A WONDERFULLY ECLECTIC HISTORY
Denham Place, in its current form, dates back to 1688, when construction work began.The history of the estate and village, however, goes back over a thousand years.
During this time, a collection of formidable characters played a part in its colourful history.
These players include kings and queens, noblemen, aristocrats, knights of the realm and even a producer of iconic movies. More recently, the residence has been in the responsible hands of a family engaged in a worthy endeavour. They have now achieved their vision to restore Denham Place to its former palatial glory.
An understanding of the past can help us appreciate the present. Showing respect for its heritage, Denham Place is now a masterpiece of renovation.
1042
THE ABBEY OF WESTMINSTER
Not long before the Norman Conquest, Denham come into the ownership of Westminster Abbey in whose possession it remained throughout the Middle Ages. It was given to the Abbey by the Saxon Ulstand between 1042 and 1065.
1086
THE DOMESDAY BOOK
Denham is mentioned in the ‘Great Survey’ manuscript completed by order of King William the Conqueror. Saxon in origin, the name ‘Denham’ means ‘Homestead in a Valley’.
Circa 1275
KING EDWARD 1 AND QUEEN ELEANOR
The manor was divided and the southern half handed over to Edward 1 and Queen Eleanor of Castile, on whose death in 1290 it returned to the Abbey in part endowment of commemoratory services to be sung at Westminster for the Queen. The estate was part owned by the Abbey until the 1540s.
1540
SIR EDMUND PECKHAM
King Henry VIII granted Denham to Sir Edmund Peckham, whose family were the controllers of the Royal Mint. Sir Peckham, who become High Treasurer of the Royal Mint, responsible for producing money for the King, commissioned the first large scale dwelling to be built on the site of Denham Place. Sir George Peckham, Grandson of Sir Edmund, supported the crowning of Queen Elizabeth I and in reward, Denham Place was visited by Elizabeth on one of her Royal progress tours out of the capital. The Queen famously brought her own padlocks in order to make the house “secure to her own Royal standards”.
1596
SIR WILLIAM BOWYER
In 1596 Denham Place was granted to Sir William Bowyer who retained ownership of the estate until 1670.
1670
SIR ROGER HILL
The estate was purchased by Sir Roger Hill, Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire. He replaced the existing house with Denham Place as it stands today between 1688 -1701. The property was further enhanced by the creation of elaborate formal gardens, shown in a detailed painting of 1705.
1742
THE WAY FAMILY
The estate was inherited by the Way family, who made their fortune from maritime shipping. Benjamin Way made alterations to the house internally and he commissioned Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown to replace the formal gardens with much more informal landscaping. The river was turned into a lake and new carriage drives instigated.
1750
CAPTAIN JAMES COOK
In the late 1740s and 1750s Captain James Cook, the famous explorer, was a frequent visitor to Denham Place since the Way family and the South Sea Company funded some of Cook’s expeditions.
1775
CAPABILITY BROWN
Capability Brown, often given the accolade ‘England’s greatest gardener, was responsible for over 170 gardens surrounding many of Britain’s finest country homes. These include Blenheim Palace, Highclere Castle, Warwick Castle, Milton Abbey and, of course, Denham Place. His revolutionary style was to replace formal patterned styles with smooth undulating grass running straight to the house, clumps, belts and scattering of trees and lakes formed by invisibly damming small rivers.
1834
KING JOSEPH-NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
Between 1834-1838 and 1840-1844 the Way family leased Denham Place to the exiled King Joseph-Napoleon Bonaparte, the former King of Naples and Sicily, and brother of fallen French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. Following the French Emperor’s defeat at Waterloo in 1815 his brother Joseph-Napoleon Bonaparte had lived in exile, coming to England in 1832 and taking a London mansion on Park Crescent in Regent’s Park. In 1834 there was an outbreak of cholera in London so Bonaparte fled the capital and leased Denham Place as a safe country retreat. Bonaparte, who was used to living in Royal palaces, enjoyed the palatial splendour and parkland of Denham Place.
1858-1913
J P MORGAN
Between 1858 to 1913 American banker J P Morgan owned a London mansion in Kensington. On occasion when he was staying in London J P Morgan would spend time at Denham Place, renting the estate from Eleanor Way. J P Morgan believed that Denham Place was the most beautiful stately home in England and in 1909 he modelled his Matinecock Point mansion and estate on Long Island on Denham Place.
1930
LORD AND LADY VANSITTART
The Vansittarts purchased the estate from Basil Fothergill, who bought the property at auction in 1920. Lord Vansittart was Permanent Undersecretary at the Foreign Office from 1930 to 1938, when he continually warned the government of the growing military power of Germany. Lord and Lady Vansittart helped finance several of the motion pictures produced at the Denham Film Studios and entertained a unique mixture of politicians, socialites and movie stars at Denham Place. Visitors during the 1930s included Alexander Korda, Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier and Wallis Simpson (later to become the Duchess of Windsor).
Circa 1960
HARRY SALTZMAN
For many years, Denham Place was the home of Harry Saltzman, co-producer of the world-famous James Bond movies, including Dr No, Goldfinger, From Russia with Love, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever and Live and Let Die. It is said that scenes from one of the Bond films starring Roger Moore, a resident of Denham village, were shot at Denham Place. Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Rudolf Nureyev and Gregory Peck were also visitors. London “Whitehall” scenes from Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun were shot at Denham Place – with the library at Denham Place doubling for “M”’s office in Whitehall where Bond is briefed.
2004
THE CURRENT OWNERS
Determined to restore the residence to its former palatial glory, the current family embarked on an ambitious restoration programme under the guidance of English Heritage and The Georgian Society. They engaged Alex Kravetz, the highly regarded designer of grand luxury hotels, to mastermind the project. After a painstaking eight-year restoration programme, Denham Place is now an opulent family home without equal.
It is said that Denham Place took twice as long to complete as Hampton Court Palace, Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece. Like the recent eight-year-long restoration programme, this was clearly time well spent.
