First off we would like to thank Christian Simpson for providing us with an account of his recent trip to see where the famour outside of the Fawlty Towers building was and for providing us with the videos (these may take a while to load on a slow connection) and images you see on this page
To view the movies on this page will require to have 'Apple QuickTime' insalled on your PC and should you not have this installed you can down load it here by clicking on the link 'QUICK TIME MOVIE PLAYER'
After a relaxing day at Cliveden National Trust house and gardens, I drove down the road to Wooburn Grange, an ominously fittingly named road seeing as the original solitary building did in fact 'Burn' down twice.
That building was used as the exterior of Fawlty Towers, and although it is a travesty that the building was not preserved, at least one can still visit the site.
I parked the car at the entrance to Wooburn Grange, a small cul-de-sac nestled between two others. Upon walking past the entrance pillar, a sudden feeling of familiarity came over me. You know you are walking on the spot where Basil, Cybil and Manuel once walked. It may have been levelled and resurfaced, but this is the place!
The next job was trying to ascertain where the house once stood. There are only a few actual photos of the original building around, and they all seem to be taken at the same angle, so it's a hard one to work out. However, behind shots of the old building, it is easy to see a group of tall, thin trees behind and to the left of it. These trees are visible, albeit slightly taller, and leafier in Spring, behind and to the left of the building (with the red car in the drive).
One must then ask, is it coincidence that this new building ("Building 1") is of almost identical structure to Fawlty Towers? One can see the same basic design elements - the two pronounced window columns, the central front door, the canopy over the front door, the chimney on the left. It would appear these houses have intentionally been loosely based on the original style of Fawlty Towers! (Albeit a more modern version.)
It is not clear whether this building marks the exact spot, or if maybe rhe building to camera left ("Building 2") is a closer match. The gradient of the road seems a bit steeper in front of building 1 than building 2. I would hazard a guess, having been there, that building 1 was beyond the end of the original Wooburn Grange, and is on the extended part of the road.
Building 2, therefore, is a more likely candidate - and it should be possible to see those tall, thin trees to the left of it when you stand in front.
Also in the original photos, a large fern tree can be seen to the right of Fawlty Titties - SORRY Towers. Curiously, this is nowhere to be seen, and one can only assume it was moved or destroyed to make way for the extension to the road.
The only other clue comes from watching the programmes - something I have not yet had a chance to do since my visit! Apparently 'The Anniversary' shows it best.
I was left with just one question... 'Do these people know how special their road is?'. I didn't tell them - might move there myself one day and telling them would only put the prices up. I recommend you visit if you're ever in the area - it will give any fan goose bumps.