Chastleton House – Damian Lewis

Seven Historical TV Shows That Have Tourists Flocking to Britain – Aug 14, 2018

On August 14, 2018 By Gingersnap Comments Off

Wolf Hall

by Emma Mason | BBC History Magazine | August 14, 2018

Here, we look at seven historical TV dramas that are attracting tourists from Britain and beyond.

#5 Wolf Hall

The six-part BBC adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Booker Prize-winning novels Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies was a huge hit both on and off-screen. Starring Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell and Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII, the 2015 drama sent fans flocking to filming locations including Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire, the real-life Wolf Hall; Chastleton House in Oxfordshire, which portrayed scenes from Cromwell’s childhood in Putney; and Montacute House in Somerset, which was used as the setting for Greenwich Palace – Henry VIII’s main London seat and the site of Anne Boleyn’s arrest in Wolf Hall.

Wolf Hall Location Guide: Discover the Castles, Medieval Streets and Stately Homes – Sept 8, 2015

On September 8, 2015February 9, 2018 By Gingersnap Comments Off

28 Historic Properties Were Used in BBC2’s Adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Novel – Producer Mark Pybus Reveals His Favourites

by Jade Bremner – RadioTimes – September 8, 2015

Source: BBC

Wolf Hall, one of Wolf Hall’s most successful ever period dramas, depicts the meteoric rise of Thomas Cromwell: the son of a lowly blacksmith who rose through the ranks of the Tudor court to become Henry VIII’s trusted advisor.

The series was not just a triumph for its star Mark Rylance – it also showed the wealth and luxury of Tudor Britain like never before.

Director Peter Kosminsky insisted on filming the entire series on location. “All those small details add up and make a significant difference,” explains series producer Mark Pybus. Some of the properties were actually used by Henry VIII five hundred years ago.

Chastleton House, Oxfordshire
Chastleton’s small stone courtyard doubles for Putney, where we see Cromwell as a young man being viciously attacked by his father. The interiors stand in for the Seymour family home, Wolf Hall, where Henry first falls for Jane Seymour. “The Seymours are on the up when we first meet them, before Jane becomes queen,” says Pybus. “It’s one of the only properties in the drama that has a shabby feel. We wanted to get across that they’re not as rich as other people in the show.” It’s possible to visit this ancient house, first built by a rich wool merchant, and now managed by the National Trust.

Continue reading Wolf Hall Location Guide: Discover the Castles, Medieval Streets and Stately Homes – Sept 8, 2015