Fawley Court

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Fawley Court stands by the River Thames, north of Henley-on-Thames, on a site that has been occupied for around a thousand years. The name "Fawley" comes from the Old English word for fallow deer.

After the Norman Conquest, Fawley Manor was given by William I to his brother-in-law, Walter Gifford, who was one of the leading compilers of the Doomsday Book.

In 1616, Fawley was sold to Sir James Whitelocke, a judge who also bought Phyllis Court and Henley Park. His son, Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke, was a parliamentarian and also a judge. During the Civil War, Fawley was the scene of fighting between the Roundheads and Royalist troops commanded by Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Since Bulstrode Whitelocke was a Parliament supporter, the Royalist soldiers ransacked Fawley Court.

In the 1770s, the architect James Wyatt worked on new rooms in the house. He also designed the nearby Temple Island. Both George III and George IV visited the house.

Fawley Court was sold to the Scottish banker Edward Mackenzie in 1853. He enlarged the house, adding the east wing.

The house was requisitioned by the Army in World War II, leaving it in a poor state after the war. In 1953 the house and surrounding park were bought by the Congregation of Marian Fathers, to be used as a school, Divine Mercy College, for Polish boys. This closed in 1986 and it became a Retreat and Conference Centre.

Position: grid reference SU765843