What do Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire, Wrotham Park, in Middlesex, and Syon House in London all have in common?
Besides their majestic beauty, individual sections of these estates were compiled to create the fictional Gosford Park in the award winning film of the same name.
The English countryside has always been a popular hunting ground for historically accurate movie locations. Some of the more popular films being Pride and Prejudice (Basildon Park), The Remains of the Day (Dyrham Park), and The Hound of the Baskervilles (Knightshayes Court).
Belton House, featured in a number of BBC period miniseries and Castle Howard, most recently filmed for Brideshead Revisited, are a few other country houses that have benefited from disguising themselves as movie sets. Some mansions have experienced increases in visitor attendance up to 120%! The Historic Houses Association celebrates these giants and encourages film crew invasions. www.hha.org.uk
Large country estates were most popular in the 18th and 19th century. Used as a weekend or seasonal escapes for magistrates, aristocrats and sometimes clergy, the country house was an entire world of it’s own. Some estates employed literally hundreds of people. But while the striking country homes that decorate the landscape are no longer recreational get-aways for England’s Ruling class, they still create entirely new worlds through the magic of movies.
Be sure to check our upcoming blogs for another look at the use of British country houses, as well as American buildings, in film and TV--and don't forget to let us know which famous buildings you recognize from your favorite period movies!
Photos: Wrotham Park, ©2007 Wrotham Park; Dyrham Park, and Belton House. © The National Trust 2003-05
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