The Oakley Court

The Grade II listed building was built in 1859 by Sir Richard Hall-Say and Lord Otho Fitzgerald lived here from 1874 until his death in 1882. The building was also home to Birmingham entrepreneur Sir William Avery Baronet (whose business manufactured Avery scales).

In the mid-20th century it was a film set with several horror films filmed here including The Brides of Dracula (1962), The Reptile (1966) and The Plague of the Zombies (1966), And Now the Screaming Starts (1973), Vampyres (1974) and, most famously, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).

The building is certainly impressive, but parts of the hotel look a little drab and it is a little too run down for the price charged.

The hotel has 118 guest rooms, each with comfortable beds, flat-screen television, fridge, ironing facilities, tea and coffee making facilities and en suite bathrooms. All guests have free Wi-Fi wireless internet access.

There are quite a few dining options here. The Dining Room is the main restaurant, which does breakfast, lunch and dinner and on sunny days you can enjoy food and drink outdoors on The Terrace with views of the River Thames. Dining at The Oakley Court gets mixed reviews and you’re staying just down the road from Bray, so why eat here when just five minutes up the road you can be eating food prepared by Heston Blumenthal or Alain Roux?

The Oakley Court is also known for its afternoon tea, although it is overpriced compared with afternoon tea elsewhere.

The Oakleaf Bar has plenty of character with comfy armchairs and a warm fireplace, making it a cosy spot to enjoy an evening drink.

There are loads of other amenities including a golf course, tennis courts, swimming pool, fitness centre, steam room and sauna.

The Oakley Court has a lovely rural location around midway between Windsor and Maidenhead and it is only 4 km (2½ miles) to Bray (the small Berkshire village that is home to 40% of the United Kingdom’s three-Michelin-star restaurants) and it is 5.2 km (3¼ miles) to Windsor town centre.