Greys Court

Greys Court stands in the southern Chiltern Hills near Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. A Tudor country house with gardens, it occupies land once held by the Norman knight Anchetil de Greye in 1086. The fortified tower built around 1347 is the only trace left of the medieval castle. The house was enlarged in the 14th century and later passed through the Knollys family, who built the present structure. In the 18th century it gained notable plasterwork interiors. The National Trust now owns the property. The house is Grade I listed and remains furnished as a family home. Its walled gardens contain old-fashioned roses, wisteria, and an ornamental vegetable garden. A grass maze with brick paths was dedicated in 1981 by Archbishop Robert Runcie. An ice house and a Tudor wheelhouse also lie within the grounds. The fortified tower overlooks the gardens and the surrounding countryside. Films such as Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie’s Poirot have been shot here. Visitors find a Tudor courtyard and furnished rooms that still feel like a family home. The maze invites exploration, while the tower offers views over the gardens and hills. The vegetable garden and wisteria add colour and scent to the scene. The ice house and wheelhouse provide glimpses of daily life in earlier centuries. The setting combines gentle hills with a house that has grown over many centuries.