Dorney Court sits at the heart of the most southerly village in Buckinghamshire and is considered the first rural settlement West of London. The village occupies a practical and convenient position on land which rises above the Thames flood plain within easy reach of Windsor and only 30 miles from Hyde Park Corner. The turrets and ramparts of Windsor Castle float in the distance casting the most poetic of backdrops, while the community enjoys the protection of surrounding pastures and farmland as well as the magnificent sight of Dorney Lake and its celebrated arboretum.
The archaeological record indicates that Dorney, with its prized location neighbouring the river Thames and surrounded by fertile farmland, has long been a settled and active community. Taking its name from the ancient Saxon meaning “Island of Bumblebees’, traces of pre-historic occupation have been uncovered in the peat suggesting that riverborne trade as much as agriculture played dominant roles in the development of the site. In 1996, when archaeologists from Oxford excavating the old course of the Thames in Dorney discovered a huge 3,300- year-old religious complex, the Observer Newspaper labelled it “One of the most important archaeological discoveries in Britain”. As one of the significant landowners in and around the village, the Dorney Court estate continues to be sensitive to its responsibilities to shield and promote a special, rare, green corner of the UK.
Seven memebrs of the Churches & Historic Buildings drove to Dorney Court on a beautiful June day, and enjoyed the gardens, tea house and a wonderful escorted tour of the house.
DORNEY COURT & GARDENS
St James the Less Church
St Mary Magdalene, Boveney
