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Bodices BLOCKBUSTERS
There was a time when it seemed that movies and TV shows were only ever made in Hollywood. Nowadays, really rather a lot are made right here in the UK. Newspapers last year were full of sightings of major global superstars – Tom Cruise spotted in a Birmingham curry house, Nicole Kidman declaring that she wants to move to Belfast and Harrison Ford found strolling down Newcastle’s Quayside. Whatever is happening? It’s quite simple really. Filmmakers come here now for an expanding number of world class studios, talented film crews and production teams, a favourable tax regime and top notch locations. Location work has become big business for some heritage places. The result is not just a boost to short term income but, for a lucky few, a sort of global fame that is hard to achieve through other means. It also sparks a curiosity with groups of film fans who might have only a tenuous interest in heritage itself and, in particular, reaches out to younger film goers, building a relationship which may last for a long time to come. More than any other film, Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 masterpiece Barry Lyndon marked a change. The film, based on a story by Henry Fielding (and the real life story of the scurrilous John Stoney Bowes), broke new ground by being shot entirely on location in Britain and Ireland and went on not only to be awarded four Oscars but also to develop cult status over the decades since. The historic houses which were caught by Kubrick’s ALICIA VIKANDER FILMING TOMB RAIDER AT WILTON HOUSE
GOLDA ROSHEUVEL AS QUEEN CHARLOTTE IN BRIDGETON PRESIDES OVER THE DOUBLE CUBE ROOM AT WILTON HOUSE.
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STANLEY KUBRICK (LEFT) PIONEERED BOTH USE OF LOCATIONS AND CANDLELIGHT FILMING USING NASA TECHNOLOGY IN BARRY LYNDON (1975)
cameras were Blenheim Palace, Castle Howard, Corsham Court, Petworth, Stourhead, Longleat, Wilton House and Dunrobin Castle, a roll call of some of the grandest country houses in Britain. For some of these places, the income from filming has since become an important and recurring part of their business. Wilton House, home of the Earl and Countess of Pembroke, has been able to attract a series of important filming contracts which are generally managed outside its May to September period of opening to visitors. As a result, Wilton’s grounds and magnificent interiors have had a continuous and varied film career. The house can be seen in a string of costume dramas from Jane Austen to Graham Green, in action films, including Tomb Raider and Johnny English Reborn, in blockbuster TV shows like Outlander, The Crown and Britain’s Next Top Model, as well as the usual run of Antiques Roadshow, Flog It! and Bargain Hunt. Its showstopping interiors are often well disguised, so it was particularly pleasing to see Inigo Jones’ Double Cube Room, perhaps the most beautiful room in Britain, instantly recognisable as a stand in for Kensington Palace in Netflix’s hit show, Bridgerton. visitheritage.co.uk 19
