13 thoughts on “Top Five Historical Costume Houses

  1. You forgot Blenheim Palace where Winston Churchill was born, Arundel Castle (a favourite stand-in for Windsor Castle), but along with Castle Howard, Highclere and Chatsworth are my favourites.

  2. I always like the apartment building used in the various David Suchet Poirots. It was a lovely piece of Art Deco design and was so symmetrical that Poirot would approve.

  3. Don’t disagree with these top 5 but having just re-watched Gosford Park last night, I have to include Wrotham Park, Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, UK. If you look up filming locations on imdb.com you’ll see just how many films/TV shows this (and the others above) have been featured in.

    Thanks for an always fun and fascinating blog ladies!

      1. LOL, indeed — perfect casting imo (not a KST fan). I really love Gosford Park and the genesis of Dame Maggie’s Dowager Countess. I also love the Ivor Novello casting, and Bob Balaban is perfect as The American :)

        1. Glad to find out I am not alone on that. I found her character totally unsympathetic in The English Patient too. She was married to Colin Firth and not happy!! I just didn’t “buy” that.

  4. Visiting Lyme Park when I was in the U.K in 2005 felt like a pilgrimage. IT was a beautiful day in spring and the house looked just as it did in the series minus a few set dressing feature but what really surprised me was to realise that it was also used in Red Dwarf. Lyme Park also featured in Wives and Daughters.
    Haddon Hall near Bakewell (also) in Derbyshire has featured in about four productions of Jane Eyre as well as Princess Bride and the BBC’s Narnia series. Unfortunately I was not aware of Haddon Hall when I was in the area. IT tops my list now of places to visit when I return.
    On a somewhat side note I was thrilled to recognise Brewer St Farm in Emma which was just down the road from where I lived in the U.K. Not a particulary noteworthy location but always nice to see a familiar place.

  5. From the headline, I thought this would be about “costume houses,” i.e. the important costume-rental business. Could I suggest an article about them, where they work, what they specialize in, how they’re thought of (e.g. which would you go to for which periods/countries/social ranks)?

    1. I read it that way at first myself. And I’d love the idea of a salute to actual costume houses.

  6. You forgot Somerset House in London – the exteriors are used all the time. I saw them filming The Duchess there when I worked there. Also ‘The Way We Live Now’ was also filmed there.

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