Wormsley is a private estate ofMark Getty and his family, set in 2,700-acre (1,100 ha) of rolling countryside in theChiltern Hills ofBuckinghamshire (formerlyOxfordshire), England. It is also the home ofGarsington Opera. Acquired bySir Paul Getty in 1985, the estate forms part ofHambleden valley, running fromStokenchurch toTurville. Wormsley is known for its library, its cricket ground, its two-acre walled garden, its shoot, and the vistas and landscapes of the estate grounds. It also rents space for events and television and filming work.
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The estate was founded by theScrope family in the late 16th century. It belonged to ColonelAdrian Scrope, theregicide, and passed to his grandsonJohn Scrope, a baron of the Exchequer who died without issue. The estate passed to the descendants of his sister Anne (died 1721), who had marriedHenry Fane of Brympton. Their second son,Thomas Fane, also a Bristol merchant, succeeded his uncle as Member of Parliament forLyme Regis, beginning the Fane family's long association with the seat. Fane also succeeded a distant cousin and became 8thEarl of Westmoreland in 1762.
TheFane family sold the 18th-century house and estate in 1986 toSir Paul Getty and his wifeVictoria Holdsworth. Getty restored the house and estate, adding a library to accommodate his book collection, and a theatre where performances were held for invited guests.
The area is known for its population ofred kites. Once extinct in England and Scotland, the birds were reintroduced into England beginning in 1989. The area was not originally planned to be the first release site. It was originally intended to beWindsor Great Park, but at the last minute the landowner pulled out and the project nearly collapsed. Getty stepped in and offered Wormsley as an alternative.
In 2011,Garsington Opera moved fromGarsington Manor nearOxford to a purpose-built pavilion in the grounds of Wormsley.[1]
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| Ground information | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Location | nearStokenchurch,Buckinghamshire | ||||
| Establishment | 1992 (first recorded match) | ||||
| Capacity | 5,000[2] | ||||
| International information | |||||
| First women's Test | 11–15 August 2013: England v Australia | ||||
| Last women's Test | 13–17 August 2014: England v India | ||||
| First WODI | 5 July 2009: England v Australia | ||||
| Last WODI | 11 July 2012: England v India | ||||
| Team information | |||||
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| As of 5 September 2020 Source:cricketarchive.com | |||||
AfterMick Jagger introduced him tocricket, Getty built a ground in 1992 with amock-Tudor pavilion. The actual playing area is a replica of the field atThe Oval.[2][3] TheQueen Mother and the Prime Minister,John Major, attended the first match, along withMichael Caine,Denis Compton andBrian Johnston.[4] Over the final decade of his life, Getty invited teams to play at what is now known as "Sir Paul Getty's Ground" with the teams ranging from world-class sides to youth sides.
Those who have played there include cricketersAndrew Flintoff,Imran Khan,Mike Gatting,Mike Atherton,Mark Ramprakash,Derek Randall,James Anderson andMike Brearley and entertainment figures such asPeter O'Toole,Tim Rice, andRory Bremner.[citation needed] Touring international sides have played at Wormsley with the Australians, West Indians, Sri Lankans and South Africans all having made appearances at the ground.[5] It was the venue for the onlyTest match of theAustralian women's tour of England in 2013.[6]
Media related toWormsley Park at Wikimedia Commons
51°38′41″N0°56′03″W / 51.644693°N 0.934224°W /51.644693; -0.934224