets there. While his son was staying in the house, he bought himself a wife in Newbury!
For years, the house was part of a school. Now it belongs to West Berkshire Council and you can look round it at the weekend.