Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire has created a new film-themed walking trail for visitors around the estate, called Lights, Camera, Action!
Groups will have the chance to explore the country house and 2,000 acres of parkland to discover where blockbuster titles such as Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Gulliver’s Travels, the BFG, Cinderella and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix were filmed.
Blenheim’s architecture and scenery has provided the setting for both classic period dramas and modern feature films.
Some films also feature small aspects from the estate such as part of a staircase or a glimpse of the maze.
The Lights, Camera, Action! trail involves visitors downloading a trail map on their phones, or picking up a copy of the map upon arrival at Blenheim.
Visitors can then independently tour the estate to see highlights such as the great court, which appeared in films like The Young Victoria, Entrapment, 007 Spectre, and TV series, The Royals.
Some films have been shot in more than one part of Blenheim; for example, A Little Chaos, which starred Kate Winslet and Alan Rickman in 2015.
The film is based around two landscape architects becoming romantically involved whilst building a garden at Louis XIV’s palace of Versailles.
Scenes from the film were shot in the colonnades and inside the house, and the great hall was transformed with wooden scaffolding to look like the construction of Versailles.
The saloon was the set for a dining scene, and the first state room was used as the King’s bedroom for the opening scene.
Other trails
Groups visiting Blenheim Palace can choose from other trails around the estate, too.
For example, Walk in Churchill’s Footsteps allows groups to discover the history of Churchill and follow his trail throughout the house, park and formal gardens to find his favourite places.
Meanwhile, The Finest View in England is a trail that takes visitors on a journey to explore Capability Brown’s Landscape at the estate.
For more information visit www.blenheimpalace.com.
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