DiCamillo Companion
England

Denham Place

  • Built / Designed For: Sir Roger Hill

    House & Family History: Denham closely resembles the more famous Belton House (see "Images" section), which is not surprising, as Denham's architect, William Stanton, acted as executant architect and general contractor at Belton, possibly working to the designs of William Winde. Denham is famous for its bucolic, gilded plasterwork. In 1909 the Anglophile American banker J.P. Morgan, Jr. (whose father had leased Denham Place in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), began construction of Matinicock Point, a red brick 57-room house that was modeled on Denham Place. Matinicock Point (demolished 1980; see "Images" section) was set in 250 acres on East Island (which Morgan owned), off the North Shore of Long Island. In the late 20th century Denham Place served as offices for the tobacco company Rothmans. In 2001 the house was purchased from British American Tobacco by Mike Jatania of the Lornamead Group, who spent approximately £20 million to restore Denham as a family home. A painting of the house by an unknown artist, circa 1695, hangs in the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, Connecticut. The village of Denham is very close to the former Denham Studios and today's Pinewood Studios, where hundreds of movies and TV shows were filmed. By the 1930s Denham Studios was the largest facility of its kind in the UK (in 1937 Queen Mary visited the studios while "The Drum" was being filmed); movie production was active at Denham between 1936 and 1952, when the last film wrapped and Denham was absorbed by Pinewood. Over their existences the two studios went by a variety of names (London Film Studios, Rank Studios, and D&P Studios) and their combined output contributed hugely to the international film industry. The Denham film buildings were demolished in 1981 and the site redeveloped as a business park. Because of its close location to Pinewood Studios, during his ownership, James Bond producer Harry Saltzman used Denham Place for location filming for some of his famous 007 movies. In April of 2023 the house, together with 43 acres, was listed for sale for £75 million. Yes, that is 75 million pounds, not £7.5 million!

  • Architect: Lancelot Brown

    Date: 1770s
    Designed: Landscape

    View all houses

    Architect: William Stanton

    Date: 1688-1701
    Designed: House for Sir Roger Hill
    (Attribution of this work is uncertain)
    View all houses
  • Country Life: XVIII, 702, 1905. LVII, 602, 642 plan, 1925.

  • Title: Biographical Dictionary of British Architects, 1600-1840, A - HARDBACK
    Author: Colvin, Howard
    Year Published: 2008
    Reference: pg. 975
    Publisher: New Haven: Yale University Press
    ISBN: 9780300125085
    Book Type: Hardback

    Title: Belton House Guidebook - 1992
    Author: Tinniswood, Adrian
    Year Published: 1992
    Reference: pg. 10
    Publisher: London: The National Trust
    ISBN: 0707801133
    Book Type: Softback

    Title: House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance, The
    Author: Chernow, Ron
    Year Published: 2001
    Reference: pg. 170
    Publisher: New York: Grove Press
    ISBN: 0802138292
    Book Type: Softback

    Title: Georgian: The Magazine of the Georgian Group, The
    Author: NA
    Year Published: NA
    Reference: January 2002, pg. 6
    Publisher: London: The Georgian Group
    ISBN: NA
    Book Type: Magazine

  • House Listed: Grade I

    Park Listed: Grade II

  • "Live and Let Die" (1973 - as interior of M's office). "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974).
  • Past Seat / Home of: Sir Roger Hill, 1700-29. Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte (former king of Naples and Sicily), 1834-44. J.P. Morgan (as tenant), until 1913. Basil Fothergil, 1920-29. Robert Gilbert Vansittart, 1st Baron Vansittart, 1930-57. Harry Saltzman, 1969-77. Mike Jatania, 2001-23.

    Current Ownership Type: Individual / Family Trust

    Primary Current Ownership Use: Private Home

  • House Open to Public: No

    Historic Houses Member: No

VISIT AND HELP PRESERVE HISTORIC BRITISH HOUSES

Help preserve Britain’s privately owned country houses by joining Historic Houses. Use code DICAM7 for a £7 discount off a new membership that will give you access to hundreds of historic houses.

Join Now

The DiCamillo Companion does not receive any compensation from the Historic Houses Association.