Hedsor House

Hedsor House

Hedsor House is a Georgian style mansion in the United Kingdom, located in Hedsor, Buckinghamshire, England. Perched overlooking the River Thames, a manor house at Hedsor can be dated back to 1166 when the estate was owned by the de Hedsor Family. In the 18th Century it was a royal residence of Princess Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales.[1]

History

Hedsor, which dates back to 1166, was once the home of Princess Augusta, Dowager Princess of Wales, mother of George III and the founder of Kew Gardens. The house and its 85 acre park overlooking the Thames then regularly welcomed the Kings and Queens from Windsor Castle as the home of Lord Boston from 1764. The house was originally designed by Sir William Chambers, architect of Somerset House, with the aid of George III and Queen Charlotte, who picked the location specifically for its position high above the Thames. Badly damaged by fire in 1795, a new house was completed in 1868, unusually modeled on the Italian villa style but with a domed hall rather than an open courtyard.[2]

King George III and later, Queen Victoria were both frequent visitors, with Baron Boston building the Hedsor Folly to commemorate King George's victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.[3]

Current

The present house is a "Georgianised" version of the Victorian house. The house is at the end of a kilometre-long private drive in an 85-acre (34-hectare) estate.[4] The surrounding park is Grade II listed on the English Heritage National Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.[5]

In the 1960s, the house became a conference centre for International Computers Limited (ICL). Management courses were run by ICL with overnight accommodation in rooms in the house and in the stable yard. The company only leased the house and the immediate grounds for parking. The bulk of the site was out of bounds. The house is now used for corporate events.[4]

Hedsor Park

Hedsor Park is the listed historic park that surrounds Hedsor House. Regularly visited by Queen Victoria, Hedsor Park is listed under English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England Grade II.[6]

Filming

The house has been used as a film location for both television dramas and feature films including The Golden Compass and Spooks. It was used to represent The White House in The Special Relationship and Downing Street in The Day of the Triffids. It was also used for a MTV reality show The Girls of Hedsor Hall, based on the British reality series Ladette to Lady.[7] and Jay Sean's "Down" music video.

Quartet

It was also the location of Quartet,[8][9] a 2012 comedy drama film directed by Dustin Hoffman, based on the play by Ronald Harwood. It was filmed in its entirety at Hedsor House, in Autumn 2011. The film stars Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins and Billy Connolly. Hedsor House features as "Beecham House", the retirement home for musicians at which the film is set.[10]

Mortdecai

Hedsor House was also used as one of the locations for Mortdecai (film), the action comedy film directed by David Koepp and written by Eric Aronson, which features an all-star cast that includes Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor and Olivia Munn with Jeff Goldblum and Paul Bettany.[11]

Taking a break from part of the movie’s schedule at Pinewood Studios, Johnny Depp, Olivia Munn and Paul Bettany filmed scenes at Hedsor House in autumn 2013 where the Boudoir and Bridal Suite were transformed into filming sets.

Awards

Hedsor House is registered as a wedding venue.[12]

In 2011, Hedsor House was voted Number 2 in the Top 10 Regal Wedding Venues in the UK by The Times. The Top 10 were:[13]

  1. One Marylebone
  2. Hedsor House
  3. Aynhoe Park
  4. Cliveden House
  5. Babington House
  6. Eltham Palace
  7. Stoke Place
  8. Haymarket Hotel
  9. Highclere Castle
  10. Sezincote

In 2012, Hedsor House was chosen as "Tatler's No.1 Top Venue", "VOGUE's Dream Venue" and Eventia "Event Venue of the Year".

References

  1. ↑ "About Hedsor House". Hedsor House. Archived from the original on 2008-03-22. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  2. ↑ "About Hedsor House & Grounds". Hedsor House. 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
  3. ↑ Brenchley Wheals, Brian (1984). Theirs Were But Human Hearts A Local History of Three Thameside Parishes: Wooburn, Little Marlow and Hedsor. Bourne End, Buckinghamshire: H.S. Publishing. p. 85. ISBN 0-9509053-0-5.
  4. 1 2 "Hedsor House is open for business" (PDF). Britain Calling (VisitBritain): 22. February 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-10.
  5. ↑ "Hedsor House: Description". Parks & Gardens UK. Parks & Gardens Data Services. Retrieved 2010-03-22.
  6. ↑ "Hedsor Park" (PDF). Great Parks of England (Parks and Gardens): 22. January 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-28.
  7. ↑ Cristina Kinon. "Donald Trump's 'Hall' seeks Tara Conner-fic comeback tale". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2009-01-27.
  8. ↑ "IMDB - The Special Relationship Locations". Retrieved 2010-01-19.
  9. ↑ "Dark Materials: Design and Locations of The Golden Compass". Visual Hollywood. 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
  10. ↑ "Hedsor House, Location of Dustin Hoffman's Quartet". www.hedsor.com. 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
  11. ↑ "Hedsor House used in the film Mortdecai (2015)". Hedsor House. 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-20.
  12. ↑ "Hedsor House Wedding Venue". http://www.hitched.co.uk/. 2010. Retrieved 2010-01-27. External link in |publisher= (help)
  13. ↑ "Top 10 Regal Wedding Venues in the UK". The Times (UK). 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-03.

External links

Coordinates: 51°33′56″N 0°41′29″W / 51.5656°N 0.6914°W / 51.5656; -0.6914

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