Cumbria's Hidden Gem

THERE is no denying that Lord and Lady Inglewood’s ancestral home, is also their castle. But it’s also a fantastic filming location!

Not only does Hutton-in-the-Forest boast a magnificent 14th Century pele tower, combined with a tunnel-vaulted ground floor, but it also stands proudly amongst gardens which ache with acres of topiary, terraces, dovecote, walled garden and ponds. There’s even a church, woodlands, a tennis court and park.

“Within just one location, there are endless other locations to explore. It’s an amazing place for film and TV,” says Northwest Vision and Media’s Cumbria Film Officer, Mags Scholes. “It’s such a stunning place that it deserves to be singled out for praise,” adds Mags.

That’s why Cumbria’s Hutton-in-the-Forest has been awarded the prestigious Location of the Month accolade by Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the region’s TV, film, radio and digital content industries.

The romantic, irregular pink sandstone house is set in beautiful gardens, right in the centre of Cumbria.

“When the pele tower was built in 14th Century it was designed to withstand short sieges,” explains Mags. “That’s also why the tunnel-vaulted ground floor has no windows, as it was used as a store and to accommodate animals.”

Today, the Stone Hall at the base of the tower offers the way in to Hutton.

The story of the house begins with the Arthurian legend of Sir Gawain and the Greene Knight. “It’s said that Sir Gawain rode into a deep forest that was wonderfully wild and, after meeting the Greene Knight, rode on to the knight’s Castle of Hutton,” explains Lord Inglewood, who has lived in the magnificent home since 1951.

Situated just 2.5 miles northwest of Junction 41 of the M6, Hutton-in-the-Forest is not only a beautiful home to Lord and Lady Inglewood and their children, but it makes a spectacular and accessible filming location, too.

“We first opened the house and ground to visitors in the mid-1970s and have welcomed several small film crews over the years,” adds Lord Inglewood. Although the family are very keen to share their beautiful surroundings with members of the public, it is still very much a hidden gem waiting to be discovered.

Successive generations have altered and added to the house, with both the outside and interior showing a wide variety of architectural and decorative styles, dating from the 17th century right up to present day.

“Anthony Salvin was responsible for the work done between 1830 and 1880,” explains Mags. “He has been described as the most successful restorer and purveyor of castles in the second half of the 19th Century, having completed much of the restoration work on Windsor Castle and the Jewel House at The Tower of London.”

The house also contains a fine collection of furniture, ceramics, tapestry and portraits, with the interior decoration being something of a showpiece, as some of it was undertaken by William Morris.

“There really is so much to see at Hutton, and the family are so welcoming, that I’m convinced much more filming will take place there in the future,” confides Mags. “Cumbria is bursting with fantastic sights and locations, but if I had to draw up a list of my top ten, then Hutton-in-the-Forrest would certainly be on it.”

For more information on this location or if you have a query about locations in Cumbria, contact the Cumbria Film Office on 0870 609 4481, option 7, or visit our Crews, Facilities and Locations page.