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Some of the cast of Downton Abbey in the Green Drawing Room at Basildon Park

Basildon Park in Berkshire is one of the filming locations for Downton Abbey. The house was used when filming the interior scenes of Grantham House, the Crawley family's London residence, where the family and their servants enjoy the social whirl of the summer season.[1][2]

Basildon Park is a Georgian mansion surrounded by parkland, and was restored by Lord and Lady Iliffe in the mid 1950s. The house as it exists today is a re-creation and restoration of the 18th-century mansion. The house is a National Trust property and is open to the public.[3]

Producer of Downton Abbey, Liz Trubridge, said of Grantham House that, "Julian Fellowes describes it in the script as "a sort of old palace". Basildon Park works perfectly in terms of style and size."[2]

During filming all of the rooms on the first floor where used. The Hall was decorated with huge displays of silk flowers, arranged by the house steward and florist Neil Shaw. The Octagon Room, which has red felt walls and a gold gilded ceiling, was used as a drawing room; the dining room was transformed into a ballroom; and the library doubled up as a study. They also filmed outdoors at Basildon Park, with a picnic scene taking place in the grounds.[2]

Behind the scenes[]

  • Basildon Park's dining room has also been filmed as a ballroom in film versions of Dorian Gray, The Duchess and Pride and Prejudice.[4]
  • Many cast members commented on how beautiful Basildon Park was, took photos of the view, and sat under the shade of a tree between takes.[4]

Images[]

The exterior of Basildon Park.

External links[]

References[]

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