Wrotham Park, Barnet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wrotham Park, Hertsmere, Hertfordshire is a neo-Palladian English country house, designed by Isaac Ware in 1754 for Admiral John Byng, the fourth son of Admiral Sir George Byng, which remains in the family at the heart of a 2,500 acre (10 km²) estate seventeen miles (27 km) from Hyde Park Corner. It is one of the largest private houses inside the M25 motorway.
Admiral Byng never had an opportunity to live in retirement at Wrotham. Following his inadequately equipped expedition to relieve Minorca from the French during the Seven Years' War, he was court martialled and executed in 1757. This event was satirized by Voltaire in his novel Candide. In Portsmouth, Candide witnesses the execution of an officer by firing squad; and is told that "in this country, it is wise to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others".
A disastrous fire in 1887 burned slowly enough to permit retrieval of the contents of the house, but gutted it. It was rebuilt precisely as it had been.
Location scenes for Robert Altman's Gosford Park (2001) were shot at Wrotham Park, including exterior scenes and the staircase, dining room, library and living room. It was also used for the filming of Peter's Friends.
Location scenes for the ITV Jeeves and Wooster Television Series were shot at Wrotham Park. Both the interior of Brinkley Court and the interior and exterior of Chuffnell Hall (Episodes 4 & 5, Series 2) were filmed there.
Location scenes for the BBC TV production of Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty (2006) were also shot at Wrotham Park, including the exterior, lawns, dining room, library, drawing room and living room.
Chelsea and England footballer Ashley Cole and Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy had their wedding blessed at Wrotham Park on July 15, 2006 - they weren't allowed to have their wedding there because Wrotham Park does not have a licence to hold civil weddings.
