As I am spending more time writing about country houses and large estates, I am realising how long I have had an interest in these types of houses and buildings. I recently watched ‘The Secret Garden’ which is still one of my favourite films and whilst I was watching the film I realised that it is the house that I love as much as the storyline. This made me wonder if there were other films from my childhood and teens which I liked because they featured a large house or hall . . . there were three that vibrantly stood out and so I thought I would share them with you.
1) The Secret Garden
I am referring here to the 1993 version featuring Kate Maberly. I loved the interior of ‘Mistlethwaite Manor’ where the Mary Lennox comes to live. My favourite line in the film is “the house seemed dead, as though a spell had been cast upon it”
This must have been part of the attraction for me as that is my favourite part of the film. Some of the interiors were filmed on location – the most fascinating for me is the grand staircase at Mistlethwaite which is actually at St Pancras Chambers. At the time of filming, the building was closed and was not being used and so it’s possible that the run down look of the staircase in the film is what it looked like in real life – a far cry from the opulent luxury you will see if you visit the hotel today.
Unfortunately other parts of the interiors were created at Pinewood Studios, but the exterior shots were all from real locations; for example the Gothic exterior of the Hall was filmed at Allerton Castle in Yorkshire and Fountains Hall in Yorkshire. The scene where Mary is sent out into the gardens for the first time combines both of these properties – Mary leaves Fountains Hall but then as she walks across the lawn with the house in the background, we see Allerton Castle.
2) Casper
Released in 1995 and starring Christina Ricci, this was one of my favourite films as a young teenager, and whilst I loved the main character Kat, I also definitely loved this film because of the house. Unfortunately, I think all of the interior of the House was built and filmed within a studio, which means I will never be able to visit it, or buy it which was one of my ambitions as a child; however, it does still exist as a fictional mansion and so I am including it in this list as it still inspired my passion in architecture and country houses.
I loved every room which we see in the film from the dusty attic room, to Kat’s bedroom to the Victorian study and again I used to really wish that I could jump into the film and explore the mansion.
3) Ever After
This 1998 movie starring Drew Barrymore is a Cinderella-style story set in the 16th century in France. Drew Barrymore plays the Cinderella role of Danielle and she falls in love with the handsome Prince Henry played by Dougray Scott. It follows the story of Cinderella quite well but with lots of really great additions to make it into a great movie.
There are so many things I love about this film – Danielle reads Utopia by Thomas More, one of my favourite books; Da Vinci is a character in the film; one of my all-time favourite quotes is in this film: “a bird may love a fish signor, but where will they live?”
But the part of this film that I really love is the architecture that features in it. My particular favourite is when Danielle and Henry visit the monastery and look at the monks’ library and they talk on the stairs with the old books around her. I cannot tell you how much I would love to be able to step through the television screen and explore that monastery!
I also love the chateau that Danielle lives at with her family it's beautiful and exactly what I would imagine a fantasy chateau to be like. Don't get me wrong I am aware of all the blatant historical inaccuracies in this film but I love it too much to care!
The exterior of the De Barbarac house is actually the Château de Fénelon, Dordogne, Aquitaine in France. I am so excited that this is a real place – I may have to visit whilst I am living in France . . .
These are just three country houses that I used to love watching over and over again, for the storyline but also for the architectural buildings included in them. If there are any films that you love with country houses in them please do let me know as I would love to watch more!
