Its land is the site of a Norman castle settlement which hosted a number of Lords, the most famous of whom was Sir John Oldcastle, the figure on which the character of Sir John Falstaff is based in the late 16th-century Shakespeare play Henry IV, Part 1.

[7][9] During the Second World War, the New Zealand Forestry Officers used The Manor House as their headquarters, while a part of it was used as a hospital.

After 18 months, the club left the premises, and the house was shortly thereafter sold to Bobbie Allen, an amateur hotelier, and her husband (the Major).

She wrote a book about her experiences, From Claridge's to Castle Combe, self-published in 1968, which reflects her character and the post-War era of the community and the hotel.She includes many anecdotes about guests during that time including author Robin Maugham, equestrian show jumpers Pat Smythe, Harry Llewellyn, and American author and politician Clare Boothe Luce[12] After many years, the Allens sold The Manor House to Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Clegg[13] who, in 1988, sold it to the corporation which now owns the property.

[9] Some sources state that Margaret Thatcher wrote at least some of her memoirs, The Downing Street Years, in the manor's Full Glass bar.