Historic Houses enjoy major boost from starring TV and film roles.

Filming in the Heaven Room at Burghley House

As well as being among the finest palaces, historic houses and castles in the country, the Treasure Houses of England have also provided the backdrop for some of the most memorable screen and television moments of the past quarter of a century.

From iconic television series like ‘Brideshead Revisited’ (Castle Howard) to blockbuster films like ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ (Blenheim Palace) the Treasure Houses of England have become ‘stars’ in their own right.

Among the most familiar properties is Hatfield House in Hertfordshire which was recently used as a filming location for multi-Oscar-winning hit ‘The King’s Speech’ starring Colin Firth.

Its many other credits include; ‘Hot Fuzz (2006), ‘Get Him to the Greek’ (2009), ‘Batman’ (2005), ‘Batman Begins’ (2005), ‘Shakespeare in Love’ (1998), ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (2008), ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ (2004), ‘Vanity Fair’ (2003), ‘Tomb Raider’ (2001) and ‘Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life’ (2003).

Currently on display in the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu in Hampshire are a number of vehicles from the world of film and television, including a replica of the famous Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car, Del Boy’s Reliant Regal, used in the popular television series Only Fools and Horses, Mr Bean’s lime green Mini, and the flying Ford Anglia from the Harry Potter films.

In addition to its starring role in the original series, Castle Howard in North Yorkshire also featured in the recent cinema re-make of ‘Brideshead Revisited’ (2008) as well as having a part to play in ‘Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties’ (2006).

Chatsworth in Derbyshire recently played host to ‘The Wolfman’ (2010) starring Emily Blunt and Sir Anthony Hopkins, and ‘The Duchess’ (2008) and ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (2005), both starring Keira Knightley.

‘Gullivers Travels’ (2010) which also stars Emily Blunt, alongside Jack Black was partly filmed at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, as was ‘The Young Victoria’ (2007), ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ (2007)  ‘The Libertine’ (2004), ‘The Lost Prince’ (2003), and ‘The Avengers’ (1998).  One of the most iconic Bollywood films of all time’ Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham’ (‘Sometimes Happy, Sometimes Sad’) was also filmed at Blenheim Palace. (2001).

Continuing the Austen theme, Harewood House in West Yorkshire was the setting for the hugely popular TV mini-series ‘Lost in Austen’ (2008) as well as playing its part in long-running shows including; ‘Emmerdale’, ‘A Touch of Frost’, ‘Heartbeat’ and ‘The Royal’.

The film adaptation of Dan Brown bestseller ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (2006) starring To Hanks was partly set at Burghley House in Lincolnshire as was ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (2005) with Keira Knightley, and ‘Elizabeth Golden Age’ (2007).

Leeds Castle in Kent was also used as a film location for ‘Elizabeth Golden Age’ (2007) as well as ‘The Rapture’ (2010) starring Danny Dyer. Television appearances include ‘Magnum PI’, ‘The Apprentice’, ‘Antiques Roadshow’ and ‘Celebrity Masterchef’.

Holkham Hall’s award-winning beach in Norfolk was featured in ‘Shakespeare in Love’ (1998) and the Hall as a location for ‘The Duchess’ (2008), which starred Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes and Charlotte Rampling. It was also the setting for the cult film ‘Dean Spanley’ (2008) which stars Peter O’Toole and Sam Neill.

Woburn Abbey took the starring role in the popular ‘Country House’ series that was shown on BBC 2 from 1999 – 2002. The late Marquess of Tavistock and the Marchioness, later the 14th Duke and Duchess of Bedford, were the subjects of this documentary/ reality series which took a ‘behind the scenes’ look at their personal lives and the running of the Woburn estate.