The Weston Manor, Oxfordshire

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The Weston Manor Hotel, showpiece of the lovely village of Weston-on-the-Green and where I worked as a dining-room waiter during 1974. The medieval Baron's Hall (present dining-room) was the bailiffs court for the Abbott of Osney who owned the house before the dissolution of the monasteries by King Henry VIII in the 16th century.

Subsequently the great land owning families, the Earls of Abingdon and Berkshire - the "Norreys and Berties" resided at Weston Manor until the death of the last heir during the great war in 1917.

The building was converted into a hotel in the late 1940's, and bought by its present owners, the Osborn family in 1983. The hotel owners at the time I was there were Mr. Archie Price and Mr. Nicholas Price (1963-1983). At the Weston Manor my boss was Mr. Nicholas Price, a portly Englishman with a cheery personality. The dining room was managed by the maitre d'hotel, a Spaniard named Manolo, a friendly hard working fellow and his family. Unfortunately, everyone I knew then had moved on.

I was told by the then landlord and my boss, Mr. Nicholas Price, of two ghosts at the Hotel. The first is reputed to be that of a phantom coach which comes through the yard at the rear of the Manor house and mysteriously vanishes. The other is that of Mad Maude.

The story goes that when the hotel was a monastery, Maude, a nun from a nearby convent, was coaxed into the monastery for "immoral" practices by some of the members of the bretheren. When these practises where uncovered by more senior members of the faith Maude and her cohorts were tried and found guilty of breaking their vows of chastity. As a result she was tied to a stake in the grounds and burned alive. Since that time Maudes spirit has returned to roam the manor.

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Photos

The Manor
The Manor house is said to be haunted by the ghost of Mad Maude.

Historical Marker
...just to the right of the Manor doorway.

The Entrance Hall
Here we sat and took Tea during our visit.

The Baron's Hall
Dining-room where I worked as a waiter.

The Manor Grounds
Holly in the Manor garden, where else?

On the Manor Grounds
A Holly Hedge?, or Looking for Mad Maude?

Weston Manor
Another View.

Here I am.
At Weston Manor 30 years later.