Denham Place, Buckinghamshire

Denham Place is a Grade I listed 17th-century country house in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, surrounded by a Grade II listed 18th-century landscape park.

Gates leading to Denham Place in 2013
Denham Place and gardens in c.1695

The house was constructed in 1688–1701 for Sir Roger Hill, and the architect was probably William Stanton.[1] The house was surrounded on three sides by elaborate formal gardens containing a canal and many pieces of sculpture. Most of the gardens were removed in the 1770s and replaced by a landscape park with a lake; it is possible that Capability Brown was connected with the layout.[2]

Notable residents include members of the Bonaparte family, the American banker J. P. Morgan, the politician and movie financier Robert Vansittart, 1st Baron Vansittart and the producer Harry Saltzman.[3]

Saltzman co-produced the first nine James Bond films at nearby Pinewood Studios, and later owners claimed the filmmakers used the house's library as M's office in the films Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun.[3] This is despite the fact M's office does not appear in the first of those films,[4] and the set of M's office was the same in the second as it had been in the earlier films shot at Pinewood Studios.[5] The Guardian's story was altered to reflect that these claims by the owners could not be substantiated.

The 28,525 sq ft property is owned by Monaco-based cosmetics businessman Mike Jatania, and in April 2023 was listed for sale at £75 million.[3] In 2000, Jatania acquired the house from the cigarette manufacturer Rothmans International (it had been their international headquarters) for about £20 million.[3]

References

  1. Historic England. "Denham Place (Grade I) (1124467)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  2. Historic England. "Denham Place (Grade II) (1000598)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  3. Neate, Rupert (20 April 2023). "Stately home 'used for James Bond scenes' goes on sale for £75m". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  4. Chaput, Edgar (9 April 2013). "Office Space: the evolution of M's office throughout the 007 film franchise". PopOptiq. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  5. Simpson, George (20 March 2021). "James Bond: The Sean Connery Dr No set that is reused to this day". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 21 April 2023.

51°34′25″N 0°30′06″W

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