The house was built in 1773 and between 1892 and 1920 it was the home of the novelist Mary Augusta Ward, who is buried in the parish churchyard.

In recent years the house has had a variety of occupiers. In 1944 it became a girls' Catholic school, but in 1972 it achieved notoriety when it was purchased by Victor Lownes of the men's magazine, Playboy. It then became a hotel, with the fields in the picture being converted to a golf course. It is now the home of racehorse trainer Walter Swinburn.

See The DUNSCOMBE family at Stocks, Aldbury for information prior to about1800.

For more details of the recent history see the Wikipedia entry]

Mrs Humphry Ward by Enid Huws Jones St Martins Press, New York,1973
		Stocks House, Aldbury Published by Newman, Berkhamsted circa 1904

Stocks Park, Aldbury Published by T. Muncey, Aldbury circa 1905 The picture shows the farm in the foreground and Stocks House in the middle distance, the wood in the distance being called Aldbury Nowers.

Stocks Cottage, Aldbury pub: C Dickens pre-1918 style back