Stoke Park Club
Encyclopedia
Stoke Park is a historic estate in Stoke Poges
, Buckinghamshire
. The Mansion is located amongst 350 acres (1.4 km²) of parkland, lakes, historic gardens and monuments. The site is now a hotel, spa and country club.
Stoke Park has served as the filming location for several major films, including James Bond
's Goldfinger
and Tomorrow Never Dies
, Bridget Jones's Diary
and Layer Cake
. It also hosts the annual Boodles Tennis Championships
as a warm-up to Wimbledon, a week prior to the Championships.
. From 1066 the estate was inherited in a direct line of descent for 515 years until it had to be sold to the Crown in 1581 to pay the outstanding debts of Henry Hastings, the 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, whose father Francis, the Commander in Chief of Henry VIII’s army, had rebuilt the Manor House (part of which can still be seen today) in 1555.
John Penn (1760 - 1834), a soldier, scholar and poet, is responsible for most of what can be seen at the estate today. He used a large proportion of the £130,000 the new United States Government paid for his family's 26-million acre (110,000 km2) plot in Pennsylvania.
The Mansion was designed by James Wyatt (architect to George III) who worked on the development of The Mansion and surrounding monuments from 1790 to 1813. The parkland was the product of two geniuses of Eighteenth Century landscape architecture, "Capability" Brown and Humphry Repton
, who designed the landscape that can be seen today in 1792.
In 1908, the Club’s first President was His Highness Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein and first Vice President was the Right Honourable Earl Howe
. The committee also included Lord Chesterfield, Lord Kinnoul and Lord Decies.
In his 1910 book, The Golf Courses of the British Isles, Bernard Darwin
wrote:
"Stoke Park is a beautiful estate, and there is very good golf to be played there. There are plenty of things to do besides playing golf. We may get very hot at lawn tennis or keep comparatively cool at bowls or croquet, or, coolest of all, we may sit on the terrace or in the garden and give ourselves wholly and solely to loafing. The clubhouse is a gorgeous palace, a dazzling vision of white stone, of steps and terraces and cupolas, with a lake in front and imposing trees in every direction."
, Washington D.C.
The 21 bedrooms are individually designed and are named after many of the past residents who lived at the estate (ie. Pennsylvania, Windsor and Lancelot). Many of the Mansion's Bedrooms and Suites open onto terraces with views across the grounds and even Windsor Castle
.
Away from the bedrooms, Stoke Park also has private bars, lounges and restaurant - The Dining Room, which was awarded 2 AA Rosettes in 2010.
The Pavilion also houses Stoke Park's Spa, Salon, Gymnasium and children's Créche.
Stoke Park has eight private function rooms.
With three licensed rooms and a garden terrace, Stoke Park can also hold Civil Marriage Ceremonies and Wedding Receptions.
"If there were no palatial clubhouse and no beautiful gardens and grounds, the course itself would take a great deal of beating anywhere within thirty miles of London. Colt, to whom belongs the credit of designing it, has scored a great success and his reputation as a green architect, already high, will be greatly enhanced by this the latest of his works." (Golf Illustrated, 1909).
In November 2005, Golf Work selected Stoke Park as one of the "Top 100 Courses in the World". The exceptionally high quality of the greens, which have been consistently maintained, are a particular feature of the course.
Stoke Park's Golf Course was used in part in the inspiration of Augusta National Golf Course's tee '16' "Amen". Stoke Park's seventh tee "Heaven" was considered so good, that it was replicated in its American counterpart.
The course is made up of three 9 hole courses, which go together to make up three 18 hole courses.
The course is long and has no fewer than eight par fours of more than 400 yards from the medal tees, the longest being the 9th at 454 yards. It remains largely as Colt designed it with the exception of the 15th and 16th holes, altered in recent years to enhance the Championship layout.
Stoke Park also houses 13 Tennis Courts - three indoor carpet courts, four all-weather courts and six Wimbledon specification grass courts.
, Tim Henman
, Andy Roddick
and Maria Sharapova
.
2011 celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the world-class tournament. Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic
, Marcus Baghdatis, David Nalbandian
and Gaël Monfils
all attended, with David Ferrer
being crowned as the winner.
) and Goldfinger (Gert Frobe
) is still considered to be the most famous game of golf in cinematic history.
The 'mini break' and rowing scenes from Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) were filmed in The Mansion, lakes and The Pennsylvania Suite.
In 2004, three movies released all featuring Stoke Park: Wimbledon
, Bride & Prejudice and Layer Cake. In Wimbledon, Paul Bettany
featured on the grass tennis courts. Stoke Park featured heavily in Layer Cake, including the dramatic ending with Daniel Craig
and Sienna Miller
filmed on The Mansion steps.
Guy Ritchie
's RocknRolla
(2008) also featured the grass tennis courts and the 21st Green.
Other features filmed at Stoke Park include, The Vice
, The Professionals
, Midsomer Murders
, Dead of Night
and many advertisements.
Stoke Poges
Stoke Poges is a village and civil parish in the South Buckinghamshire district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the south of the county, about three miles north of Slough and a mile east of Farnham Common....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. The Mansion is located amongst 350 acres (1.4 km²) of parkland, lakes, historic gardens and monuments. The site is now a hotel, spa and country club.
Stoke Park has served as the filming location for several major films, including James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
's Goldfinger
Goldfinger (film)
Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1964, it is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title...
and Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Bruce Feirstein wrote the screenplay, and it was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. It follows Bond as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering...
, Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones's Diary (film)
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 British romantic comedy film based on Helen Fielding's novel of the same name. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget, Hugh Grant as the caddish Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Bridget's "true love", Mark Darcy...
and Layer Cake
Layer Cake (film)
Layer Cake is a 2004 British crime thriller produced and directed by Matthew Vaughn, in his directorial debut. It is based on the novel Layer Cake by J. J...
. It also hosts the annual Boodles Tennis Championships
Boodles Challenge
The Boodles Tennis Challenge is an international five day tennis exhibition held at Stoke Park Club in Buckinghamshire, England initially founded by veteran sports agent Patricio Apey as an event to help players hone their grass court skills in the lead-up to Wimbledon...
as a warm-up to Wimbledon, a week prior to the Championships.
The Estate
The Stoke Park Estate's recorded history dates back over 1,000 years to before the 1086 Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
. From 1066 the estate was inherited in a direct line of descent for 515 years until it had to be sold to the Crown in 1581 to pay the outstanding debts of Henry Hastings, the 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, whose father Francis, the Commander in Chief of Henry VIII’s army, had rebuilt the Manor House (part of which can still be seen today) in 1555.
John Penn (1760 - 1834), a soldier, scholar and poet, is responsible for most of what can be seen at the estate today. He used a large proportion of the £130,000 the new United States Government paid for his family's 26-million acre (110,000 km2) plot in Pennsylvania.
The Mansion was designed by James Wyatt (architect to George III) who worked on the development of The Mansion and surrounding monuments from 1790 to 1813. The parkland was the product of two geniuses of Eighteenth Century landscape architecture, "Capability" Brown and Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton
Humphry Repton was the last great English landscape designer of the eighteenth century, often regarded as the successor to Capability Brown; he also sowed the seeds of the more intricate and eclectic styles of the 19th century...
, who designed the landscape that can be seen today in 1792.
The Club
The estate was used as a private residence until 1908 when Nick "Pa" Lane Jackson, founder of the Corinthian Sporting Club (Corinthian F.C.), purchased the estate, and turned it into Britain's first Country Club. One of his initial objectives was to commission the famous amateur golfer and course architect Harry Colt (who also designed Pinevalley, Wentworth, Sunningdale, Muirfield and Royal Portrush) to design the golf course. The golf course, along with the Tennis Courts and the conversion of The Mansion were all completed within seven months.In 1908, the Club’s first President was His Highness Prince Albert of Schleswig-Holstein and first Vice President was the Right Honourable Earl Howe
Earl Howe
Earl Howe is a title that has been created twice in British history, for members of the Howe and Curzon-Howe family respectively.The first creation, in the Peerage of Great Britain, was in 1788 for Richard Howe, but became extinct on his death in 1799....
. The committee also included Lord Chesterfield, Lord Kinnoul and Lord Decies.
In his 1910 book, The Golf Courses of the British Isles, Bernard Darwin
Bernard Darwin
Bernard Richard Meirion Darwin CBE JP a grandson of the British naturalist Charles Darwin, was a golf writer and high-standard amateur golfer. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.-Biography:...
wrote:
"Stoke Park is a beautiful estate, and there is very good golf to be played there. There are plenty of things to do besides playing golf. We may get very hot at lawn tennis or keep comparatively cool at bowls or croquet, or, coolest of all, we may sit on the terrace or in the garden and give ourselves wholly and solely to loafing. The clubhouse is a gorgeous palace, a dazzling vision of white stone, of steps and terraces and cupolas, with a lake in front and imposing trees in every direction."
The Mansion
The main building is a Georgian Mansion located at the centre of the 350 acres (1.4 km²) of parkland. The architecture of the building bears some resemblance to the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, Washington D.C.
The 21 bedrooms are individually designed and are named after many of the past residents who lived at the estate (ie. Pennsylvania, Windsor and Lancelot). Many of the Mansion's Bedrooms and Suites open onto terraces with views across the grounds and even Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
.
Away from the bedrooms, Stoke Park also has private bars, lounges and restaurant - The Dining Room, which was awarded 2 AA Rosettes in 2010.
The Pavilion
Opened in 2008, The Pavilion is far different from the old English Country House feel of The Mansion. The 28 Bedrooms and Suites are designed to feel more like a contemporary Boutique Hotel.The Pavilion also houses Stoke Park's Spa, Salon, Gymnasium and children's Créche.
Dining, Entertaining & Conferencing
Stoke Park hosts three restaurants:- The Dining Room was recently awarded 2 AA Rosettes and offers British modern cuisine.
- The Orangery offers light meals and afternoon teas.
- San Marco provides Italian dishes, children's menus and smoothies.
Stoke Park has eight private function rooms.
With three licensed rooms and a garden terrace, Stoke Park can also hold Civil Marriage Ceremonies and Wedding Receptions.
Golf
Stoke Park's Golf Course, known as Stoke Poges, was designed by Harry Colt in 1908. It was opened in July 1909 and received immediate acclaim:"If there were no palatial clubhouse and no beautiful gardens and grounds, the course itself would take a great deal of beating anywhere within thirty miles of London. Colt, to whom belongs the credit of designing it, has scored a great success and his reputation as a green architect, already high, will be greatly enhanced by this the latest of his works." (Golf Illustrated, 1909).
In November 2005, Golf Work selected Stoke Park as one of the "Top 100 Courses in the World". The exceptionally high quality of the greens, which have been consistently maintained, are a particular feature of the course.
Stoke Park's Golf Course was used in part in the inspiration of Augusta National Golf Course's tee '16' "Amen". Stoke Park's seventh tee "Heaven" was considered so good, that it was replicated in its American counterpart.
The course is made up of three 9 hole courses, which go together to make up three 18 hole courses.
- Holes 1 to 9 are known as the Colt course.
- Holes 10 to 18 are known as the Alison course.
- Holes 19 to 27 are known as the Lane Jackson course.
The course is long and has no fewer than eight par fours of more than 400 yards from the medal tees, the longest being the 9th at 454 yards. It remains largely as Colt designed it with the exception of the 15th and 16th holes, altered in recent years to enhance the Championship layout.
Stoke Park also houses 13 Tennis Courts - three indoor carpet courts, four all-weather courts and six Wimbledon specification grass courts.
The Boodles Tennis Challenge
Stoke Park is the host of the annual Boodles tennis Challenge each June. Many top ranked players use this as a pre-Wimbledon warm-up, including the likes of Andy Murray, Andre AgassiAndre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
, Tim Henman
Tim Henman
Timothy Henry "Tim" Henman OBE is a retired English professional tennis player and former British Number One. Henman played a serve-and-volley style of tennis that suited the grass courts of Wimbledon. He was the first player from the United Kingdom since Roger Taylor in the 1970s to reach the...
, Andy Roddick
Andy Roddick
Andrew Stephen "Andy" Roddick is an American professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. He is currently the second highest-ranked American player, behind Mardy Fish....
and Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova
Maria Yuryevna Sharapova ,. is a Russian professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. A US resident since 1994, Sharapova has won 24 WTA singles titles, including three Grand Slam singles titles at the 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 US Open and 2008 Australian Open...
.
2011 celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the world-class tournament. Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic is a Serbian professional tennis player who has been ranked world no. 1 by the Association of Tennis Professionals since 4 July 2011. He has won four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open, the 2011 Wimbledon Championships, and the 2011 US Open...
, Marcus Baghdatis, David Nalbandian
David Nalbandian
David Pablo Nalbandian is an Argentine professional tennis player and former world no. 3. He was runner-up at the 2002 Wimbledon Championships and the winner of the Tennis Masters Cup in 2005.-Biography:...
and Gaël Monfils
Gaël Monfils
Gaël Sébastien Monfils is a French professional tennis player. he was the highest-ranked French tennis player, ranked no. 7 in the world ATP rankings. He was the runner-up at the Paris Masters in 2009 and 2010 and a semifinalist at the 2008 French Open.-2002:In 2002, Monfils finished 24th at the...
all attended, with David Ferrer
David Ferrer
David Ferrer Ern is a Spanish professional tennis player who lives in Valencia, Spain who is currently no. 5 in the ATP Rankings and the second-highest ranked Spaniard behind world no. 2 Rafael Nadal. He turned professional in 2000...
being crowned as the winner.
Movies at Stoke Park
Stoke Park has been the backdrop to many movies and TV programmes. Two James Bond films, Goldfinger (1964) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) have been filmed at the Club. The epic duel between Bond (Sean ConnerySean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
) and Goldfinger (Gert Frobe
Gert Fröbe
Karl Gerhart Fröbe, better known as Gert Fröbe was a German actor who starred in many films, including the James Bond film Goldfinger as Auric Goldfinger, The Threepenny Opera as Peachum, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as Baron Bomburst, and in Der Räuber Hotzenplotz as Hotzenplotz.-Life:Born in...
) is still considered to be the most famous game of golf in cinematic history.
The 'mini break' and rowing scenes from Bridget Jones's Diary (2001) were filmed in The Mansion, lakes and The Pennsylvania Suite.
In 2004, three movies released all featuring Stoke Park: Wimbledon
Wimbledon (film)
Wimbledon is a 2004 romantic comedy film directed by Richard Loncraine. The film centers on a washed-up tennis pro named Peter Colt and an up-and-coming tennis star named Lizzie Bradbury during the Wimbledon Championships.The film was dedicated to Mark McCormack, who died on 16 May 2003 after...
, Bride & Prejudice and Layer Cake. In Wimbledon, Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany is an English actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of films, including A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind, and The Da Vinci Code...
featured on the grass tennis courts. Stoke Park featured heavily in Layer Cake, including the dramatic ending with Daniel Craig
Daniel Craig
Daniel Wroughton Craig is an English actor. His early film roles include Elizabeth, The Power of One, A Kid in King Arthur's Court and the television episodes Sharpe's Eagle, Zorro and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Daredevils of the Desert...
and Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
filmed on The Mansion steps.
Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
's RocknRolla
RocknRolla
RocknRolla is a 2008 British crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, and starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong, Toby Kebbell, Tom Hardy, Idris Elba, Karel Roden, and Thandie Newton...
(2008) also featured the grass tennis courts and the 21st Green.
Other features filmed at Stoke Park include, The Vice
The Vice
Vice is a stock character of the medieval morality plays. While the main character of these plays was representative of every human being , the other characters were representative of personified virtues or vices who sought to win control of man's soul...
, The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
, Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders
Midsomer Murders is a British television detective drama that has aired on ITV since 1997. The show is based on the books by Caroline Graham, as originally adapted by Anthony Horowitz. The lead character is DCI Tom Barnaby who works for Causton CID. When Nettles left the show in 2011 he was...
, Dead of Night
Dead of Night
Dead of Night is a British portmanteau horror film made by Ealing Studios, its various episodes directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. The film stars Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers and Michael Redgrave...
and many advertisements.