The house from a circa 1915 postcard
Built / Designed For: Sir Richard Hall Say
House & Family History: The Victorian Gothick style house (originally constructed in the style of a French chateau) was built in 1859 for Sir Richard Hall Say, who married Ellen Evans of Boveney Court, Buckinghamshire, in 1857. In 1874 Oakley Court was sold to Lord Otto Fitzgerald, then to John Lewis Phipps. In 1900 it was purchased by Sir William Avery of Avery Scales. In 1919 Ernest Olivier purchased the house with 50 acres for £27,000 (approximately £4 million in 2016 inflation-adjusted values using the labour value commodity index). Apparently, during World War II, it was used as the English headquarters of the French Resistance and visited by De Gaulle. In 1955 Bray Studios relocated nearby (at Down Place) and used Oakley Court for movie location filming. Mr. Olivier died in 1965; the house remained uninhabited until 1979, during which time some 200 films were shot on the property by Southern Pictures and Hammer House Productions. In 1979-81 Oakley was restored, altered, and extended for £5 million by Nellist, Blundell and Flint, with the addition of the riverside and garden wings. On November 7, 1981, Oakley Court opened as a hotel. In 1997 the courtyard wing was built, including a pool and spa. In 1999 the boathouse meeting room was built. In December of 2006 Queens Moat Houses sold the hotel to Dublin-based Heuston Hospitality, who now operate it under a management contract.
Garden & Outbuildings: The house is set in 35 acres of landscaped gardens on the banks of the River Thames.
Chapel & Church:
House Listed: Grade II*
Park Listed: Not Listed
Past Seat / Home of: Richard Hall Say, 19th century. Lord Otho Augustus FitzGerald, 19th century. John Lewis Phipps, 19th century. Sir William Avery, 20th century. Ernest Olivier, 20th century.
Current Ownership Type: Corporation
Primary Current Ownership Use: Hotel
House Open to Public: By Appointment
Phone: 01753-609-988
Fax: 01628-637-011
Website: https://www.oakleycourt.co.uk/
Historic Houses Member: No