The woodland around Scottsquar Hill forms part of the historic Standish Park estate, which has its origins as a medieval deer park. By the 13th century, the lords of Standish maintained an enclosed parkland for hunting fallow deer — a privilege granted by royal charter.
The estate passed through several notable families, including the Berkeleys and the Purnells, before becoming a working agricultural estate. The grand Standish House, glimpsed through the trees to the west, dates from the 18th century and was remodelled in the Victorian era.
“The estate passed through several notable families, including the Berkeleys and the Purnells, before becoming a working agricultural estate.”
Walkers on the Cotswold Way pass along the eastern boundary of the park, where the ancient oaks marking the old pale (the boundary fence of the deer park) can still be identified by their broad, spreading crowns — a characteristic of trees that grew in open parkland rather than dense woodland.
