This is the Dashwood mausoleum and at Lawrence church. It is where the remains of the Dashwood family lie.
There is a legend that a local man Paul Whitehead is said to have left £50 to Sir Francis to purchase an urn for his heart and a spot in the Dashwood Mausoleum. In 1829 Whitehead’s heart was stolen by an Australian solider and the presumably empty urn was placed in the Caves for safekeeping. The ghost of Paul Whitehead is said to haunt the tunnels of the Hellfire Caves eternally searching for his missing heart.
St Lawrence church was built in the 14th century and then dramatically changed in 1763. It was restored and improved upon by Sir Francis Dashwood. He was inspired by his European travels and the famous Golden Ball is a copy of the Customs House in Venice. He bought artists over from Italy to work on the Church interior as well as at West Wycombe House. I
