I Was In Awe Of The Thursday Murder Club's Fancy (And Very Familiar) Retirement Home. Turns Out It Has Connections To X-Men, The Royal Family And More

The Thursday Murder Club movie has just landed among the new 2025 Netflix releases, and after checking it out, I can agree with critics saying that it’s a delightful and cozy murder mystery. It was one of the upcoming book adaptations I had been really anticipating since I found out it was happening. But, aside from the film’s plotline, I want to talk about the mystery of my own that I ended up trying to figure out while watching the movie. Where had I seen Cooper’s Chase before?

I Immediately Knew The Thursday Murder Club Retirement Home Looked Familiar, And I Wasn't Disappointed With Why

Throughout my viewing of The Thursday Murder Club, which you can now stream with a Netflix subscription, I couldn’t help but do a double-take at the Coopers Chase retirement home, where much of the movie takes place, and search my memory for why it looks so familiar. Per House Beautiful, director Chris Columbus was inspired to make the setting “the Hogwarts version of a retirement community” after previously helming the first two Harry Potter movies. And, he certainly achieved that! I know I’ll be daydreaming about retirement after seeing the sets of this movie.

But, anyway, if you’re just as curious as I was about why it was familiar, I have an answer for you. The real Coopers Chase is called Englefield House, and it’s located in Berkshire in the English countryside. And when I looked into where I had seen it before, I was immediately validated, because this location is a recognizable celebrity in its own right.

I think the most memorable use of the Englefield House I was thinking about was how it was used as the home of Charles Xavier in the X-Men prequel, First Class, aka the X-Mansion.

Additionally, it should also be noted that Pippa Middleton married James Matthews at the church on the estate before having their reception at the Englefield House. So, the likes of the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cambridge and other members of the Royal Family have rubbed shoulders at the venue as well!

Where Else You Might Have Seen The Englefield House In Movies And TV

But that’s not all. Even if you’re not a Marvel or Royal Family fan, you’ve probably seen the Englefield House in something you’ve watched. I also found out that in Cruella, the same estate was used for the home of Emma Thompson’s Baroness Von Hellman. It was used in Netflix’s The Crown too as the Sandringham House. According to the estate’s own website, Masters of the Air, The King’s Speech and Pennyworth were also filmed there.

In other words, if you also thought you might have seen this house somewhere, you definitely have. Now, I’m hoping more of the Thursday Murder Club books get adapted into movies so I can see the star-studded cast film more mysteries in this beautiful estate (which is open to the public, by the way, if you’re in the area).