Ottershaw Park and Mansion were used as locations for films and TV shows during the holidays. Boys at the school remember episodes of The Twilight Zone (?1959 - ?1964), Dangerman (1960's), Doomwatch (1970 - 72), and at least one episode of the Sweeney being shot here. Also, in the early 1980's Benny Hill was chasing girls around the grounds for his TV show.
The following video clips are from Thames Television's "Benny
Hill Show".
These sketches were made for by Thames Television for the Benny Hill Show in
the early 1970's.
1 - "In the Park" (duration
1 min 54 sec). Probably from show 36 first aired 6th February 1980.
Several sequences showing the Mirror Pond in front of the
Mansion.
2 - "Traffic wardens" (duration
7 mins 4 sec). Possibly from show 44 first aired 10th February 1982.
Several sequences showing the outside of the Mansion and the inside
of the Theatre (now The Marble House).
The following video clip is from Series 2, Episode 8 of Thames
Television's "The Sweeney".
This episode was first broadcast by Thames Television in
1975.
1 - "Poppy" (duration 3 min 30 sec). Watch out for the old entrance on the Chobham Road, South Lodge, the Bothy entrance and Fairoaks Airport!
Most of this episode was filmed around Clerkenwell Green, EC1, and some disused docks in E1 which have now been demolished and the land regenerated. There's a couple of scenes in East Sheen, SW14, and Fairoaks Airfield, near Woking.
The following extract is from www.missingimages.com:
Field
at Burt Simmond's Farm, Ottershaw
The car chase scene at end of the episode (supposedly at a farm) was
filmed at Fairoaks Airfield and along the old 'tank track', bordering
what was
Ottershaw School in the 70's. Ottershaw School is now closed and has
been converted into luxury flats called 'The Mansion'. The scene was
filmed
in the area south of The Mansion building, in the area at the end of
the grass runway. The culmination of the chase is filmed on the 'tank
track'
(so called because Ottershaw Park was used to store military vehicles
in preperation for the D-Day landings of WW2). The tank track is in
the area between Samsons Wood and Long Copse on the appropriate Streetmap.co.uk
page. [This is in fact incorrect. Tank track was to the East of Ottershaw
Park. It appears however that the action did take place on the track north
of Sampsons wood to the west of Ottershaw Park.]
The following video clips are from Pathe News items.
1 - Ottershaw School boys dining
(duration 32 secs) (no sound)
A short sequence showing boys and masters dining in the East wing of the Mansion,
1975.
2 - Dog breeders at Ottershaw (duration 1 min 5 secs)
Towards the end of this clip about dog breeding at Wey Farm you will catch a
glimpse of the South lodge, 1959.
The following video clips were taken by John Athersuch
1 - The Mansion field June 2004
(duration 1 min 10 secs)
A short sequence showing early Summer views from the Mansion field.