With a striking 18th century mansion and massive gardens, it’s clear why filmmakers have been breaking down Stoke Park’s door.
The huge house was the work of James Wyatt – the architect to King George III – and the parkland was partly produced by the era’s most famous landscaper, Capability Brown.
The Buckinghamshire estate was a private home until 1908 when Nick Lane Jackson, who founded the famous amateur Corinthian club that produced 86 England international footballers, turned it into the UK’s first country club and estate.
Harry Colt was brought in to design 27 holes and Stoke Park continues to be much in demand today.
A three-year project to renovate the Colt, Allison and Lane Jackson nines has been critically acclaimed.
But as much as Stoke Park is renowned for golf, it’s also a must-visit venue for a slew of directors.
The mansion and courses have appeared so frequently on our screens, it’s a surprise there isn’t permanent car parking for film crews.
Stoke Park was famously the fictional Royal St Mark’s – the venue for the match between James Bond and Auric Goldfinger in the 1964 epic Goldfinger.
007 takes part in a game of cheat and double cheat with the villain – switching balls with his opponent to claim victory.
That isn’t the only time Bond has been seen on the estate.
In Tomorrow Never Dies, in 1997, Stoke Park’s ballroom was converted into the famous spy’s Hamburg hotel suite.
No one could have watched Bridget Jones’ Diary, released in 2001, without marvelling at Stoke Park’s magnificence.
It was the venue for Jones’ retreat with the cad Daniel Cleaver. The rowing scene was filmed on the club’s lake, while the Pennsylvania Suite also made a major contribution.
Daniel Craig may be the latest Bond but, as the shadowy XXXX in Layer Cake, he was in an extensive number of scenes at Stoke Park for the 2004 film. Not least the dramatic conclusion where he meets his end on the club’s front steps.
And Guy Ritchie’s cult gangster movie RocknRolla (2008) also sees the course appear once more.
Lenny Cole’s character, played by Tom Wilkinson, is attacked by Russian billionaire Uri Omovich on the 21st green.
With so many starring roles, perhaps it’s time Stoke Park got their hands on an Oscar next month.
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Steve Carroll
