Dorney Court

Dorney Manor is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, as having been held before the Norman Conquest by Aldred, a man of Earl Morcar. In 1086, it was among the lands of Miles Crispin, and his tenant was a certain Ralf. From here it passed successively to families named Cave, Parker, Newnham, Paraunt, Carbonell, Scott, Restwold, Lytton, Bray, and Hill. In 1542, James Hill sold Dorney to Sir William Garrard, later Lord Mayor of London, and ancestor of the Palmer family which still owns and occupies Dorney Court today.

filming The Optimist at Dorney Court, 1984]] On first appearances, the building appears to be entirely medieval, but in fact some of the exterior is a Victorian reconstruction. The remodelling of the house was undertaken at the end of the nineteenth century, and the original bricks were restored to the front façade of the house. The interior layout is little changed from 1500. The oldest part is the panelled parlour, which contains some very fine examples of antique furniture. The great hall has numerous family portraits and contains linenfold panelling brought from Faversham Abbey in Kent; in times past it was used to hold the manor court, and it is still the site of the annual Commoners'…

Susan Cooper, who grew up in the village, uses Dorney Court (as the Manor) in her children's fantasy series The Dark Is Rising. The house has been open to the public since 1981. It has featured as a location in numerous films and TV programmes, such as Hogfather and The Colour of Magic (Death's Domain), Midsomer Murders, The Optimist, ITV's Agatha Christie's Poirot episodes "The Adventure of the Western Star" and "Sad Cypress", 24: Live Another Day, Sliding Doors, The New World, All Is True and Bridgerton. Dorney Court is the home of Form Plants nursery.