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Fabulous film locations from the silver screen

Tulips at Lyme

From a legendary Pride and Prejudice scene to current favourite The Crown, learn more about some of the spectacular filming locations seen on screen.

With the 2024 Academy Awards coming up – AKA the Oscars – we've highlighted a selection of historic houses, opulent palaces and vast gardens that have played host to some of the most iconic moments seen on screen.

From Colin Firth emerging from the lake in Pride and Prejudice, to replicating Buckingham Palace for The Crown, these lavish homes have lent their decorated rooms to an array of wonderful stories.

Whether for huge Hollywood adaptations or small independent cinema projects, their romantic sceneries have contributed to the landscape of British film and television, helping to recreate lavish periods of history.

All of these venues offer fantastic benefits with a National Art Pass. You can also explore our full list of museums and galleries for more places to visit near you.

Discover six film locations to visit with an Art Pass

01
Knebworth House, house and gardens. Art Map 2020

Knebworth House

It isn’t difficult to see why the gorgeous regal setting of Knebworth House in rural Hertfordshire is a desirable filming location, having made an appearance in The King’s Speech, Victoria and Abdul and The Crown itself. Its majestic turrets, domes and gargoyles make for a romantic and inspiring setting, combined with its expansive grounds including woodland, lakes, cottages and farms.

Originally built in Tudor times, the house has fine features from lots of different eras, as generations of occupants have put their own stamp on this grand home, welcoming movie shoots from productions as diverse as horror sequel 28 Weeks Later and light hearted musical extravaganza Eurovision Song Contest: Fire Saga.

02
Ham House and Garden, Sunrise at Ham House from the Cherry Garden, © National Trust Images/John Miller

Ham House and Garden

Combining elegant interiors with historic gardens, the 17th-century Ham House has featured in many a blockbuster film, notably Young Victoria, Anna Karenina and the 2010 adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2005 novel Never Let Me Go, starring A-listers Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield, with the house doubling as Hailsham boarding school.

03
Lyme Park

Lyme Park

The grounds of this spectacular Tudor-come-Italian Regency palace were host to one of the most iconic moments in British television: Mr Darcy, played by Colin Firth, emerging from the lake in the 1995 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.

The house is home to a range of impressive tapestries and beautifully furnished rooms, spanning six centuries of history, as well as a herd of majestic red deer that wander the vast grounds.

04
Old Royal Naval College, The Painted Hall

Old Royal Naval College

One of London’s most popular filming spots, the Old Royal Naval College has featured in Les Misérables, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and is used as a stand-in for Buckingham Palace in The Crown. Perched on the bank of the Thames, it encapsulates a sense of historic London, with 500 years of British history on display within its walls. The magnificent Painted Hall is a particular highlight, boasting one of the most spectacular Baroque interiors in Europe.

05
Tapestry Gallery, Newby Hall

Newby Hall and Gardens

The historic mansion house of Newby Hall was the setting of another Austen adaptation: the 2007 television series Mansfield Park starring Billie Piper. The venue also turned itself into Birmingham Museum and other sets for series 1 of popular BBC drama Peaky Blinders.

Designed by Christopher Wren, the house has spectacular 18th-century interiors by Robert Adam, including gorgeous painted ceilings, sculpture work and decorative furniture.

06
Eltham Palace's Art Deco entrance hall

Eltham Palace

When it came to adapting Evelyn Waugh's fantastic Brideshead Revisited for the small screen, the Courtaulds' Art Deco palace was the perfect period residence. After centuries of neglect, Virginia and Stephen Courtauld set about lovingly restoring the palace, resulting in what is now considered a masterpiece of 20th-century design. The circular entrance hall standing in for Fox Studios in the biopic Stan and Ollie. The glamorous interiors, which you may have also recently spotted in the 2023 blockbuster film Wonka, are set in ancient surroundings, retaining remnants of a Tudor palace. There are also a spectacular 19 acres of garden featuring a medieval bridge.

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