Halton House - The Officers' Mess

The Officers' Mess

Shortly after the RAF acquired the Halton estate, the house became RAF Halton's officers' mess. On 1 January 1920 RAF Halton was upgraded to a command and the headquarters element moved into Halton House. Although the House no longer functions as a headquarters, it remains an officer' mess. Under the RAF the house has been conserved. As an officers' mess it has seen more entertaining and parties than under Alfred de Rothschild. To the chagrin of many people, the winter garden and its huge dome were demolished, and a new accommodation wing has been built in its place. However, with the appreciation of 19th-century architecture ascending, it is unlikely that such a travesty will occur again. A new dining room was built at the rear of the servants' wing of the house in the 1960s.

The house, in addition to being the home (albeit a temporary one) to serving officers, has played host to a number of VIP guests, including Norman Tebbit, who stayed in the Mess while his wife Margaret was being treated for her spinal injuries at the nearby and world-famous Stoke Mandeville Hospital, following the PIRA Brighton Bombing of 1984.

Halton House is also used frequently as a film set and is often seen in cinemas and on televisions around the world. It has been featured in:

• Jeeves and Wooster (Series 3, Episode 1 "Bertie Sets Sail" - 1992)
• Evita (1996 musical film based on the life of Eva Perón)
• The World Is Not Enough (1999 James Bond film)
• An Ideal Husband (1999 film based on the play by Oscar Wilde)
• What a Girl Wants (2003 film)
• Bride and Prejudice (2004 Bollywood-style film adaptation of Jane Austen's 1813 novel)
• The Queen (2006 film)
• Flyboys (2006 film)
• Diana: Last Days of a Princess (2007 docudrama)
• The King's Speech (2010 historical drama)
• Downton Abbey (Series 2, Episode 6 - 2011)