What have Transformers, Paddington Bear and Little Mix got in common? They have all been filmed at Knebworth House. Although known for its iconic concerts - that’s another feature in itself - Knebworth’s dramatic gothic exterior has been the setting of countless romances, thrillers, dramas, comedies and spooky horrors.
Herts-based devotees of the award-winning series, The Crown may have noticed the interior of Balmoral is familiar – the scene depicting the Ghillies Ball at Balmoral was actually held in Knebworth’s Banqueting Hall, with the Queen Elizabeth bedroom doubling as the Queen’s bedroom at Balmoral. The house has also played host to numerous music videos, with Little Mix structing their stuff against the background of Knebworth’s turrets and imposing windows for their single Woman Like Me. To celebrate its filming history the estate has now unveiled an exhibition charting its film and music location history.
Knebworth’s proximity to the major film studios in Elstree and Leavesden makes it a convenient location for shooting. It’s definitely ‘film friendly’, explains owner Henry Lytton-Cobbold, the 3rd Baron Cobbold. ‘It has direct access off the motorway for oversized vehicles, easy access to the main rooms and good window access for lighting.’ There are also extensive grounds with parkland, formal gardens and woods that are away from prying eyes. For the recently released film, The Flash an American street was a recreated in the grounds.
Although the house is gothic in design, its furniture spans generations (it has been in the Lytton family since 1490). With a Jacobean hall, Edwardian drawing room and Victorian library, rooms can be adapted to any period, from the 1500s to the present day. Its first foray into filming was for the 1956 film Anastasia with Yul Brynner. Since then, Knebworth has hosted a ‘who’s who’ of actors from Dame Judi Dench, Dame Emma Thompson and Olivia Coleman to Hollywood greats Gene Wilder, Kirk Douglas and Tom Cruise. Directors including Tim Burton and Stanley Kubrick have found inspiration at Knebworth. ‘My favourite memory was during the filming of The Crown,’ recalls Henry. ‘During a break, the entire Royal family huddled around an electric fire, all on their mobile phones… except the Queen (Olivia Colman) who was doing her knitting.’
Henry concedes that Knebworth takes a more relaxed approach with film crews than some locations and tries to work with them. This may come from his own background - he has a BA in Film Studies from the University of Kent and spent six years in Hollywood. ‘It has given me a good understanding of the requirements of a film set and its crews,’ he explains. Occasionally though they do have to say no. When Netflix asked if a window could be removed from the Falkland room and replaced with a fake one for an action scene in the series You, they politely declined; although Henry’s ancestor did do it for Charles Dickens in the 1860s to get an instrument into the room. However, Henry believes that it is in these circumstances when the creativity of the film crew in problem solving comes to the fore.
Which notable people has he enjoyed having at Knebworth? ‘James Mason, for The Shooting Party in 1983, a golden-age-of-Hollywood hero whose beautiful velvet voice I could have listened to all day long,’ he replies. ‘I was in charge of bringing him his lunch on set. One day, when I was late (and apologised), he purred “Dear boy, I don’t believe it is your fault.”
‘I have a special affection for The Shooting Party, because I was involved every day in the making of the film, working as a production runner,’ says Henry. ‘It was my first job out of college. It was also a rare film to use every room in Knebworth House for its original purpose; so often film companies turn bedrooms into drawing rooms and drawing rooms into bedrooms.’
Daryl Hannah [The Closed Book, 2010] asked Henry to show her to his ‘special places’, while Colin Firth’s time filming The King’s Speech in 2010 was particularly memorable.
Ken Holmes, head of maintenance was doing his early morning checks and came across a man in the hallway. ‘I asked who he was, he replied that he was an actor and I told him he shouldn’t be in this area.’ he recalls. ‘I escorted him out of the door into the snow-covered courtyard.’ The actor in question was Colin Firth who was playing the lead role. Due to the snow, he had been invited to stay as a guest of the family, sleeping in the Queen Elizabeth bedroom and lost his way to breakfast. ‘Apparently, he had to climb over a wall in the snow to reach the film crew area as the courtyard gates were locked. I have never lived it down since,’ says Ken.
When Henry later apologised, Firth told him not to worry and confessed he’d climbed over a Knebworth fence for the Led Zeppelin concert back in 1979. ‘I told him he still owed me £7.50 for the ticket,’ says Henry.
Leaving British treasure Colin Firth to freeze in the cold aside, there have been few major mishaps at Knebworth, although one poor sound man realised his boom had scraped a 17-century painting - the repair is faultless. And a centuries old oak floor was damaged when sticky film used to protect the carpets inadvertently stuck to a section of an oak floor in the state drawing room. When lifted, it also lifted the varnish. ‘The film company were apologetic and paid to have the entire floor re-finished, quite a result - as it was more than 100 years overdue!’ says Henry. However, a member of house team is always on hand when filming to keep a vigilant eye on the rooms and chattels.
Occasionally filming has been known to cause mild panic among the visiting public. One dog walker was alarmed at finding blood in the grounds. Not a heinous crime but in fact the remnants of the production of a Zombie movie – the film was 28 Weeks Later.
Some props have remained at the house. ‘We have wood paneling in our staircase left from Victoria & Abdul, and a lovely set of drawing room doors that the film company made and didn’t need to take with them. Film carpenters are magicians, and usually you cannot tell the difference between what they make and the historic heirlooms we have in Knebworth House, says Henry.
With the film industry booming in Hertfordshire and more studios planned in the county, Knebworth’s versatility, location and stunning historic setting are much appreciated. Its starring roles look set to continue.
On Location at Knebworth House is included in the ticket price of the house and gardens
knebworthhouse.com/
