Estate History
From 1066 the estate was inherited in a direct line of descent for 515 years until it had to be sold to the Crown in 1581 to pay the outstanding debts of Henry Hastings, the 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, whose father Francis, the Commander in Chief of Henry VIII’s army, had rebuilt the Manor House (part of which can still be seen today) in 1555.
John Penn (1760 - 1834) a scholar, poet and prolific patron of architecture was responsible for most of what can still be seen at the Club today. Penn spent a large proportion of the compensation (£130,000) he was given by the new United States Government for his family's 26 million acres in Pennsylvania on building the new Mansion, landscape and monuments.
The Mansion was designed by James Wyatt, architect to George III, who worked on the development of the house and monuments from 1790 to 1813. The historic parkland is the product of two geniuses of the eighteenth century, ‘Capability’ Brown and Humphry Repton, who designed the landscape we see today in 1792.
The estate was used as a private residence until 1908 when ‘Pa’ Lane Jackson, founder of the Corinthian Sporting Club, purchased the estate, turning it into Britain's finest country club. H. S. Colt (who also designed Pinevalley, Wentworth, Sunningdale, Muirfield and Royal Portrush) was engaged to design the golf course.

Club History
The estate was used as a private residence until 1908 when Nick “Pa” Lane Jackson, purchased the estate, turning it into Britain’s greatest country club. He made this clear when he commissioned the famous amateur golfer and course architect Harry Shapland Colt to design the golf course. The golf course, tennis courts and the conversion of the mansion were completed in seven months.
The Club was founded in 1908 and the first President was His Highness Prince Albert of Schleswig Holstein and its first Vice President was the Right Honourable Earl Howe. The committee also included Lord Chesterfield, Lord Kinnoul and Lord Decies.
In his 1910 book, 'The Golf Course of the British Isles', Bernard Darwin wrote:-
"Stoke Park is a beautiful estate, and there is very good golf to be played there. There are plenty of things to do at Stoke besides playing golf. We may get very hot at lawn tennis or keep comparatively cool at bowls or croquet, or, coolest of all, we may sit on the terrace or in the garden and give ourselves wholly and solely to loafing. The mansion is a gorgeous palace, a dazzling vision of white stone, of steps and terraces and cupolas, with a lake in front and imposing trees in every direction."

Movie History
As a film location, Stoke Park Club has played host to the most memorable game of golf in cinema history, when James Bond defeated Auric Goldfinger on the 18th green in Goldfinger (1964). Goldfinger was the first of two James Bond films to be shot at Stoke Park Club, the second being Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).
The film of the best-selling novel Bridget Jones's Diary was also shot at Stoke Park Club in the summer of 2000. Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) takes Bridget (Renée Zellweger) away for a luxury romantic break. After a hilarious afternoon's rowing, filmed at the club, the couple retire to the Club's Pennsylvania Suite with its gloriously comfortable four poster bed and exquisite marble bathroom.
Dead of Night (1945). Two golfers, having fallen for the same woman battle it out in style on the golf course. They decide to play 18 holes who ever loses would leave the area for good. The location, non other than Stoke Park Club.
In 2004 three movies were released all featuring the Club. Wimbledon, Bride & Prejudice and Layer Cake. Layer Cake's dramatic ending with Daniel Craig and Sienna Miller was filmed on the mansion steps.
Many TV commercials and product launches have also been organised in the mansion and grounds.

Other Features Filmed At Stoke Park Club
The President's Daughter (Film)
Bride and Prejudice (Film)
Launch of the Six Nations Rugby Championship
Rory Bremner (TV Programme)
Pilsner (Advertisement)
GMTV (Live Broadcast)
Star Lives (TV Programme)
Dream Ticket (TV Programme)
CBBC (TV Programme)
Tim Brooke-Taylor's Golf Courses (Discovery Channel)
The Vice (TV Drama)
Charmin Ultra (Advertisement)
Daily Mail (Advertisement)
Hello Magazine (Photo Shoot)
OK Magazine (Photo Shoot)
London Tonight (Live Broadcast)
Vinnie Jones One 2 One (Advertisement)
The Professionals (TV Drama)
Midsomer Murders (TV Drama)

James Bond - 007
The third and eighteenth movies in the James Bond series of feature films, Goldfinger (1964) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), were filmed in and around the mansion and on the championship golf course, Stoke Poges.

Goldfinger - 1964
It would be only a matter of time before James Bond's creator Ian Fleming would inject his passion for golf into a 007 adventure, and in his seventh Bond novel, published in 1959, he had his hero face-off against a villain with the Midas touch.
In the novel GOLDFINGER, Bond finds himself very much in the rough when playing against Auric Goldfinger, international jeweller, gold smuggler and golf cheat.
Set at the fictional Royal St Mark's at Sandwich in Kent (although a rather transparent use of Fleming's own club, Royal St George's), 007 narrowly escapes defeat by bringing a little gamesmanship of his own into play.
The golf match for the film version Goldfinger (1964) was shot at Stoke Park Club, and remains cinema's most famous golfing scene. Sean Connery's agent 007 is pitted against Auric Goldfinger, in the monumental form of the late Gert Frobe - complete with Plus Fours!
After catching Goldfinger cheating, Bond switches balls on his opponent during the match. Realising that Bond is attempting to interfere in his affairs, Goldfinger motions to Oddjob, his deadly Korean manservant and caddie, to sever the head of a nearby statue with his steel-rimmed bowler. Bond is suitably impressed, but wonders what the club secretary will have to say. Goldfinger explains smugly, "Oh nothing Mister Bond - I own the club!"

Tomorrow Never Dies - 1997
Stoke Park Club was proud to welcome back Bond in 1997 when scenes filmed at Stoke Park Club. The film crew and technicians converted our Ballroom into Bond's hotel room in Hamburg.
James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) learns billionaire media mogul Elliot Carver is manipulating world events via an exclusive flow of information through his satellite system reaching all corners of the planet. With a stealth battleship sinking a British naval vessel, Carver sees that the Chinese are blamed.
Crashing Carver's party in Hamburg, Bond meets "journalist" Wai Lin, later revealed as a Chinese agent.
In a brief tryst, filmed at the club, Bond renews his past relationship with Carver's wife Paris (Teri Hatcher). Carver dispatches Stamper (Gotz Otto) cancel Bond, a struggle between them was filmed in the Ballroom.