Visit to Hambledon
Broadhalfpenny Down
Possibly my favourite day on the Monarch’s Way was the visit to Broadhalfpenny Down and the village of Hambledon. This is a lot to do with my love of the game of cricket. Because, for me, if two words encapsulate the history and atmosphere of Eighteenth Century cricket, the words are Broadhalfpenny Down. Situated high on a hill, three miles outside the Hampshire village of Hambledon, this ground is not really the cradle of cricket as it is often described, but it was certainly the epicentre of the cricket world for about fifteen years, from 1770 to 1785, and I like to think, it was there that cricket discovered itself. The ground faded into obscurity for the nineteenth century, but was revitalised in the twentieth and now thrives as host for a variety of exhibition and club matches. To those fascinated by cricket history, this ground has a magic of its own.



One of the modern not-so-greats (me) showing how it is done in front of the new pavilion. Note the two stump wicket, cunningly built from three walking poles.
For more information, see my website on Early Cricket.
King’s Rest Cottage
So how is this connected with the Monarch’s Way?
Well, it is like this. On 13 October, within a day of Brighton Charles, along with Wilmot, Swan and Gunter passed by Broadhalfpenny Down. It was here that they held a conference about where to spend the night. A house called Hinton Daubney was prepared for them, but, for some unrecorded reason, Charles opposed this and they agreed to travel to Hambledon to stay with Gunter’s sister and brother-in-law, Ursula and Thomas Symonds.
So they traveled three miles further on to arrive at Hambledon village itself for his last full night on English soil before Charles’s escape to France. They stayed at the Symons house at the edge of the village, known as Bury Lodge. This house was demolished around 1800 and replaced by a new Bury Lodge, further away from the road. No visible trace of the old house remains though it seems that the cellars survive, buried underground. What does survive however is a nearby cottage now known as King’s Rest. According to local legend, Charles in fact spent the night of the 13th at the cottage not using the main house as the smaller dwelling would be less likely to be searched – hence the name now given to it. That, it must be said is doubtful as a nineteenth century visitor recorded seeing a tablet let into the masonry dating the building as 1720. Nevertheless, the legend persists and in 1947, the then occupants of the cottage, Rear Admiral and Mrs C.D. Madden recorded an encounter with the ghost of the King. Whatever the truth of these matters, King’s Rest is the closest location we have to the Charles’s lodging for 13 October, so it worth considering further.
When I visited the site in November 2022, sad to say, the cottage was in a ruinous condition. The garden gate at the front of the cottage is overgrown, but, eerily, the name plate still survives and through the trees beyond, the property can be glimpsed. An overgrown driveway to the left of the property is still usable as well, and this has been sealed off with a new metal gate (though this does not prevent pedestrian access) and this was the only sign of recent work. By walking along this driveway, you can see the where Old Bury Lodge stood, a place Charles would certainly have visited. And beyond that, there is the cottage.

Astonishingly, this building is not listed so that perhaps that is why it has been so neglected. It does though seem a pity that this once picturesque dwelling, closely connected to where an important English King spent his final night before entering into a nine-year exile, should be allowed to become derelict and perhaps even vanish.
To visit from the Monarch’s Way, it is an extra mile – where the MW emerges in the village, opposite the church, turn left and keep following the main road. Pass Old Forge Tea Room on the right and soon after, the cottage is well hidden on the left. You can go down a very minor road and soon turn right into the entrance partly barred by a modern barrier. Carry on for 50 yards or so and the cottage will emerge. As you walk, to your left will be the site of where the old Bury Lodge was.