Poundon House

Your retreat venue, Poundon House, is a wonderful, spacious family home, that has been the home of the Roscoe’s for over thirty years. Your retreat hosts, Natalie & Alicia, grew up here and know every little nook and crany. It is still very much a family home, and over your retreat it is your home too.

Poundon House was built in 1908 by Col. John Heyward Lonsdale when he married a Miss Parker Bowles who lived locally. The house is built of sandstone from the quarry at Eydon near Banbury and the stone was hauled up from the Marsh Gibbon station by teams of horses.

In 1939 the house was requisitioned for the war by the Foreign and Colonial Office. During the war the house was used by the Post Office and formed a part of the huge effort to break the Engima Code. This code had to be broken anew each day and the number of people working on the project nationwide was over 10,000. Although the Germans considered the code unbreakable they had not taken into account what the inventive English could achieve with intelligence and tremendous hard work. Co-incidentally our great aunt worked on the project at Bletchley House. During the war a bomb was dropped at the end of the drive.

After the war the house continued to be used for the gathering of intelligence in the cold war. Poundon Hill radio station has direct line of sight to the Ukraine and was used by the GCHQ until 10 years ago.

Our father brought the house in 1979 when the Foreign and Colonial Office relinquished their lease, and it has been a private family home ever since.

Poundon House is only an hour from London and Bicester, and with good transport links, it is close to London yet also surrounded by beautiful countryside. It is quiet and peaceful with a welcoming atmosphere and the perfect place to retreat for a weekend.

 

Poundon House

The approach and design of Poundon House is striking.

The Yellow Room ready for a meal for our guests.

Lovely bathrooms (shared – there are no ensuites) where you can relax and soak after a busy week.

Bedrooms that are traditional and comfortable with a country house interior style.

Bedrooms can be either twin or doubles, with Hypnos mattresses so that you sleep really well!

The drawing room is formal yet friendly and in winter with a open fire, a lovely place to relax and chat.

The yoga shala is spacious and filled with natural light from the large sash windows.

Our retreats are not only a healthy weekend away, but a really special and unforgetable experience in a unique place that will leave you feeling amazing.

If you are looking for a countryside escape, time to reflect and relax, then a weekend retreat at Poundon House is just what you are looking for!