Castle has had some good TV and film roles... and a couple of stinkers!
THE STUNNING BELVOIR CASTLE HAS BEEN MUCH IN DEMAND WITH FILMMAKERS
ON the corner of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire is grand old castle and stately home - Belvoir Castle. It was originally a Norman castle, built right after the invasions of 1066, and has been rebuilt three times into the beautiful country house you see today.
What you might not know is that it’s quietly become a star of both the big and small screen – standing in for everything from the Pope’s summer palace in Rome, to Windsor Palace and a famous horror setting.
Here’s a few of the best – and worst – films and TV shows you might have spotted this grand old home in.
THE DA VINCI CODE
For the first film on our list, we go on a mystery thriller adventure, based on the international bestseller The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.
Midway through this globe-trotting adventure, featuring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, we see the Pope’s summer palace, Castel Gandolfo.
Only it’s not the real thing – that’s the exterior of Belvoir Castle, with a bit of CGI make-up.
To be fair to the director and producers, it would be hard to convince the Pope to film a movie about the secrets of the Catholic Church at his own house ...
And if you haven’t seen the film, you might have good reason. It’s got a rather poor 23 per cent rating on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes.
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
For a more British tale (and a much better-reviewed film), see The Young Victoria.
Belvoir Castle serves a big role in the film – the Regent’s Gallery is
Victoria’s dressing room for her coronation, and the “Chinese dressing room” is Victoria and Prince Albert’s honeymoon suite.
The Elizabeth Saloon was the dressing room of the Duchess of Kent in the film, and the Castle grounds are used as a stand-in for Windsor Great Park too.
It’s a very fitting location for a Royal film – the real Queen Victoria and Prince Albert have visited
Belvoir Castle, and they actually slept in the Chinese wallpapered bedroom.
They brought a big group of famous faces with them too, including the Duke of Wellington and Prime Minister of the time, Robert Peel, in the early 1840s.
Imagine the pressure the castle staff must have been under to make sure everything was flawless for their visit!
OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS...
THE HAUNTING
Back to dud films for a bit – the 1999 remake of The Haunting was partially filmed here.
The 1963 The Haunting is a horror classic, based on Shirley Jackson’s novel The Haunting Of Hill House.
When Dutch director Jan de Bont was looking for sets for his remake, one of the places he landed on was Belvoir Castle.
All of the scenes set in Hill House’s kitchen and pantry were shot at Belvoir Castle.
Exterior shots were done at nearby Harlaxton Manor, along with some scenes of its Great Hall. A lot of the interior shots were built in a hangar in farflung California.
Belvoir Castle might be glad it didn’t play a bigger role in this remake, with a truly awful 17 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
THE CROWN
From duds to global sensations – The Crown, a drama about the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, has used Belvoir Castle extensively.
For the first three seasons of The Crown, Belvoir House was transformed into one of the most famous royal residences in the world – Windsor Castle.
Several interior shots were filmed there, mostly using the Elizabeth Saloon and the Regent’s Gallery. And the show has definitely played a part in Belvoir Castle’s modern tourist popularity.
The producers moved into Burghley House, near Stamford in Lincolnshire, for season four, so there’s a new Windsor Castle on the block.
VICTORIA AND ABDUL
If you haven’t guessed by now, Belvoir Castle is a popular spot for royal drama – next up is 2017’s Victoria & Abdul.
This comedy-drama about “history’s most unlikely friendship” between Queen Victoria and her servant Abdul Karim starred Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Michael Gambon and was one of Tim Piggott-Smith’s final outings before his death that year.
The film is a grand tour of royal locations all around the UK, and stops off at Belvoir Castle too. You can see the grounds, entrance hall and the beautiful main staircase when Judi and Ali visit “Windsor Castle”.
It shares the film with the real Balmoral Castle in Scotland, and the Old Royal Naval College in London – so Belvoir Castle is in fine company in this film.