Dyrham Park

Summary

A Grade I listed late-17th and early-18th century Baroque country house at Dyrham in Gloucestershire, built in two phases for William Blathwayt between 1692 and 1704; the west front designed by Huguenot architect Samuel Hauduroy and the east front by William Talman (architect of Chatsworth); set within 274 acres of parkland with a herd of fallow deer; managed by the National Trust; used as a filming location for The Remains of the Day (1993), Wives and Daughters (BBC, 1999), Poldark (BBC, 2015 to 2018), Sanditon (ITV, 2019), and Industry (HBO, 2024).

About this location

Dyrham Park stands in the village of Dyrham and Hinton, approximately eight miles north of Bath and twelve miles east of Bristol in South Gloucestershire. The current house was built on the site of a previous Tudor manor house for William Blathwayt, who served as Secretary at War to William III and was one of the most powerful civil servants of his era. Construction proceeded in two distinct phases, producing two contrasting facades that together form an unusual Baroque ensemble.

The west front of 1692 was designed by Samuel Hauduroy, a Huguenot architect, and features an Italianate double staircase leading from the terrace to the . In 1698, a stable block was added with space for 26 horses and servants’ quarters. The east front of 1704 was designed by William Talman, who had previously worked on Chatsworth; this front is the more formal and monumental elevation, with a substantial eagle sculpture on the roof ridge.

The interiors reflect Blathwayt’s diplomatic career and cosmopolitan tastes, with an important collection of Dutch paintings — including work by the Dutch Golden Age — and furniture acquired through his service in the Netherlands. The house contains a “View of a Corridor” painted in 1662 by Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten, a trompe l’oeil picture that was specifically painted for Dyrham. The were originally laid out by George London in a formal style; the later informal park supports a herd of fallow deer. The Grade I listed Church of St Peter, where many of the Blathwayt family are buried, stands within the estate.

The Remains of the Day (Merchant Ivory/Columbia, 1993, directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant, starring Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton, adapted from Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel) used Dyrham Park alongside Badminton House and Powderham Castle for the exterior sequences of Darlington Hall. Wives and Daughters (BBC, 1999, adapted from Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel, starring Bill Paterson and Francesca Annis) used the house for outdoor and garden sequences. Poldark (BBC One, 2015 to 2018, created by Debbie Horsfield, starring Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark) filmed sequences at Dyrham Park as the home of George Warleggan across the run of the series. Sanditon (ITV, 2019 to 2023, adapted from Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, produced by Red Planet Pictures) filmed at the house. Industry (HBO/BBC, 2019 to present, created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay) filmed at the estate for Season 3.