Oakley Court
Encyclopedia
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
country house set in 35 acres (141,640.1 m²) overlooking the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at Water Oakley
Water Oakley
Water Oakley is a hamlet on the River Thames in the civil parish of Bray in the English county of Berkshire.It is the location of both Bray Studios and the Oakley Court Hotel. It first appeared on maps around 1800. However, the name 'Oakley' is derived from the Old English ac-leah which translates...
in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of Bray
Bray, Berkshire
Bray, sometimes known as Bray on Thames, is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It stands on the banks of the River Thames, just south-east of Maidenhead. It is famous as the village mentioned in the song The Vicar of Bray...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
. It was built in 1859 and is currently a luxury hotel. It has been often used as a film location.
History
The Court was built in 1859 for Sir Richard Hall Say who married Ellen Evans of Boveney Court in 1857. He was appointed High SheriffHigh Sheriff
A high sheriff is, or was, a law enforcement officer in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.In England and Wales, the office is unpaid and partly ceremonial, appointed by the Crown through a warrant from the Privy Council. In Cornwall, the High Sheriff is appointed by the Duke of...
of Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
in 1864 and Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in 1865.
In 1874 Oakley Court was sold to Lord Otho Fitzgerald
Lord Otho FitzGerald
Lord Otho Augustus FitzGerald PC was a British soldier and Liberal politician. He notably served as Comptroller of the Household under William Gladstone between 1868 and 1874.-Background:...
, then to a John Lewis Phipps and in 1900 to Sir William Beilby Avery of Avery Scales
Avery Weigh-Tronix
Avery Weigh-Tronix is a company specialising in weighing machines. Its HQ stands on the site of the Soho Foundry overlooking Black Patch Park in Smethwick, Birmingham, England, with a US-based manufacturing and retail manufacturing plant....
. In 1919 Ernest Olivier purchased the property together with 50 acres (202,343 m²) of Berkshire woodland for £27,000. He was a very eccentric character who frequently entertained foreign diplomats and as a courteous gesture flew the flag of the nation they represented on the original flagpole, which still stands today. The Court was used during the last war as the English headquarters for the French Resistance
French Resistance
The French Resistance is the name used to denote the collection of French resistance movements that fought against the Nazi German occupation of France and against the collaborationist Vichy régime during World War II...
and President Charles De Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
is said to have stayed in one of the bedrooms.
Film set
Because it adjoins Bray StudiosBray Studios (UK)
Bray Studios is a film and television facility at Bray, near Windsor, Berkshire, England. The films Alien and The Rocky Horror Picture Show were shot there...
, the exterior of Oakley Court was used in the filming of a number of films including several Hammer horror films, such as The Reptile
The Reptile
The Reptile is a 1966 horror film made by Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by John Gilling, and starred Noel Willman, Jacqueline Pearce, Ray Barrett, Jennifer Daniel and Michael Ripper.-Plot synopsis:...
(1966), The Brides of Dracula
The Brides of Dracula
The Brides of Dracula is a 1960 British Hammer Horror film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Peter Cushing as Van Helsing; Yvonne Monlaur as Marianne Danielle; Andrée Melly as her roommate, Gina; Marie Devereux; David Peel as Baron Meinster, a disciple of Count Dracula; and Martita Hunt as his...
(1962), The Plague of the Zombies
The Plague of the Zombies
The Plague of the Zombies Hammer Horror film directed by John Gilling. It stars André Morell, John Carson, Jacqueline Pearce, Brook Williams and Michael Ripper...
(1966), and And Now the Screaming Starts!
And Now the Screaming Starts!
And Now the Screaming Starts! is a 1973 British gothic horror film. It is one of the few feature-length horror stories by Amicus, a company best-known for anthology or "portmanteau" films....
(1973). It is perhaps best remembered as Dr. Frank N Furter's castle (called The Frankenstein Place) in The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
(1975).
The only film to be filmed both inside and outside of Oakley Court is regular Hammer director Freddie Francis
Freddie Francis
Frederick William Francis BSC was an English cinematographer and film director.He achieved his greatest successes as a cinematographer, including winning two Academy Awards, for Sons and Lovers and Glory...
' independent project Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly
Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny, and Girly, released as Girly in North America, is the name of a 1970 British horror-comedy cult film. Based on a stage play by Maisie Mosco entitled Happy Family , the film is a dark and playful allegory of the breakdown of the nuclear family of...
. Francis and screenwriter Brian Comport specifically tailored the movie around the building after Francis became enamored with it during his work on various Hammer projects and decided to take full advantage of the entire house and its grounds rather than just use it for establishing shots.
It was also used for a cult independent horror film called Vampyres
Vampyres (film)
Vampyres is an erotic and bloody lesbian vampire film directed by Spanish film director José Ramón Larraz on location in England.-Plot:...
(1974). In 1995, it featured as the 'Laxton Grange Hotel' in the British television series, Pie in the Sky.
The classic 1976 mystery farce "Murder by Death" also used this house for its setting.
The house may also be seen in the William Castle Horror comedy The Old Dark House (1963), which was a remake of the original The Old Dark House, directed by James Whale
James Whale
James Whale was an English film director, theatre director and actor. He is best remembered for his work in the horror film genre, having directed such classics as Frankenstein , The Old Dark House , The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein...
and starring Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
.
On many web resources it is erroneously credited as being St Trinian's School
St Trinian's School
St Trinian's is a fictional girls' boarding school, the creation of English cartoonist Ronald Searle, that later became the subject of a popular series of comedy films....
in the original St Trinian's film series, but a comparison between the films and the actual building show a quite different architecture and overall design. Historical notes available from the hotel, however, indicate that some parts of the St Trinian films were filmed in the grounds.