Englefield Estate

About the venue

Englefield House is the Benyon family's private home on a 14,000-acre West Berkshire estate near junction 12 of the M4. The state rooms seat 140 for dinner and the gardens take marquees for 1,000. The wider grounds can hold events for up to 10,000.

Viewers of The Crown have seen Englefield House standing in for Sandringham. It was also Coopers Chase in Netflix's The Thursday Murder Club and Godmersham House in the BBC's Miss Austen. A Compare the Market meerkat advert was shot here in 2025.

The estate takes its name from a battle in 871, when King Alfred beat the Danes on the hill above the village. The Saxons called the field 'Anglefield'. Sir Francis Englefield lost the house after he was implicated in the Throckmorton Plot of 1583. The Benyon family arrived in the mid-18th century, and Richard and Zoe Benyon live in the house today.

The Italianate terraces and stone staircases were built by Italian craftsmen in the late 1860s. They overlook a deer park with fallow deer and a lake. One stone staircase carries a line from a letter of 1601, welcoming anyone who helps the garden 'either in flowers or invention'. St Mark's Church, which dates from the 12th century, stands next to the house.

The state rooms include a Library of more than 2,000 books, a Dining Room hung with paintings by Marco and Sebastiano Ricci, and the Drawing Room with its four-seasons ceiling. The Long Gallery has a raised Victorian stage, a grand piano and its own commercial kitchen. Catering, entertainment and accommodation come through the estate's chosen partners.

The house is a private residence and is not open to the public. The 12 acres of formal gardens open every Monday, with a £5 entry fee. A separate area of the estate can park 6,000 cars.

Private home of the Benyon family

14,000-acre estate near the M4

Long Gallery dinners for up to 140

Library receptions for up to 250

Garden marquees for up to 1,000

Outdoor events for up to 10,000

Filming location for The Crown

Catering and stays through partners