VIVIEN-LEIGH.COM | Notley Abbey

Larry fell in love with the place's gothic history. On that first visit, Larry had placed the medieval key into the gothic oak door, his mind was made up. The lovers bought the abbey and brought the rooms back to life as they renovated it. With the help of Sibyl Colefax, the favorite decorator of the stars, royalty, and nobility at the time, Vivien furnished it with valuable pieces, an admirable mixture of brocade and comfort, antique and scholarly manuscripts and a modest wealth of fine paintings. {read more about the Oliviers Notley Abbey years}

Anne Edwards describes Notley Abbey in an article featured in Architectural Digest: "The house soon started to possess its occupants. It was a demanding place that seemed to insist that one put on evening dress before descending the staircase for dinner. . . "

It had been founded during the reign of Henry II in the 12th century. Larry's son Tarquin (by his 1st marriage) described the abbey, "the river Thame meandering in weedy shallows through the elm woods, the willowed fields. This place where Henry V once stayed, breathed heraldry. In the attic were priceless frescoes of the emblem of Notley embracing the hazel nut and the lover's knot."

7 Bedrooms, 3 Receptions, 6 Baths, Outbuildings, 2 Bedrooms cottage, Garage, Tennis Court, Stabling, Water, Fishing, 68.9 Acres

A FAN'S ACCOUNT OF VISITING NOTLEY ABBEY
Sherry recalls her visit to Notley: "I went to London with the sole purpose of finding Notley Abbey so basically, I rented a car and drove to Aylesbury. It was quite a chore, having never driven on the "wrong side of the road" but I had a girlfriend with me. Anyway, once we found Notley, I was in awe. I immediately started to shake with excitement. We took the chance and drove down the long driveway, up towards the house. At the end of the driveway, right before you approach the house, you cross the "Thame" river and lo and behold, the trees end and there's the house! What awe! Anyway, I saw the gardener, Sam, outside. We parked the car and asked if we could walk around the house to take photos. He said that the lady of the house was away on holiday but he's sure that'd be fine. Well, he and his wife Rose lived in the Butler's cottage there on the grounds (right next to Laurence Olivier's limetree walk) and invited us into the cottage. I tried to pull a fast one after about 30 minutes asking if I could use the restroom, thinking I was going to get into the house but no, had to use the one in the cottage. Anyway, they gave us the name of the owners and we were on our way. I didn't sleep all night! After coming home to the States, I wrote Mr. & Mrs. Danny and thanked them for the hospitality of their staff. I received a letter back inviting me to come stay! At Notley! I was on a plane 3 months later and stayed an entire week there! I just came and went as I pleased, took the train to London for the day and came "home" in the evening. I stayed at the house most of the time though. Just walking the grounds, visiting with Mr. & Mrs. Danny in the "sitting room", going to the market with Rose or photographing the house. It was AMAZING! The bedroom that Mrs. Danny put me up in was in the East part of the house and in it's bathroom was VIVIEN'S YELLOW BATHTUB! I took a bath in it every night! Mrs Danny gave me Vivien's "lilac" curtains when I left.

The photos below were taken by Sherry during her visits to Notley in the 1990s. Thank you, Sherry, for sharing these beautiful, amazing photos with VIVIEN-LEIGH.COM! Photos copyright Sherry George.

Notley Abbey was recently sold to some small business owners. They carefully rehabbed the abbey, modernizing the interior. The Abbey now sparkles and is available for banquets and wedding receptions. All the bedrooms are named and labeled with name plaques. Some of the labeled rooms are: "Vivien," "Larry," "Ralph," "Henry," "Cardinal," and "Marilyn." Oddly enough, "Vivien"'s room leads though to "Ralph" room. There's a "Henry's Bathroom" and a "Larry's Shower". View Notley's website by clicking HERE or view recent photographs by clicking HERE. If you have a photo of Notley that you'd like to donate to this site, please contact the webmaster at webmaster @ vivien-leigh.com.