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Thame Park 
TAME
Thame, Oxfordshire, England
Circa Date: 18th century w/14th and 16th century parts
Status: Fully Extant
TAME
Thame, Oxfordshire, England
Circa Date: 18th century w/14th and 16th century parts
Status: Fully Extant
Special Info / Location/ Date
Special Info
Phonetic Pronunciation of House Name
TAME
Location
Country
England
District Today
Oxfordshire
Historic County
Town / City
Thame
Latitude
51.746681
Longitude
-0.97064
Date
Start Date
Completion Date
Circa Date
18th century w/14th and 16th century parts
Images
Images From Flickr This is a new feature that we are testing publicly. We apologize if not all Flickr images are associated with the house record. Please bear with us as we work to refine the accuracy of the images retrieved.  Skate Park Moggie  River Thame  If you're late to work, you get to park in the flooded bit  Thame Skate Park Queen  Carol Klein and Rachel de Thame at Tatton Park RHS show 2006  nepal, khumbu, brücke auf dem weg nach thame  war memorial  Thame Park  nepal, khumbu, thame  Inside the thame park..Genting highland set.  nepal, khumbu, yak-karawane bei thame in richtung norden, tibet, dem 6.000m hohen pass  nepal, khumbu, kloster / gompa thame  docked ship  Thames barrier  garden |
Architects
| Designed | Restored Thame Church |
| Date | 1843-45 |
| Designed | Restored The Prebendal House in the Park for Charles Stone |
| Date | 1837 |
| Designed | Rebuilt House for 6th Viscount Wenman |
| Date | circa 1745 |
| Attribution of this work is uncertain. |
| Designed | Reconstructed Chapel for Baroness Wenman |
| Date | 1836 |
Extant / Listed / References
Extant
Extant Type
Fully Extant
Extant Details
Listed
House Listed As
Grade I
Gardens Listed As
Grade II
On SAVE Britain's Heritage's List of Buildings at Risk
No
Country House: Yes
References
Vitruvius Britannicus
Vitruvius Scoticus
J.B. Burke (Burke's Visitation of Seats)
Country Life
XXVI, 90. 1909. CXXII, 1092 plan, 1148. 1957.
J.P. Neale (Neale's Views of Seats)
Access / Ownership / Seat
Access
Open to Public Please note: Houses listed as being open "By Appointment" are usually country house hotels or B&Bs.
No
Historic Houses Association Member
Phone Number If calling from the U.S., delete the first "0" in British numbers.
Fax Number
Email
Website
Awards
Current Ownership
Current Ownership Type
Individual / Family Trust
Primary Current Ownership Use
Private Home
Current Ownership Details
Thame is being rebuilt and
turned back into a private home, due for completion in 2005.
Seat ("Seat" is loosely defined
as any family that occupied the house for a period of 2 years or more)
Today Seat of
Paul Matthews
A Past Seat(s) of
6th Viscount Wenman, 18th century. Baroness Wenman, 19th century. Bowden family (Baronets), 20th century-1983;
Possible (Unsure) Seat of
History / Gardens & Park / Movies
History
Earlier House(s) / Building(s)
House Replaced By
Built / Designed For
House & Family History
Thame is built on the site of an important Cistercian abbey, founded in 1138 by Alexander, Bishop of Lincoln. The current house includes the early 16th century abbot's lodgings (to the south) and a small 13th-14th century range on the north, and incorporates arched cloisters. In the mid-18th century these various pieces were linked by a new house built on the west, probably on the site of other monastic buildings. The result is a house with 25,000 sq. feet of interior space sporting a west front that's Georgian and a late Gothic south front, complete with crenellated turrets and mullioned windows. The 16th century interiors are some of the earliest examples of the Italian Renaissance style in England.
In 1984 Sir Frank Bowden, whose family made their fortune founding the Raleigh Bicycle Company, sold Thame Park to a Japanese family. The new owners intended to turn Thame into a country house hotel and started work on refurbishing the interiors; however, in 1992 all work came to a stop and in 2000 Thame was put up for sale for £8 million. The Estate sold for £6 million in 2002 and the House is now being restored and converted back into a private home, with completion due in 2005
Collections
This field lists art objects that are currently or were previously in the collection of the house.
For information on the history of British currency, click here. To use a chart that allows you to compare the purchasing power of money In Great Britain from 1264 to any other year, including the present, click here. To use a currency conversion to see the current value of the British pound, click here.
For information on the history of British currency, click here. To use a chart that allows you to compare the purchasing power of money In Great Britain from 1264 to any other year, including the present, click here. To use a currency conversion to see the current value of the British pound, click here.
Comments
Gardens & Park
Garden, Park, Follies and Outbuildings
Thame has 450 acres of parkland, with 30 acres of gardens that are listed Grade II, complete with a seven-acre lake and a sunken Rose Garden, all set within a 1,200 acre Estate. The Stables are also Grade II listed. In the early 21st century new greenhouses and potting sheds were built.
Chapel & Church
A fine Grade II Chapel is in the Park.
Movies
Location for Movies / TV
"The Madness of King George" (1994). "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" (1996). "Emma" (1997 - TV mini series). "Saving Private Ryan" (1998 - Storming the machine nest, all the shots of large fields, and the half-track ambush). "Midsomer Murders" (1997 - TV series, hunt scenes in episode "Death of a Stranger"). "The Wyvern Mystery" (2000 - TV mini series, as Carwell Grange). "The Governess" (1998). "Lady Chatterley" (1993).
Bibliography
| Author | Sayer, Michael |
| Year Published | 1993 |
| Reference |
| Author | Colvin, Howard |
| Year Published | 1995 |
| Reference | pgs. 48, 518, 903 |
| Author | Adams, Mark |
| Year Published | 2000 |
| Reference |
| Author | Sherwood, Jennifer; Pevsner, Nikolaus |
| Year Published | 1974 |
| Reference | pg. 809 |
Related Resources
There are no documents associated with this house.
