CHAPTER THIRTEEN Back to former glory

A new Club Respect the cumulative layers of history Ralph Pickering and Alex Millar Restoration of the Colt 27-hole course Restoring Stoke Park to its former glory Restoration of the Repton bridge Members’ views Fishing Goldfinger and other famous films The Gurkhas at Stoke Park Club The Colt Cup and Colt Association The future of Stoke Park 242 STOKE PARK

and amenities chairman, Brian Learmount, said ‘This is a great day A new Club for ratepayers.’ Councillor Learmount insists it’s such a good deal for the ratepayers because it relieves the council of previous expensive obligations – vital restoration of the 200-year-old mansion house and the provision of a new clubhouse. In August 1988, IHG (International Hospitals Group Ltd), These ‘savings’ are said to be worth £3.8 million to the council. who had already been renting offices in the Mansion since International Hospitals Group is a British company which provides 1984, bought a long lease on 215 acres of Stoke Park’s health care consultancy services throughout the world. It operates a num- ber of hospitals in the Middle East. original estate, through its subsidiary, Stoke Park Ltd (SPL). The group set up its headquarters at Stoke Park two years ago and was This was subject to a sub-lease of over half the clubhouse as paying the council £100,000 a year rent for part of the mansion. well as the golf course, which had been granted to Stoke Poges Stoke Poges Golf Club rents the other half of the vast building and the Golf Club Ltd for 35 years in 1958. 18-hole course itself for a total of £16,000 a year. Inevitably, there were a few dissenters, but as the Councillor Learmount defended the council’s decision to negotiate for the sale of the lease with one party instead of inviting tenders on the Daily Express reported, the deal was considered a good one open market. for all concerned: He said: ‘It is good practice to negotiate with a sitting tenant and we were very fortunate to have one big enough to come up with the goods and One of the country’s best known golf courses has been sold together properly maintain an historic building. with a large historic mansion … for a mere £2 million. ‘The council’s negotiations have been conducted all the way through by The 197-acre Stoke Park Estates, which includes Stoke Poges golf our own professional staff and outside experts and their final verdict is course and clubhouse, is now owned by the International Hospitals it’s a very good deal for the ratepayers of South Bucks.’ Group. Another Stoke Poges councillor, Rex Lingham-Wood, was equally Announcing the deal this week, South Bucks Council’s recreation enthusiastic about the deal. 244 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 245

He said: ‘Two million these days may sound like a telephone number or 1. Restore the estate to its 1908 period as far as possible, working with the price of a semi-detached house in central London. local community groups; ‘But it’s a lot of money to pay for a dilapidated mansion and a golf 2. Create the best country club in the world. course which can’t be used for anything else. ‘There is no such thing as redevelopment potential when you’re talking To achieve this, the following had to be completed: about an 18-hole golf course in the Green Belt.’

• Clear the scrub and trees from the 215 acres that SPL had leased that The estate had suffered from over 50 years of under-invest- had ruined the Repton landscape of 1795; ment, neglect, and sales of key elements of the historic land- • Remove any inappropriate golf-related additions to the landscape; scape. Working with English Heritage, the council had given • Restore all the major Repton views to and from the Mansion, working with other owners of parts of the historic estate as necessary; themselves permission to convert the entire Mansion to • Restore the fourteen acres of historic gardens; offices and build a new small clubhouse on the edge of the • Sink a borehole, create an irrigation system for the golf course, golf course. The idea was that a limited restoration of the landscape and recreate the irrigation system for the historic gardens as exterior of the Mansion would be possible from the revenue well as restoring the water features; • Restore the outside of the building and the roof, replacing where created, but the interiors and the historic landscape and gar- necessary, and restore by removing the paint from the marble statues dens would have been lost. and Portland stone decoration; SPL undertook extensive and detailed research between • Remove the offices from the mansion and restore the top two floors to 1989 and 1991 and made the decision to return the estate to the 1790 Wyatt bedroom layout and the third of the ground floor not its former glory. The plans which had been drawn up for new under the Club’s control and reintegrate them for the first time since 1928; offices and a brand-new clubhouse were abandoned in favour • Restore the ground floor and return the rooms as much as possible to of returning to Nick Lane Jackson’s country club idea of their original look and feel. This would include moving all golf- 1908. The strategy was to increase radically the restoration related uses such as the ladies’ changing rooms into the basement; works and to make the estate financially viable for the first • Clear the surrounding environment of the Mansion of all the modern sheds that had been built to service the maintenance of the estate and time since the 1930s so that the neglect of the previous 50 move all these functions to the edge of the estate; years would not be repeated once restoration was completed. • Buy back 100 acres of land that had been part of the estate since before The planned investment was no less than £30 million, and the Domesday Book of 1086 and restore the land and the Repton views this courageous decision was taken when the UK and the rest across them, and especially the ‘Capability’ Brown lakes of 1750 which had become derelict; of the world was suffering from the recession brought on by • Rebuild the nine-hole golf course, which was ploughed up for the inflationary excesses of the late 1980s. agriculture during the Second World War, according to Colt’s original The plan was certainly ambitious, with two long-term aims: design of 1908; Nearby Windsor Castle in the autumn. 246 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 247

• Give the local William Penn School its own purpose-built playing Fairways, the largest-selling golf club review book, with entries field; of no fewer than 2,431 courses in Britain. In 1999 the Club • Obtain planning permission for the above; was also accepted as a member of ‘The Leading Hotels of the • Obtain planning permission for a new health and racquet facility to include indoor tennis, a swimming pool and gym to replace some of World’. This was a unique achievement for a golf club. Sister the revenue from the office solution which would not now be members in England were the Savoy, Claridges and the implemented; Dorchester. • Restore the Repton bridge which was vandalised and damaged; The explanation for the radical change in strategy for the • Improve security and reduce vandalism with a new gatehouse and 4.5 kilometres of new fencing; restoration of Stoke Park emanated from the most unlikely • Create a new heritage walk for the public which will link together all source: the acquisition from an antiques dealer in Brighton parts of the original landscape which cannot be brought into one of a 1903 photograph for £6 in 1991. ownership and management. This will link the National Trust field, The photograph appeared in a 1903 edition of Country Life the Manor House, the church, the Memorial Gardens and the main estate for the first time since the 1920s; and showed views which, by 1991, had long since been • Buy back the 1929 golf course and restore it, together with its obscured by trees, shrubbery and undergrowth. Hertford landscape which had been part of the estate for many centuries until King, a director of Stoke Park Ltd, said: the 1930s; • Buy back the 1555 Manor House. It was only when we tried to find that view, which was taken 10 yards from the Mansion, that we really became interested in research and trying to All of the above except for the buying back of the 1929 golf find out a little more about what the place looked like. We thought that if course and the Manor House were achieved between 1991 and this had been allowed to happen 10 yards from the Mansion itself, what 1999. The landscape, clubhouse and existing golf course were had happened further out in the estate’s landscape and gardens. That £6 restored by the end of 1997. In April 1998 additional facili- has cost us about £40 million in restoration works. ties including 21 bedrooms, four conference rooms, the shop (which until then was a shed in the car park) and a restaurant When they did find out ‘a little more’, the scale of the task were completed. In March 1999 the nine-hole golf course, became clearer. The west garden had become overgrown and lost during the war, was re-opened, thereby creating a 27- derelict, the bridge designed by Humphry Repton vandalised, hole golf facility based on the original Colt-designed layout a cascade designed by ‘Capability’ Brown concreted over and of 1908. During this time the number of people working the lakes obscured and silted up. The tennis courts had been full-time at the Club increased from nine to 111. In 1996 the consumed by the golf course and the overgrown garden. All Club was named ‘Golf Club of the Year’ by Following the Repton’s principal views and gardens had been lost. The South Terrace. 248 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 249

The works required to restore the Mansion were equally daunting. One side of the Mansion was no less than 45 cen- timetres lower than the other because of subsidence. A six- Respect the tonne metal girder had to be inserted into the building to prevent its collapse, while plumbing, heating and electrical systems were ripped out and replaced. cumulative layers The Wyatt layout was restored, the top two floors of the Mansion were converted from offices into 21 luxurious hotel of history rooms, all the rooms were given gas fireplaces, and those on the first floor have a terrace. Hidden heating coils were installed in the marble bathroom floors. There can hardly be a clubhouse anywhere like it in the There are very few properties in the world with almost 1,000 world. The carpet in the 100-square-metre sitting room is years of recorded owners, each of whom left, to a greater or The view of the lovely St Giles’ church across the golf course. one piece and was hand-made in Thailand for £70,000. All lesser extent, their mark on the estate for future generations. of the mirror frames were gold-leafed by hand, prompting The approach to this restoration challenge was set out in Chester King to say: SPL’s Conservation Management Plan, approved by English Heritage and the National Trust, among others, in 2005: Ninety-five out of a hundred people can’t tell the difference. We’re trying to impress the five who can. We could also have bought cheaper carpeting, but that’s not the attitude of the Club. We want to create an The overall strategy is to respect the cumulative layers of history by con- amazing atmosphere. serving and enhancing significant elements which are fundamental or essential to the design concept of the heritage assets at Stoke Park and by removing intrusive elements where this is compatible with operational One happy corporate player of Stoke Park is Stuart and statutory restrictions. Robinson, President and CEO of Ferrari/Maserati North America, a diehard golfer who has played many of the world’s The Park: the Repton plan (1797) and the First Edition OS plan (1876) best private clubs, from Valderrama in Spain to the Hong will be used to guide conservation and restoration of planting in the park as a whole. Features that were retained by Repton and which pre-date his Kong Golf Club. One of his favourites is Stoke Park, and he design will be conserved and restored, for example, the lakes and surviv- said of it: ing elements of the earlier tree planting. Essential elements of the design concept are laid out in the Repton plan and it shows the key vistas, the I don’t think there’s another club in the world with Stoke’s combination planting layout, and the circulation layout. The First Edition provides a Harry Latham – the popular vicar of St Giles’. of facilities, easygoing members and an excellent course. It’s a real jewel. late 19th-century snapshot of the maturing, and to some extent evolving, The Pennsylvania Suite. 250 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 251

Repton landscape and provides a useful and accurate baseline for restora- tion of the planting structure.

The Pleasure Grounds: the Garden Magazine article published in 1843 (written 1833) by Loudon provides a detailed account ‘communicated by Robert Osbourne’ and reflects a ‘Flower Garden in the classical style of the poet Mason’. The Florist article (1853) provides detail on the expand- ing and ever-evolving Pleasure Grounds, and the First Edition (1876) shows new layout of paths. Later articles and sales documents provide fur- ther detail of the grounds. The conservation and management of the pleasure grounds will be guided by all these documents in order to restore the spirit of the late 19th-century appearance of the maturing Pleasure Gardens.

The Golf Course: no surviving plans of the Colt course have been discov- ered in the archive and it is understood that the layout has been altered to take into account technological advances in the game. Donald Steel Golf Course Architects were commissioned to design a further 9 holes making 27 holes in total by 1997. The remaining structure of the Colt layout will be conserved and future golf course development (alteration of bunkers, greens, tees and fairways) will be guided by the landscape master plan. There are possible plans to purchase land to the north of the park and restore the 45-hole course that was built by Sir Noel Mobbs, which will require careful planning in order to integrate any new golf course elements within the landscape. The William and Mary Suite. The Mansion House: the layouts of the first and second floors have been irreversibly changed during the 20th century and there is little documen- tary evidence of their original layout. The underlying plan of the base- In summary, the specific objectives of the management strategy for Stoke • Recognise and respect the archaeological resource and manage ment can still be seen, but little historic detail remains. The rooms on Park are: accordingly; the ground floor comprise a series of interiors of differing periods, each • Conserve and enhance the biodiversity interest of the whole park and with their own historic interest and value, some replacing earlier work • Respect the cumulative layers of landscape history and essentially its habitats and species through appropriate management, with and some areas retaining intrusive elements. Cumulative additions to the renew key elements to perpetuate these in the future; particular attention to the opportunities presented by the grassland, exterior of the building have reduced the impact of the earlier projecting • To use the First Edition OS plan (surveyed 1876)/1797 plan as the veteran trees, woodlands and ponds; The former Chapel. For many years it was used as the Club’s Committee room and is now wings, and now give the impression that the main body of the house floats template for new planting and to ensure that all tree planting is based • Ensure that all management follows the best practice in relation to used as a members’ lounge. on a continuous podium. on historic pattern (location) and precedent (species); environmental sustainability; 252 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 253

• Respect the cumulative layers of history contained in the interior of Ralph knows all about the game of golf. He was a top-class amateur, the Mansion House, to remove intrusive elements where compatible played for Surrey county and at one time competed in tournaments all with statutory and operational restrictions and to take every over Europe. opportunity to return the building to its appearance in about 1900, His wide business experience is helping him quickly come to grips with which may be considered the watershed between significant and the important role played by the back-room boys. expedient alterations. Secretaries are the most shot-at people in golf. It is a precarious posi- tion as the rapid turnover proves. Ralph knows this, but his optimism and determination to succeed may help in Stoke’s salvation.

Pickering was soon earning the gratitude of the members for his good work, as is made clear by the report to members of Ralph Pickering the Club Captain, Eric Drew, in January 1990, in which, inter alia, he wrote:

and Alex Millar Finally I would like to mention the work of Ralph Pickering. He took the position of Secretary/Manager following a very difficult period and has made an excellent job of it.

Ralph Pickering, who was to prove an immensely successful Alex Millar, born in 1964, was one of the key appointments Secretary of the Stoke Park Club, was appointed in the sum- at Stoke Park in the last twenty years, and he is the only mer of 1988 and took up his post on 1 September. As was person working at the Club who joined before SPL’s pointed out in the local press, he would have his challenges: takeover. You could say that greenkeeping is in the blood. His grandfather was the professional and greenkeeper at Erskine Ralph Pickering is rapidly settling into his new job as secretary of Stoke Golf Club in Scotland. Grandfather had two sons who both Poges Golf Club. After a week in the hot seat at this South Bucks club, which has had became greenkeepers, and three daughters, all of whom more than its share of problems, he declared: ‘I like it here. I find every- married greenkeepers. Alex’s father came south with his one so friendly.’ brother to work at Moor Park Golf Club and in 1964 The gregarious Ralph gathers new friends daily as he meets the staff became a greenkeeper at Denham Golf Club. Alex himself and members. worked on the course at Denham for ten years before Club president John Jeffrey, captain Ian MacDonald and committee becoming head greenkeeper at the Stoke Park Club in 1989. Ralph Pickering, the immensely successful Secretary at the Club, took up his post in the men Alan Lewis and Peter Huddle, who have been introducing him to his Alex Millar, Estate Director, has worked tirelessly to restore the golf courses to the original summer of 1988. multifarious duties, are his chief supporters. He would say later: Harry Colt design. 254 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 255

Our aim was to put the course back to the Colt design and then modify In 2001 Alex Millar re-introduced the painted lobster-pots to how we felt Colt would have designed it today. We very carefully instead of flags at Stoke Park, and they were seen on the scrutinised the original plans, and any time we considered deviating course for the first time since 1930. They had first been used from them we asked ourselves: ‘What would Colt recommend if he were advising us today?’ as an economic measure in Scotland, where the fierce winds ripped apart the traditional flags. The legendary course By the mid-1990s, so successful had Millar been that Links – architect H.S. Colt had first introduced them to the Club the Best of Golf, in one of its reviews of Great Courses of the in 1908. British Isles, wrote: Alex Millar said:

The positive results of the five-year plan were plain to see, and today, with Colt liked the idea that a lobster pot wouldn’t give players clues to the the exception of Royal Worlington [another Colt course], Stoke Park has direction of the wind, as a flag would, so it’s a tradition I was keen to perhaps the truest and quickest greens of any inland course in England. bring back. Each nine holes has lobster pots of a different colour to The bunkers all appear beautifully sculpted, and the fairways have distinguish between them. benefitted from a new state-of-the art irrigation system. A fresh look, then, has been given to Colt’s artistry. From the champ- ionship tees, the course now measures almost 6,700 yards with a par of As far as is known, the only other golf club in the world to 71. The most famous hole is the beautiful yet mischievous par-3 7th … the use lobster pots instead of flags was Merion in the United inspiration for Augusta’s 12th, the centrepiece of Amen Corner. [It turns States which, after a visit to Stoke Park by some members, out that this is incorrect. The 7th was indeed an inspiration for a short hole at Augusta, but it was the original 16th when it was played from a introduced them in 1912. completely different angle from today.] By 2006, the dedication and hard work of Alex, his The 3rd and the 11th are also outstanding short holes, although the assistant Matt Parker, and his team were recognised when Golf former can be a brute when played into the wind. The real strength of the Monthly listed Stoke Park as one of the Top 100 Golf Courses course, however, lies in its superb mix of par 4’s. [By 2007 there were ten Here is the Great Hall in 2008. par 4’s over 400 yards.] Among the best of these are, on the front nine, in the world. the 4th, with its deceptively raised green, and the ingeniously bunkered When the Stoke Poges Golf Club’s lease of the clubhouse 6th. On the back nine there are the sweeping down-and-up 10th, its and the golf course was due to expire in August 1993, green framed by an attractive stand of pines; the long 12th; and the 17th the Club was faced with a number of options. These were and 18th, two excellent closing par 4’s. The former has a fairway that comprehensively laid out for the members in a letter from tumbles down to a green sited on the far side of a creek, followed by an the President of the Club, Derek Etherington, on 4 SPL were determined to revive tennis as part of the Club, and thirteen new courts – hard, exacting home hole with a green that’s fiercely defended by natural swales grass and indoor – were built between 1994 and 2002. and plenty of sand. November 1992: 256 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 257

You are aware that our lease of the clubhouse and golf course expires next • No entrance fees at any time for members of our club admitted August and that we have been negotiating with the landlords International before 30th September 1992. Hospitals Group Limited (IHG) as to what options might be available • Proposed annual subscriptions from 1st September 1993: Full when the lease comes to an end. We have now taken those negotiations to £1,000; 5 day £700; in each case plus VAT. A 10% discount for the point where we need to seek your views. over 70’s; 20% discount for married couples. In our negotiations with the landlords we have had three possibilities • An annual levy of £250 plus VAT to spend on food, drinks and in mind: social events at the club. • Security of membership for at least the period of the lease 1. That we might buy the clubhouse and the course or simply buy proposed to be granted to the club – provisionally agreed at 25 the course and build our own clubhouse; years. 2. To pursue negotiations based on the desire of IHG to take over • The landlords to take over assets of the existing club in exchange and run the club as a proprietary club; and for assuming its responsibility for dilapidations. 3. To pursue our right to a new lease. • You will see from IHG’s attached copy letter that they propose improved facilities and standards. The purpose of this letter is to examine the alternatives and to explain the relevant considerations with a view to ascertaining your views. In our discussions we have been concerned also to secure a limit on future fee increases. To some extent this will be governed by what the market will 1. The Purchase Option bear, particularly as we have the advantage that we do not have to pay any We are very conscious of some members’ views that past opportunities to joining fee. By way of further assurance IHG have agreed that fee increa- buy the course may have been missed so we have pursued the subject with ses shall for five years have an outside limit of inflation plus 15% p.a. IHG. In lengthy discussions they have resisted any suggestion that we might buy an interest in the club premises and as will be seen they have Conclusion now confirmed in writing that they will not sell. Reluctantly we have had Your directors have been closely involved during the course of the nego- to drop this possibility although we would pursue it if the opportunity tiations so far and you are entitled to expect them to express a view. arose. Having carefully considered the various factors most of which are sum- This leaves us with the question of whether it would be more in our marised above, the board is firmly of the view that the members’ interests interests to accept the offer the landlords propose making or to take legal will currently best be served by pursuing the discussions with IHG to see action with the hope of getting a new lease. if we can negotiate in detail a deal on a fair basis that the board could rec- ommend. The deciding consideration is that any new lease we could get 2. A Proprietary Club Owned by IHG would never be more than a temporary expedient and we would have to go Our negotiations with IHG have resulted in the letter we have received through this exercise again in due course. Any lease granted would be from them of which a copy is attached. You will see that they propose to unlikely to be long enough to justify the essential and substantial capital set up a proprietary club and to offer you membership of that club on the expenditure which is becoming ever more urgent. A new club with some The Fountain Room in 2008. It is interesting to compare it with a photo taken 100 years terms set out in that letter. inbuilt protection for our members should represent a more permanent The Windsor Room. ago (see page 117). The main points of the IHG proposals so far as they affect club arrangement if (and only if) we can negotiate conditions which would give members are: reasonable protection to our members who decide to join the new club. 258 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 259

Nevertheless it is your views and decisions that will prevail and in order disappearing into the jungle in search of the lost jewels. to ascertain those views a questionnaire is enclosed. The answers to the King will never forget the day Pickering returned from one mission in questions will assist the board in its deliberations so every member is a state of excitement after discovering a statue, covered in weeds and asked to complete the form and return it to the club within the next 14 undergrowth. ‘The trouble was when we went out to see it the area was so Restoration of the days. We shall then proceed to convene an Extraordinary General Meeting dense Ralph could not find it again,’ he says. of members at which members will have the chance to discuss the out- That statue, along with other sculptures, have been returned to earlier come. prominence as the restoration – expected to cost £5.5 million in total – Colt 27-hole course There is no doubt that the good relationship we have built up with the nears completion. landlords in the hours of discussions that have taken place has resulted in An upgrade is likely to incorporate several other changes. The tennis a great improvement on the terms first offered and augurs well for the and croquet club is to be relaunched in June, while plans are being con- future. There is still a long way to go but each of you will now be able to sidered for a further nine holes plus a new pavilion housing an indoor assess the alternatives and express an option as to the direction you wish swimming pool. In 1996 SPL decided that they would rebuild the nine holes us to take. There is a renewed energy about the place where scenes from the Sixties of the original Colt golf course at Stoke Park, and Hertford Bond film Goldfinger were shot, including Odd Job’s infamous bowler hat King wrote this letter to all the members: Yours sincerely, routine. And Sean Connery’s son Jason filmed sequences for The Spymaster there in 1991. After many years of negotiation the Club has now reached agreement with Derek Etherington Work began on the exterior of the mansion four years ago and the two adjoining landowners to buy back 70 acres of the historic estate which original moulding, stucco and wrought iron balconies have been were central to the ‘Capability’ Brown and Humphry Repton landscape President painstakingly recreated. Workmen started on the interior last August. ‘We and the original H.S. Colt 27-hole course of 1908. A planning permis- had to restore it room by room because we couldn’t close it down for sion has also been submitted to restore the 9 holes, recreating a 27-hole With Ralph Pickering carrying on as Club Secretary to ensure the members,’ said King. course which will be rebuilt as close to the H.S. Colt original as possible A 74-year-old stone mason, who has worked on the Queen’s bathroom, continuity, and the good relationship created between Derek and be reintegrated into the existing course. restored 12 fireplaces and stripped away the accumulated tar and cigar The restoration will include some of the most spectacular holes at Etherington and his Committee and the directors of Stoke smoke of two centuries from the reliefs on the wall. Stoke Poges with the two large ‘Capability’ Brown lakes as the centrepiece. Park Limited, a proposal was agreed that led to 80 per cent of The imposing marble staircase of the Grand Hall, the longest free- Details of the new plans can be seen in the clubhouse. the existing membership joining the new proprietary club on standing one in the country, has been brought back to its former beauty. The proposed restoration works will also include the Repton bridge of 13 August 1993. In the reception, carpet tiles have been taken up and the old floor tiles 1801, the ‘Capability’ Brown Cascade of 1751, the lakes themselves, a refitted. Elsewhere, replicas were made of Victorian etched glass and bronze age funeral barrow and the restoration of the historic views to the As work on restoration progressed, the Daily Express moni- older brass door fittings and carpets have been hand woven by Wilton Manor House, the Church, Gray’s Monument and Windsor Castle, which Stoke Park’s famous 7th green, often said to be the inspiration for Augusta’s 12th. In fact, tored its progress, interviewing Hertford King, Managing Royal. were all visible until c. 1950. it was the original 16th at Augusta before it was radically altered in the 1940s. In restoring the hole to Colt’s design the small lake was reinstated. Director of Stoke Park Ltd: Oil paintings, tapestries, stone urns and gilt wall brackets have been When these works are integrated with the restoration which has been collected. ‘We’ve tried to take it back to the glory days of the club, with a undertaken in the existing landscape, golf course and gardens since 1993, But time and neglect allowed undergrowth to begin covering the beauty turn-of-the-century feel, but in its clash between then and the early the unique beauty of this historic estate will be restored for all of us to of the park. The treasure was being slowly buried. In 1989, Stoke Park Palladian period, it’s Palladian which wins through. It’s a difficult bal- enjoy. Ltd, which bought the leasehold for £2 million, sent in the explorers. ancing act between creating a historic place and somewhere members feel Another benefit of these restoration works is the increase in the vari- Club secretary Ralph Pickering was among the searchers, diligently comfortable,’ explains King. ety of wildlife now to be found as the parkland and water has been opened

260 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 261

Club would be the only club in South Buckinghamshire offering both indoor and outdoor courts. Restoring In summary, the report said: The Health & Racquets Club sit comfortably with both the existing and Stoke Park to future product mix at Stoke Park. It is an essential addition and is pivotal in Stoke Park establishing itself as a Country Club. Integration is key to the success of the Club in its widest sense. The its former glory synergy that will exist between the various business areas can be illust- rated by the links between the Health & Racquets Club and the other components at Stoke Park. It is imperative, however, that its main func- tion as a private members’ club is not jeopardised and that the needs of the members are given priority. In 1997 SPL carried out a feasibility study of how to restore Stoke Park back to its former glory of one of the UK’s most What do medium-handicap golfers think of Stoke Park Club impressive country clubs. and the golf course? By 1922, the original Club included a 45-hole Colt- Kevin Brown of Today’s Golfer took three men who, as it hap- designed golf course, twelve tennis courts, a cricket pitch, pened, all played off thirteen handicap, to play in the early croquet, rowing and other recreational facilities, as well as summer of 1996. These were their views: twenty bedrooms. By 1945, the Club had lost its bedrooms, tennis, cricket and rowing facilities, and eighteen holes, and John Hawkins (58) Member of Felixstowe Ferry GC. Living in Chelmondiston, near Ipswich, then another nine holes, of the golf course to agriculture John, a 13 handicapper, has been playing for 20 years. He works as an during the Second World War. However, eighteen holes engineer for a newspaper company. remained, and the Club was voted Golf Club of the Year by ‘I was very impressed especially with the clubhouse. The majority of par Following the Fairways in 1996. fours were reachable in two shots, the par fives were no problem – mainly thanks to the width of the fairways. There were some enormous So what facilities would be needed in the 21st century to Not only was the Mansion restored to its former glory but every effort was made to return the golf course to Harry Colt’s design. bunkers – and plenty of them. I’d like to take the seventh hole home with recreate the original 1908 vision for the Club? The report me. As a traditionalist regarding golf courses, this certainly ranks among up while the larger woodland areas have been maintained. appreciate any letters of support which should be sent to South Bucks identified that the ‘health and fitness industry’ had increased the best I’ve visited.’ If planning permission is obtained in the next few months, it is our District Council. at a rapid rate in recent years and that, although this there- intention to start restoration works in January 1997 with the course open The restoration of these 9 holes and its landscape is the most impor- Darren Reade (28) fore provided plenty of opportunity to attract members, it for play in the summer of 1998. Although the proposal is only to restore tant development for the Club since 1908 and we hope that our members Member of Telford GC. Darren lives in Telford and plays off 13 the original course and English Heritage have given it their full support, will benefit from this new facility in 1998. also meant that there was competition. handicap. He has been playing for 13 years, and works as a local planning permission is far from assured and therefore we would greatly On the tennis front, the report noted that Stoke Park government officer. 262 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 263

‘It’s an excellent course with very generous fairways. The only time you what the course was like. Needless to say, it was a very pleasant surprise. It were penalised off the tees was when you hit the fairway bunkers. Greens definitely rates highly with the best parkland courses in the country. It is were very good and fast – not what I’m used to. The par fives were shor- a tough but fair test, and I thought the greens were excellent. They are ter than I imagined – some of the longer par fours were more difficult. certainly the best I have played on this year, which is a tribute to your There were some excellent par threes with the seventh being the pick of greenkeeper after the horrendous winter we’ve had. the bunch. The fifth (par five) and tenth (par four) were also quite good.’ The clubhouse is also quite excellent, and I think your company has made a wise move to restore it to its former glory. Philip Partington (41) Member of Bramshaw GC in New Forest. Philip lives in Hedgend, near James W. Finnegan, a golf historian and member of Pine Southampton, and plays off 13 handicap, having taken up the game 10 years ago. He is a sales executive. Valley (another Harry Colt course), wrote this about Stoke ‘It’s a superb course. The greens were exceptionally good, in superb Park in his book, All Courses Great and Small: A Golfer’s Pilgrimage to condition – as quick as they should be. To be honest, it wasn’t as difficult England and Wales, published in 2003: as I thought – I’d imagined tighter fairways with more trees. But the fair- ways were very forgiving – the difficulty arose when you got near the In 1908 Colt laid out twenty-seven holes for the newly minted Stoke Park greens which were fast and protected by a huge amount of bunkers. I agree Club, at Stoke Poges. The golf just may be put in the shade by the club- the seventh is the pick of the holes but I was equally impressed by the house cum hotel, an eighteenth-century Palladian-style mansion by stunning clubhouse. Stoke Poges is a treat for any golfer, and I wouldn’t James Wyatt, architect to King George III. This terraced and balustraded hesitate paying £45 to return.’ and pedimented and be-columned pale cream mansion is more magnifi- cent today than at any time in its history, thanks principally to the full- In 1991 the ATS Pro-Am was able to attract the talent of scale restoration of the interior during the late 1990s. At every turn we Colin Montgomerie, the Scot, who was to dominate encounter a veritable symphony of the decorative arts employed in tradi- European golf in 1990s and the early part of the 21st cent- tional style: marble columns and parquet floors, crystal chandeliers and priceless antiques, fine tapestries and old oil paintings, handsome pan- ury, but who remains in June 2008 perhaps the best golfer elling and magnificent carved fireplaces, luxurious fabrics and equally never to win a Major. luxurious carpets, and, lest it all sound rather overpowering, plenty of Another benefit from the Stoke Park Club’s point of view comfortable leather-upholstered club chairs for simply relaxing. in staging the Pro-Ams was the welcome praise and publicity Colt’s gently rolling layout here at Stoke Park is an ideal companion to the manor house in that it, too, is stylish and elegant. But Colt did not it could bring for the Club. This is what Alistair Tait, deputy have a first-rate parcel of land (very little feature) and the result is good editor of Golf Monthly, wrote to Chester King in 1994: parkland golf but no better. There are some pedestrian holes – the par- five 1st and 13th, the par-four 6th and 16th, and the par-three 15th – and This is just a short note to thank you for an excellent day yesterday. it seems to me that there are no inarguably great holes, though a number Like everyone in the office, I had heard of Stoke Poges but had no idea are very good.

The Repton bridge, designed by Humphry Repton in the 18th century, was badly in need of restoration by the end of the 20th century. 264 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 265

Restoration of the Tennis Repton bridge

As we have seen, Nick Lane Jackson had been involved in ten- nis at the highest levels at the end of the 19th century and had In 2003, work began on restoring the Repton bridge to its ensured that tennis formed an integral part of the Stoke Park former glory. Two years and £600,000 later, the restoration Club when he founded it in 1908. Sir Noel Mobbs had con- was completed. After an archaeological survey, the supports tinued that tradition in 1929 when he reformed the Club. and foundations had to be stabilised, which was a difficult job However, the tennis section had dwindled to virtually noth- as a lot of it was underwater. This work was carried out by a ing by the end of the 1950s, and the grass courts became team from Wolff Stone Limited from Somerset, led by Shaun overgrown. Wolff. Once this was completed, Thomas Cudworth, one of SPL were determined to revive tennis as part of the Club, the few artists still creating in Coade-type stone, installed the and thirteen new courts – hard, grass and indoor – were built balustrades. Cudworth recreated each individual balustrade, between 1994 and 2002. The Stoke Park Tennis Club was a process which took twelve months. At the official re-open- formed in 1994, played in the Buckinghamshire leagues ing Hertford King said: against other local clubs, and gradually worked its way to the top. The bridge is now in its 206th year and we’re very hopeful that we’re not In 2002 the was first played at the going to have another one of these events for another 206 years. The Club, and it established itself as one of the important pre- restoration has been one of the most complex projects we have under- Wimbledon events on the tennis calendar. In its first five taken. It took longer to rebuild the bridge than to rebuild the top two storeys of the mansion. years, the Boodles Challenge attracted players who had won over 60 Grand Slam titles between them, from The project was highly praised by English Heritage and the to André Agassi. Georgian Group, who both asked SPL to put it forward for said: ‘Absolutely ideal, the Boodles is just restoration awards. what I needed.’

In 2004 the substantial renovation task had been completed. THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 267

Above: André Agassi playing in the Boodles Challenge.

Left: Tim Henman was in the world’s top ten players for over ten years. He played in the Boodles Challenge several times and also opened the indoor tennis courts at Stoke Park in 2001.

Opposite page: Tennis was an important element of the Club in its early days (‘Pa’ Jackson had been involved in tennis at the highest level). The Stoke Park Tennis Club was formed in 1994 and thirteen new courts – hard, grass and indoor – were built. The Boodles Challenge was first played in 2002 and has become one of the events of the Stoke Park Club summer programme. 268 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 269

And Annabel Croft added: ‘This is a unique event that combines the elegance and sophistication of a quintessential English summer social occasion with world-class tennis.’ In building the new tennis courts, nothing was spared in terms of research and expense to make sure they were of the highest quality. Having grass courts was relatively unusual in itself, as most clubs prefer courts that can be used in inclement weather. Furthermore, the grass courts at the Stoke Park Club were the first such courts to be built in the UK in the preceding 50 years (outside the All England Club) to exact Wimbledon (All England Lawn Tennis Club) specifications. The new courts were dug out to two feet in depth, with a Stoke Park Golf Club Men’s captains. twelve-inch root zone on a twelve-inch stone carpet on top of a herringbone drainage system. To make them as perfect a match as possible to the Wimbledon courts, even the clay used came from the same quarry as that used for Wimbledon. The grass seeds were also a special recipe, with a mix of rye, bent and fescue grasses in the correct proportions. They would be looked after by turf-care specialist Alex Hall, who used to tend Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea Football Club. The courts would be watered daily by a sprin- Stoke Park Club Director, Mark Fagan (right), with Annie Wainwright and Patricio Apey at kler system that sprayed a controlled mist over a distance of the Boodles Tennis Tournament. 100 feet. They would also be mown three times a week, and during the height of the season one court would always be resting to ensure that balding patches could be repaired. Stoke Park Tennis Club Men’s captains, Lea Greenway (left) and Andrew Watson. Stoke Park Golf Club Ladies’ captains. 270 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 271

By 2005 the excellence of the Stoke Park Club was becom- Yacoub has performed more heart transplants than anyone in the world ing widely appreciated, and in July of that year John and he is only the 3rd medic ever to have been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society, the body of pre-eminent scientists which dates back to the Burbedge wrote in The Business Magazine: Members’ views days of Sir Isaac Newton. Additionally, he undertook the life-saving emergency surgery on me 5 years ago, hence the choice of his institute as Great clubs need little introduction and barely the whisper of their my charity for the year.) We managed to raise a magnificent £4,000 on name to gain the regard of many and recognition by all. Just a few initials the evening of the dinner, and we have raised circa £12,500 during the or a word often suffices: RAC, MCC, the R&A, Leander, Man U, the year, a figure which has exceeded any expectations and which helps to bal- In researching this book I interviewed a number of current All-England. ance the books between myself and Professor Yacoub, if that’s possible … And now, fast becoming known by three-initial familiarity, we have members. All were extremely enthusiastic about the Club, the I hope and believe that many Members retain positive memories of the SPC. course, the facilities, the clubhouse and, above all, the year; it is a wonderful Club with such a unique history and exciting plans The Stoke Park Club, to give this Buckinghamshire jewel its full name, friendliness and camaraderie of the members themselves. for continued development that it would be hard to believe that Members and guests can do anything but enjoy themselves! may have nine centuries of recorded heritage but today it caters for 21st- This letter written to Roger, Hertford and Chester King by century leisure, providing a range of facilities that is arguably unrivalled So, again, many thanks for giving me the honour to share in so many within the UK. Jeremy Shepherd in December 2005 after his year as Captain wonderful moments at Stoke Park Club and I hope to experience many Where else can you play a championship golf course whose signature encapsulates those views: more fine times in future years. par-three seventh hole was the inspiration for Augusta’s 12th at Amen Corner? [As we saw earlier, this is incorrect. It was the inspiration for the In not knowing which one of you to write to, I thought that I should take Members will be delighted to read this letter to Secretary original 16th at Augusta.] Where else can you watch world superstars play the bull by the horns and write to each of you to thank you for allowing Ralph Pickering from the President of the Berks, Bucks & on Wimbledon-specification grass courts, and play on them yourself the me the honour of being Captain at Stoke Park Club throughout 2005. It next day? has been a most fantastic and memorable year for me and I hope to have Oxon Union of Golf Clubs: Where else can you be pampered head to toe in ‘The Best New Spa in been a positive, supportive and innovative Captain on behalf of the the UK’? Where else can you dine in an award-winning restaurant Members and the management of the club. 15 June 1994 savouring the mouth-watering creations of a TV-celebrity chef? Where I feel that there have probably been two major highlights of the year for else can you recreate Bridget Jones’s ‘dirty weekend’, in exactly the same me: firstly, the delivery of the inaugural Captain’s Tour Challenge, an Dear Ralph, rooms as used in the hit film? inclusive trip to Le Touquet which brought together 24 Members, many BB&O AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP Gilly and Roger King (left) with the President of Stoke Park Club, Earl Howe, and Countess Howe. Where else can you do all these things (and many other experiences of whom had never previously met each other, for a long weekend of golf- unique to the Stoke Park Club) and find them all set within a beautiful ing and, crucially, socialising! I hoped that this was to be the first of many 350-acre estate with lakes landscaped by ‘Capability’ Brown? future, similar trips and we are already looking forward to the follow-up I would like you to know of an incident at Denham Golf Club on Friday In fact, there are another three letters which sum up the Stoke Park in Ireland next year for which we have generated significant interest. 10 June, the first day of the Championship, concerning one of your Club – WOW! Secondly, and possibly of greater personal significance, was the oppor- Members … Alec Saary. The WOW! factor of Stoke Park Club hits visitors as soon as they drive tunity to raise charitable funds for the Magdi Yacoub Institute and I was Playing the 18th hole in the afternoon with a white no. 1 Slazenger ball up the fir-lined driveway and gain their first sight of the impressive 200- absolutely delighted that Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub was able to attend he overshot the green into the hedge. The ball was just playable and he year-old Palladian mansion at the heart of this renowned country club. the Men’s Presentation Dinner at the end of November. (Professor hacked it out on to the green. While marking it he realised that it was not 272 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 273

his ball. It was a no. 1 Slazenger but without the dots he had put on it fisherman] caught his 51lb 8oz record-breaker, The Bishop, back in 1981. before play. He immediately informed his playing companions thereby [After the war], the grounds and lakes, originally landscaped by incurring two penalty shots. The original ball was found out of bounds Capability Brown and Repton, grew thick with noxious weeds. The under- and the shot replayed thus incurring a total of four penalty shots. He growth took over, burying statues and Japanese gardens under an impen- completed the hole in 9. Mercifully this incident alone did not cause his etrable layer of brambles. Trees fell into the lake, silt filled it up and the failure to qualify for Saturday. Great credit is due to Alec Saary for his carp grew wild and fat … The lakes have been sorted out. Big carp, netted honesty which meets the high standard befitting Amateur Golf, and by his out of the lower lake, have been moved to the top one. New carp, care- action great credit to his Golf Club. fully sourced, have been stocked into the lower lake, where the abundance of natural food means they put on weight faster than a couch potato at Yours sincerely Christmas. Chris [Yates] and I parked ourselves on the newly cut, beautifully con- Philip Mitford structed swims made of bank chippings. We catapulted maggots, over- hand-bowled sweetcorn and flicked wodges of bread crust out into the President water. Yates had his stick bent by a red-eyed, green-backed tench. My newly bought Edward Barder split cane rod was wobbled by a flashy, stripey red-finned perch. Deep, worrying swirls punctuated our peace as fat carp rolled nearby. And sharp crashing splashes burst moments of silence as yet another mishit golf ball splashed into the water. We ate the most sumptuous picnic known to man, which was delivered on a golf buggy with the compliments of the great house. Then, in the full-tummy Fishing warmth of the afternoon we decided to go stalking. Yates crouched in the long reeds. Poking his split cane between the green fronds while delicately chucking small handfuls of curry-scented Fishing had been one of the sporting activities available at the maggots at a stream of water-borne bubbles. Carp were feeding within Stoke Park Club when Pa Lane Jackson opened it in 1908, but feet of the 15th tee. from the Second World War onwards, along with tennis, row- ing and croquet, the facility was withdrawn. As Nick Fisher put it in a very amusing article he wrote in Shooting Times in September 2000 under the heading, ‘Golf Club du lac’:

The lakes in the middle of the course were stocked before World War II with the famous Leney strain of carp. This is the same strain used to stock exemplary waters like Redmire, where Yatesy [Chris Yates, a famous carp

The Lower Lake in the early morning with the Manor House in the background. 274 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 275

eighteen-hole golf match, with the loser agreeing to leave the region for good. Goldfinger and The Club continued to attract the stars. In 1997 James Bond returned, this time played by Pierce Brosnan, in Tomorrow Never Dies. The scene was a hotel in Hamburg, and the other famous films Stoke Park Club ballroom was a bedroom. The Penn Room was converted into a bathroom, where Brosnan seduced Teri Hatcher’s Paris Carver, and the Wyatt Room a lounge. The minutes of the meeting of the Main Committee of the Later that year Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman rented a Stoke Park Club of 4 March 1964 recorded that house near the Club and became temporary members while filming the Stanley Kubrick psycho-sexual thriller, Eyes Wide The Committee approved of the arrangements so far made regarding the Shut. For relaxation they took golf lessons from the Club pro, filming of Goldfinger on the Club’s premises; it was noted that a fee of £250 [£5,000 in today’s money] had been suggested. Tim Morrison. They were followed by Hugh Grant, who was spotted prac- James Bond had removed £10,000 (£200,000 today) from tising at the Club by the Mirror and OK! a few days after his Goldfinger after catching him cheating at cards in Miami and well-publicised split from Liz Hurley in May 2000. (In fact, that money was the stake in a golf match at Royal St Mark’s (a Grant is a good golfer and had been a member for a number transparent pseudonym for Royal St George’s). The match of years.) Two months later he was performing at the Club was actually played at the Stoke Park Club and Bond finally with Renée Zellweger and Colin Firth in Bridget Jones’s Diary. won on the 18th after further bouts of cheating by Various scenes were shot on the lake and the final grand wed- Goldfinger, ably assisted by his intimidating caddy, Oddjob, ding scene was filmed in the Fountain Room. who wore a steel-brimmed bowler hat. Bond provoked Other films where scenes were shot at Stoke Park included Because of the wonderful house and beautiful surroundings, the Club is in Oddjob into an attempt to assassinate him with the hat, but Wimbledon, from the same makers as Notting Hill, and Love great demand for film-sets. Here is Hugh luckily Bond ducked and the hat famously decapitated one of Actually, starring Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany. Scenes Grant in Bridget Jones’s Diary and a shot from Layer Cake, starring Daniel Craig. the statues by the clubhouse. from Bride and Prejudice, from the same director as Bend it Like This was not the first film with scenes shot at Stoke Park. Beckham, were also shot at Stoke Park, as were scenes from the In 1945 the film noir, Dead of Night, showed how two golfers in thriller Layer Cake, starring Michael Gambon and Daniel love with the same woman agreed to resolve the issue in an Craig – soon to become the new James Bond.

276 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 277

The Gurkhas at of the 18th century. As the British took control in Bengal and The Colt Cup and Bihar they encountered the city-state of Gorkha, led by the powerful King Prithwi Narayan Shah. Under this king and Stoke Park Club his immediate successors, the Gurkhas (as the soldiers from Colt Association Gorkha became known) overran the whole of the hill country from the Kashmir border in the west to Bhutan in the east. They proved such a thorn in the flesh of the British that the In 1947, General Sir Arthur Mills CB DSO, a friend of Sir Governor General finally declared war on Nepal in 1814. We have already seen in Chapter Eight the enormous contri- Noel Mobbs, established the Stoke Park Club, St Giles’ After two years of bloody fighting, a peace treaty was signed at bution that Harry Shapland Colt made to Stoke Park Club church and the Gardens of Remembrance as a combination Sugauli in 1816. when ‘Pa’ Jackson commissioned him as a golf course des- of venues where an annual day of remembrance to the The British had been enormously impressed by the fight- igner. It was not only Stoke Park Club which benefited from Gurkhas would be held each year. ing qualities of the Gurkhas, and under the terms of the Colt’s skills and those of his partners, Dr Alister Mackenzie, Major-General Sir Arthur Mordaunt Mills was born in treaty a number of Gurkhas were permitted to volunteer Hugh Alison and John Morrison. Around 300 golf courses 1879, educated at Wellington College, and served with the for service in the East India Company’s army. From these throughout the world were influenced by them to some 3rd Royal Essex Regiment, the 18th (King George’s Own) volunteers were formed the first regiments of the Brigade of degree and, in 1993, Hertford King, then Managing Director Lancers and the 4th (Prince of Wales’s Own) Gurkhas. In the Gurkhas. The Gurkhas have now served the British Crown of Stoke Park Club, decided to introduce an invitational Boer War he was awarded five clasps, and in the First World for nearly 200 years. 12,000 came to the aid of the British inter-club tournament. This would be played annually for War he was mentioned in despatches three times and awarded during the Indian Mutiny in 1857. No fewer than 200,000 The Colt Cup. the DSO and two bars. He also served on the North West volunteered during the First World War, and in the Second The Secretary of the Club, Ralph Pickering, worked out a Frontier, India, and in 1930 was mentioned in despatches. World War 40 battalions fought throughout the world. In formula for a serious, though friendly, competition. This Between 1930 and 1934 he commanded the Raznuak Brigade, these two wars the Gurkhas suffered 45,000 casualties. They turned out to be a 36-hole event between club teams of three Waziristan, India, and from 1935 to 1939 was Military won twelve Victoria Crosses and countless other medals. players with handicaps of plus to 6, 7 to 12 and 13 to 18. Play Adviser-in-Chief, Indian States Forces. He was ADC to the It was to commemorate these gallant men that General Sir would be in ‘threes’ within each of the three handicap ranges. King from 1933 to 1935. Arthur Mills set up the annual memorial day, and it has con- A Colt Cup Committee was formed, with Earl Alexander The origin of the Gurkhas’ association with the British tinued ever since, recently celebrated for the 60th time of Tunis as Chairman. Other members were Nick Edmund, Army lay in the conflicts in northern India in the second half under the careful guidance of Major Dickie Day, late of the editor of Following the Fairways, Fred Hawtree, golf architect and Gurkha piper at Stoke Park Club’s centenary service. The Gurkhas have a long association Indian Army. with the Club.

278 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 279

author of Colt & Co., and Ralph Pickering, serving as Secretary. They were joined in 1999 by Peter Alliss and in 2000 by Bruce Critchley, both well-known TV commentators. Twenty-six teams participated in the inaugural comp- etition in 1994, and since then a total of 44 clubs have participated, including Detroit, Royal Cape Hamilton, Kennemer, Royal Sydney, Paris St Germain, Real Club de Pedrena, Toronto, and Utrechtse ‘De Pan’ from outside the British Isles.

The Colt Cup – competed for each year by golf clubs whose courses were designed by the The new Dining Room in 2008. This replaced the bar and, as we saw earlier, this room was originally John Penn’s Banqueting Room. great golf course designer, Harry Colt. 280 STOKE PARK THE FIRST 1,000 YEARS 281

The fabulous swimming pool and gym in the new Pavilion.

A bedroom in the Pavilion. 282 STOKE PARK

The future of Stoke Park

Stoke Park and its Club are the product of thousands of Much has changed over the past 1,000 years, but the people’s collective creative effort over the centuries. These purpose of Stoke Park has not. It has always been a place for cumulative layers of history have made the estate one of families to escape to and enjoy the luxuries of life in elegant the most beautiful places in the world. Being its custodian surroundings. Since 1908 the estate’s facilities have changed brings with it great responsibility to ensure that this unique with its members’ changing interests, but its ethos has not. part of Britain’s heritage is not lost. The Club has therefore The Club's ethos has always been dedicated to creating a committed itself to maintain and improve Stoke Park’s land- fun and friendly atmosphere in a high-quality environment scape, gardens, buildings and monuments, using as a guide for members and their guests. Today the Club is bigger and a conservation management plan, created by a number of more vibrant than at any time in its history, thanks to the experts in their fields, for the next 50 years. quality of the facilities laid out by its founder, and these The medium-term future of the estate’s restoration facilities have now been restored and enhanced. The ethos and maintenance is now secure, but what of the future for continues and will be maintained to ensure a wonderful the Club? future for the Club.