Introduction:
A Walk Through History: Inside Robin Gibb’s Enigmatic Oxfordshire Estate
When Robin Gibb first stepped onto the grounds of the Prebendal House in Oxfordshire, he had no idea he was about to discover a millennium of history hidden behind what he initially believed was the main residence. At the time, he and his wife, Dwina, were living in a 16th-century cottage in Barnes, just outside London. With their young son, RJ, and a growing family, the couple turned to Country Life magazine in search of a larger home. What they found instead was an extraordinary estate—one steeped in legend, religion, and political history.
The Prebendal House, nearly 1,000 years old, is famously associated with the story of Joan of Arc. According to Gibb, it was within the estate’s Star Chamber that four bishops passed the grim sentence that ultimately led to her execution in the 15th century. During the Reformation under Henry VII, the property was dissolved as a Catholic prebend and later became a farm serving large counties across and beyond Oxfordshire. In earlier centuries, prebendal estates acted as administrative centers where the church, not the state, recorded baptisms, marriages, burials, and even penalties for crimes.
Robin often reflected on how the estate stood as a witness to England’s shift from church dominance to the rise of the state. He frequently referenced the conflict between Henry II and Thomas Becket, noting how Becket’s murder marked a turning point in reducing the church’s political power—a transition the Prebendal House itself lived through.
When the Gibbs moved in, they were determined to restore the interior to a 1500s appearance. They enlisted Stewart Interiors, known for their work at Windsor Castle, to bring the vision to life. Although the property is Grade II listed—meaning its exterior must remain unchanged—the couple made careful updates inside while preserving its historic character.
The estate today is a blend of medieval architecture and personal charm. Among its features is a 1904 gypsy wagon, a cherished item of Dwina’s, now weathered but still a whimsical focal point in the garden. Beyond it lies the rose garden, which bursts into full bloom each May, and a vegetable patch bordered by ancient oak trees and stables.
The grounds themselves evolved over time. In the 1920s, the estate consisted of several separate buildings clustered like a small village before being gradually joined into one expansive residence. Robin recalled how, before he installed gates, a passerby once knocked on his window asking whether the property was part of “Lrnan Village.”
Perhaps the most enchanting corner of the estate is the “Alice in Wonderland Garden,” a secluded area where Gibb often went to read and reflect. With a cascading waterfall that flows toward the River Thames, he described it as a place filled with “magic moments.”
As his tour of the grounds concluded, Robin offered a simple farewell—gracious, warm, and unmistakably proud of the remarkable home he had helped restore. The Prebendal House stands today not only as a monument to centuries of English history, but also as a testament to the imagination and spirit of the artist who cherished it.