FEBRUARY Website
Dorney Court
Friday 17th April 2026
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Price £39.00 per person​
only 40 spaces available
Updated 12 Feb
Leave: Wallingford Museum 09:00 Crowmarsh Church 09:05
Arrive Dorney: 10:15 (11:00 guided tour) Depart Dorney: 12:30
Arrive Thame: 13:30 Depart Thame: 15:30
Return Wallingford: 16:30 approximately
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Organiser: Sue Wright
On this visit (guided tour) we have an opportunity to discover an estate and private home, owned by the Palmer family, that has passed through the generations for nearly half a millennium. Dorney Court is considered to be one of the finest Tudor Manor House’s in the country.
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Little has changed in 600 years, bar the inhabitants, the house has a rare and enchanting character. It is a Grade 1 listed building, further designated as being of outstanding architectural and historical interest. It has always been the manor house of Dorney village which was first recorded in (1086) when the property was owned by Miles Crispin, a wealthy landowner.
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In the millennium between the first record of the house when William the Conqueror was King of England, ownership of the house and the estate passed through the hands of six families before it was sold to Sir William Garrard, Lord Mayor of London, in 1537.
Within a few years, Sir James Palmer of Wingham (Kent) married Martha Garrard, Sir William’s daughter, from which point the Palmers have lived at Dorney over 400 years.
Our guided tour offers us a rare glimpse into this beautiful and historic home, including the adjoining church.
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Thame
A market town, many of us will be familiar with. This is an opportunity to stop for lunch (on our return leg), there are plenty of pubs and cafes dotted around the marketplace.
Also highly recommended, Thame Museum, discover the local story of Thame - free admission though donations encouraged! https://thamemuseum.org
St Mary’s Church - begun in the 13th century at the instigation of the Bishop of Lincoln, Robert Grossteste. Vestiges of the original building can still be seen, such as the pillars and arches in the nave and the aisle windows which date from the early 14th century. The building was substantially restored in the years between 1889 and 1897 by the architect J.O. Scott.
COSTS:
Price: £39.00 per person
Included in the visit:
Coach travel including drivers tip
Refreshments on arrival at the garden centre set in the walled garden of Dorney Court.
Guided tour of Dorney Court (90 minutes)
Not included:
Lunch - At Thame
Only 40 places available
TO BOOK:​
Please email the following FIVE points of booking information
to Sue Wright via our Contact Form
Please put "Dorney' plus your surname in the Subject line.
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1. My/our Name(s)
2. My Phone Number & email address
3. Reserve for me ……….. place(s) @ £39.00 each
4. Pick me/us up from ...Wallingford Museum or ...Crowmarsh Church
5. Name, relationship and phone number of an emergency contact on that day.
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DO NOT PAY YET. You will be asked to pay using your bank's online bank transfer or cheque only when you are offered a place.
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Please note that outings are only available to Thameside Wallingford u3a members.