THE EATING ROOM, OSTERLEY PARK

STORY BEHIND

THAT’S GRAND: It’s the neoclassical Eating Room (dining room to you and I) at Osterley Park and House, a Georgian pile in West London.

DRAMATIC: The perfect backdrop, yes. It’s starring in ITV’s Vanity Fair which was partially filmed here. WHICH CHARACTER LIVES

THERE? It’s the home of Lord Steyne, who is the patron of our leading lady Becky Sharp. WHO DID IT BELONG TO IN REAL LIFE? The house was built in the 1570s by Sir Thomas Gresham and transformed for Sir Francis Child, a wealthy banker, by architect Robert Adam in the 1760s. WHAT ARE THE DECORATIONS? Grapevines, wine ewers, ivy wreathed staves and other Bacchic emblems — all appropriate for an Eating Room.

ANYTHING ELSE? Art historian Horace Walpole described Osterley as the ‘ palace of palaces’.

CAN I VISIT? You can. Adult tickets are from £ 11.40, nationaltrust.org.uk.