Do you watch Poldark? If so, you might recognize Great Chalfield Manor since it also served as a film set for scenes from that television show. Visiting various manor houses and landmarks around Wiltshire, England felt like walking around a rather spread-out and elaborate film set since so many locations we visited were used in films and shows. Ironically, we didn't even choose our locations based on what had been used in films but ended up stumbling across set after set quite by accident in our own passion for beautiful and historic properties. Lacock Abbey (which I'll have pictures of another day) was used in the Harry Potter films, the film Stardust was partially shot in Castle Coombe, and several estates in the region played host to a scene or two from Poldark. Walking around the gardens at Great Chalfield Manor it was easy to imagine ladies from a past era strolling by in their long gowns, especially as the house harkens back to the 15th century. So many centuries later it remains a lovely estate and gardens now as part of the National Trust. The house was built quite defensively (as we were told on our tour) with a moat and hidden passages, but visiting it today is quite serene--butterflies fluttered around the climbing roses at the Well Court and a flock of sheep barely spared us a glance on the tree-lined stroll leading up to the manor house.
CONVERSATION