Hastoe – Oakengrove Farm

Oakengrove was originally designed for Baron Rothschild as a pair of farm workers cottages. The work was carried out by local architect William Huckvale who designed many buildings in the Tring area, including the Natural History Museum.

Chilterns ANOB

Artist impression of William Huckvale inspecting the changes to his design

William Huckvale was an architect whose work left a lasting impact on the architecture of the Tring area, particularly through his association with the Rothschild family. Born in 1803, Huckvale’s career was largely shaped by the opportunity to work for the influential Rothschilds, who were notable patrons of art and architecture. After setting up his own practice in London he came into contact with Alexander Parks, agent to Lord Rothschild. He designed a number of buildings for the Rothschilds on the Tring Park estate, undertook considerable work at the Rothschild bank in New Court in the City of London, and was the architect for the Royal Mint Refinery. He also carried out work on the Rothschild estate at Aston Clinton. Over 40 buildings he designed are Listed Buildings, 13 in the Tring area alone

Huckvale’s style evolved through the early to mid-1800s, during a period when Britain was experiencing rapid industrialisation and social change. His work reveals a preference for the Georgian and early Victorian styles, incorporating both classical proportions and more rustic English elements. His designs often emphasised natural beauty and harmony with the surrounding landscape, a feature particularly evident in the country estates and rural houses he built.

One of Huckvale’s notable contributions to the Tring area is the design of Oakengrove, a pair of farm cottages in Hastoe, commissioned by the Rothschild family. This project highlights Huckvale’s skill in creating practical, functional buildings that blend seamlessly with the rural landscape. The cottages were designed with a focus on simplicity and local character, reflecting the practical needs of farmworkers while also incorporating elements of traditional Victorian architecture. While not a grand country house, Oakengrove stands as an example of Huckvale’s ability to create buildings that were both aesthetically pleasing and in harmony with their natural surroundings.

In the middle of the 20th century, the two cottages were combined into the single structure you see here. During the course of this work, a comprehensive archaeological report was prepared, recording the many aspects of the buildings. You can read that here.

Heritage Trails

This is one of four ‘Routes to the Past’ circular walks, made possible by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. You can find the other trails on the main Chilterns Interactive Map, under routes.

Each trail has four waymarkers with unique stories to tell – Find the other Hastoe trail markers and scan their stories at the locations shown here.

Chilterns ANOB
Chilterns ANOB
Chilterns ANOB

Chilterns Heritage and Archaeology Partnership

CHAP is an exciting new endeavour which is set to be the ‘voice for archaeology’ in the Chilterns.
Chilterns ANOB

Plan your trip to the Chilterns!

Search the interactive map: select from a list of categories to bring up icons showing the location and information of walks, bike rides, places to visit, tasty local products and plenty more across the Chilterns.