Phyllis Court Club

About the venue

Members' club founded in 1906 in a riverside manor at Henley, on 18 acres beside the Thames and owned by its members since 1937. Non-members can hire its rooms. Three rooms hold ceremony licences, the Ballroom and Finlay Suite seat 240 and take 300 in the evening, and there are 17 hotel bedrooms.

A single red rose is said to have been the rent paid for Phyllis Court by its first landowner, John de Molyns. He kept the King's hawks and falcons, and Edward III gave him the Manor of Fillets in 1347. The rose is still in the club's emblem. The estate's history goes back to 1301, when Fillets Court was the Manor of Henley on Thames.

The club dates from 2 June 1906, when a young Australian called Roy Finlay leased the riverside mansion as a 'headquarters for social and sporting life on the river'. In the 1920s the Prince of Wales was its patron. Finlay sold the club to its members in 1937, and they still own it. An arson attack damaged the clubhouse in 1976. The Grandstand, put up in 1913, was rebuilt as the Riverside Pavilion between 2013 and 2016.

The club stands on 18 acres facing the Thames, with the Chilterns beyond, and it sits right on the finish line of Henley Royal Regatta. Non-members can hire rooms through the events team. Three rooms hold ceremony licences. The Ballroom and Finlay Suite seat 240 for a ceremony or dinner and take 300 in the evening. The Grade II listed Pavilion is fully glazed over two decks, seats 100 for dinner and has private moorings for arrival by boat.

Business events use five rooms. The smallest is the Kennet Room, for 10 to 16, and the largest the Ballroom and Finlay Suite, for up to 300. There are 17 bedrooms, many with views of the river or the croquet lawn. Hotel guests over 18 can use the gym and pool, and the car park holds 250 cars. A sound limiter in the Ballroom and Pavilion is set at 95 decibels.

Members' club on the Thames at Henley, founded 1906

Owned by its members since 1937

Rooms open to non-members for events

Three rooms with ceremony licences

Ballroom and Finlay Suite: 240 seated, 300 evening

Grade II listed Riverside Pavilion with moorings

Five conference rooms for 10 to 300

17 bedrooms, gym and pool