Connoisseurs concerned with the entertainments of this blog, such as yourself, would no doubt have come across mention of Sheplegh Court, for it was a popular location for photographers of the nude. But did you know why? A gem of architecture in as wonderful a setting as Nature could devise, Sheplegh Court was a residential country club for naturists.
The delightful Lee Sothern in the grounds of Sheplegh Court. Taken in the early 60s. Glass plate negative.There are records of a property occupying the site since 326AD. The Ridgeway family built the present house in 1837, and in 1944 it became the headquarters of General Eisenhower during rehearsals in Start Bay for the D-day landings. It was the venue for a famous planning meeting between Eisenhower, Churchill, De Gaulle and Montgomery. Not long after the war in 1946, it opened to the public as Britain’s first naturist hotel.
Naturism was mandatory in the grounds outdoors. Most of the internal staff, however, wore clothes. They were mainly village folk from nearby Blackawton. It regrettably closed its doors in 1987. The house and outbuildings have now been converted to provide approximately 15 flats within the seclusion of 30 acres of garden, woods and parkland.
I plan to do some more research and will hopefully post a longer article about the venue in the future. If anyone has some info or pictures, please get in touch.
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