Britain's Most Famous Lake

Britain’s most famous lake is called Black Park Lake. The lake has become famous due to the thousands of set locations which have been filmed there.

The lake, as it’s name suggests, is situated in Black Park, a five hundred and thirty acre woodland and recreational area situated near the parish of Wexham in Buckinghamshire. 

THE HISTORY OF BLACK PARK AND IT'S LAKE

The heath land that was to become Black Park was originally situated alongside the ancient Langley Park, which was purchased in 1738 by politician, Charles Spencer (1706 - 1758) who was also the third  Duke of Marlborough.

Soon after the purchase of the ancient parkland the duke went on to enlarge it by planting thousands of fir trees. These fir trees make up the area now known as the Long Pine Walk, and it is the shade cast by these fir trees that give the park it's name.

The park’s lake was constructed in 1741 by decommissioned soldiers from the War of Jenkins Ear (1739 - 1748) from a design by former royal head gardener, Thomas Greening (1730 - 1809), who had it positioned in the north of the newly formed park in an area known as Iver Heath. 

HOW THE LAKE BECAME SO FAMOUS 

On the periphery of the heath was a Victorian manor house which was known locally as Heatherden Hall. In 1914 Heatherden Hall was bought by a Canadian financier, Grant Morden, who turned the house into a private retreat for politicians and statesmen and for visiting diplomats.

The retreat became an instant success so much so, that it was at Heatherden Hall that the agreement to form the Irish Free State was signed.

In 1934 Grant Morden died a penniless recluse and in order to pay his death duties the grand old house had to be sold at auction.

The house was purchased by Henry Boot, the son of a prominent construction and property tycoon.

Boot spent the next twelve months turning the once beautiful, baroque building into an office complex for a movie studio that he had plans for, but this fell through leaving Butt having to sell the property.  

This time the house was purchased by the British film producer Joseph Arthur Rank (1888 - 1972).

Today Heatherden Hall is now situated in the grounds of the world famous Pinewood Studios, so called because of the firs planted there by Charles Spencer back in 1738, and the studios have gone on to use the services of the neighbouring park and and lake countless times as set locations. 

 

BLACK PARK LAKE ON TV AND IN FILM 

Due to the vast amount of films and TV shows that have been filmed at Black Park Lake any one would be forgiven for thinking that the park is just one big, continuously used, film set but actually the film company only use the services of the park for around twenty days / three weeks a year. 

Shown below are just a handful of the films and T.V series where you may have spotted Black Park Lake.

Black Park was a lake in Central Park, New York and a lake in upper New York State in several episodes of ‘Jeeves and Wooster’.

The park featured in the episodes ‘Death of a Hollow Man’, ‘Beyond the Grave’ and ‘Murder on St Malley's Day’ in the 'Midsomer Murders' series. 

The lake doubled as a lake in a London park in several episodes of Agatha Christie's ‘Poirot’. 

The park and lake was a set location on most of the 1950 - 1970 Hammer House of Horror films, where it doubles as Transylvania.

The lake featured on the six Carry On Films ‘Carry On Dick’, ‘Carry On Don't Lose Your Head’, ‘Carry On Cowboy’, ‘Carry On Cabbie’, ‘Carry On Henry’ and ‘Carry On Up The Jungle’. 

The lake and surrounding area became the Ugandan warlords camp in the James Bond film, ‘Casino Royale’ and the Alpine car chase in a sequence in the James Bond film ‘Goldfinger’. 

The lake featured in the 1976 film ‘Bugsy Malone’. 

The lake featured in several episodes of the BBC's ‘Dr Who’ series. 

The lake has featured in several episodes of the BBC's Pie in the Sky.

The lake and it’s environs became the town of Sleepy Hollow in the 1999 film ‘Sleepy Hollow’.

Black Park Lake morphed into Eden Lake in the 2008 film ‘Eden Lake’. 

The lake and it’s surrounding area became a CIA training camp in the film ‘Agent Cody Banks II’. 

The lake and local arwea featured in Monty Python's ‘And Now For Something Completely Different’.

The lake was used in Mike Batt's 1977 film, ‘Wombling Free’.

The lake featured in the 2008 ‘Batman’ film ‘Dark Knight’.

The lake and it’s surrounding area featured heavily in ‘Black Beauty’, the film. 

The lake featured in the 2005 remake of ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. 

The lake and the surrounding are played host to all of the ‘Harry Potter’ films. 

The lake can be seen in the 2010 film ‘The Wolfman’.

The lake has featured in several sketches of the comedy series ‘Harry and Paul’.

 

VISITING BLACK PARK

Although no one can enter the grounds of Pinewood Studios one can visit Black Park and it's famous lake every day of the year.

The park is the four times winner of the Green Flag Award, has several SSSI areas within it's environs and was officially designated as a Nature Reserve in 1992. 

For those wishing to visit Black Park it’s address is;

Black Park Road,

Wexham,

Slough.

SL3 6DS.

Tel - 01753 511 060.