England's East Midlands as a Hollywood backdrop

By Sabine Kwapik Mar 30, 2010, 7:59 GMT

Nottingham, England - Radiant sunshine pours down on a cricket match in the English county of Devonshire as spectators enjoy fruit and other refreshments. But underneath the idyllic surface is a tight web of dangerous liaisons, betrayal and other affairs.

In short: a visit to the East Midlands is like walking into a scene from the Keira Knightly movie The Duchess. The location for this and other Hollywood costume dramas is this region about 200 kilometres north of London with its stately homes and estates.

Sumptuous valances, intricately designed marble inlaid work, dimly-lit libraries, luxurious diner salons, an ancestral hall and a garden: these are the defining characteristics of Chatsworth House near Nottingham, the main location for the film The Duchess.

Entrance to the house costs 25 dollars and allows you access to the world of the British aristocracy. In September there is also an agricultural fair and a flower exhibition. In December a Victorian Christmas market opens to the public and the house also has a special exhibition that documents the shooting of the film.

Keira Knightly is not the only internationally recognised actor to stand in front of the camera in the East Midlands. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson have shot movies here. For the film The Other Boleyn Girl, Portman and Johansson played sisters who the king of England falls in love with.

That film was shot on location in Haddon Hall, an estate that was first mentioned in official documents in 1180. Today it provides an excellent opportunity to get an insight into how the aristocracy lived hundreds of years ago. The estate has a bridge made of roughly- hewn stone that leads to the entrance of a small castle in front of which there is a rose garden.

Intrigue is a major part of the film The Da Vinci Code with Tom Hanks in the lead role. It was shot partly in the city of Lincoln about 100 kilometres from Nottingham. Its main landmark is a large medieval cathedral from the 12th century that looks over the city from its position on a hill.

A short distance from the cathedral is Lincoln Castle which was built by William the Conqueror in 1068. The castle houses one of the last four copies of the Magna Carta. For many years the castle was a prison and visitors can inspect the small wooden benches that inmates used in the chapel to watch the service.

Another place worth visiting is Tissington Hall about 50 kilometres from Nottingham and situated in the idyllic hilly landscape of the East Midlands. The Fitzherbert family has been living on the estate and in its mansion with 61 rooms for the past 500 years. The house is a popular place to get married.

'Running the estate costs a lot of money every year,' says Sir Richard Fitzherbert. Unfortunately most film teams don't come to Tissington Hall and head straight for Chatsworth or Haddon Hall. 'But hosting weddings is also quite profitable.'