Our History

There have been people in the Hambleden, Fawley and Culham area since the earliest times. A prehistoric site has been recorded at Kimble Farm on the northern edge of the estate, thought to be a Mesolithic flint factory dating about 9500-4350 BC. Flint was used as the raw material for tools by hunter gathers living a nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle but the number of implements on the site suggest these ancient people had settled there. However, the most significant ancient settlement finds on the estate were those at Hambleden left by the Romans. There are the remains of three Roman Villas in the area around Mill End, one of which (Yewden Villa) was excavated in 1912 by Alfred Cocks unearthing, amongst other things, the remains of 97 infants.

The estate’s history has been researched by Sally Strutt MA, a noted historical researcher. She has written and published ‘The History of the Culden Faw Estate’ copies of which are available from the Estate Office. The book contains over 250 pages of fascinating historical records, obtained from over a year’s worth of research, detailing the history of the estate from Roman Times up to and including the present day.