Let’s Do the Time Warp Again
Fans of 1975’s Rocky Horror Picture Show know Oakley Court as the phoneless castle where the overly lip-glossed Tim Curry thrilled Susan Sarandon in the cult B-movie musical.
“Half the roof was missing, and the other half was leaking,” Sarandon recalls. “It was freezing cold, and I got pneumonia.”
Forty years later, the Oakley Court Hotel in Windsor, England, is anything but chilling.
Situated along the River Thames, the Gothic manor features 118 modern rooms (starting at around $200 USD) with wingback chairs and king-size beds fit for a queen (literally; Queen Elizabeth paid a visit in 2009), while elaborate Victorian mantels reign over sitting rooms.
The French-inspired dining room looks onto the formerly eerie estate’s 35 manicured acres that include a golf course, croquet lawn, and tennis courts.
Plus, the castle now has telephones.
This piece, written by Steve Larese, first appeared in the February/March 2015 issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine.
- Nat Geo Expeditions
