I have blogged about Osterley Park before, you can see beautiful images on this link – images from a different part of the park. Links will open in a new window.
Twentieth Century Fox movies started with the shooting of Gulliver’s Travels and some of the scenes will be shot in this grand mansion in Osterley Park. It is not the first time this extravagant mansion is used in a movie. I think it is Pride and Prejudice where it was used too. The crew were at “rest” on Saturday, as you can see on the images down in this post. They’ve put up notices to apologise for the inconvience they cause visitors to the park whilst shooting, but I think I will enjoy watching them, but guess I will have to camp in front of the mansion!
In the out buildings, you will find the history of Osterley Park and the house, a small restaurant selling also delicious scones and the National Trust Gift shop.
Follow this link to see who else stars in this movie.
History:
Sir Thomas Gresham, commercial agent and financial adviser to Elizabeth I, bought the manor of Osterley in 1562 and by 1576 replaced the existing farmhouse with ‘a faire and stateley brick house’.
For a man of the city, Osterley not only represented somewhere green and tranquil, but also a source of income. Described as ‘a most fertyle place for wheate’ the estate had ample water. Gresham established one of the first paper mills in England here.
Nicholas Barbon acquired Osterley in 1683. An opportunist, he used Osterley as security to raise a large sum of money. He died in debt and in 1713 Osterley went to Sir Francis Child in payment of his loan.
Apprenticed to a London goldsmith at the age of fourteen, by a judicious marriage Sir Francis found himself the partner and then sole owner of the firm. By 1698 he was Lord Mayor of London and had expanded his business into banking with the creation of Child’s Bank.
The flowering of Osterley
Over the next two generations, the family’s wealth and position grew. In 1761 Robert Adam, the most fashionable architect of the day, was commissioned by Sir Francis’s grandson, another Francis, to modernise the house. He transformed it into what you see today, remodelling the outside and designing the interiors and a great deal of the furnishings. His vast portico makes a particularly grand statement of classical refinement.
The unity of design was carried through into the park by Francis and, on his death in 1763, by his brother Robert Child. They redirected rivers to form a chain of sinuous lakes through the Park, and created a drive which brought people in a tantalising loop before finally arriving at the House.
Not active as an MP or in running the bank, Robert Child spent a great deal of time at, and money on, Osterley. His wife was equally involved and she lived on at Osterley for 10 years after his death.
By the beginning of the 19th century, Osterley was no longer a main residence and, apart from a few brief periods of occupation, would not be so again. In 1923, the 9th Earl of Jersey inherited Osterley at the age of 13. He opened the house to the public in 1939 because he said, ‘he did not live in it and …many others wished to see it’. In July 1939, the Georgian Group held a great ball at Osterley.
During the War, the house was occupied by Glyn, Mills Bank to whom Child & Co had been sold in 1924.
In 1949, Lord Jersey achieved his aim of ensuring that Osterley ‘will be maintained and shown off in the way I consider it deserves to be’. He gave the house and the central core of its landscaped park to the National Trust. The house remains, in essence and detail, much as it was in the middle of the 18th century.
Continue reading on this link –of the National Trust- more about the house and see some beautiful images in their gallery about the house!
Fox movies’ notice to apologise
The stairs are covered to prevent damage by the crew.
Beautiful architecture – read on the National Trust-link more about it.
A watchful eye!
Restaurant with delicious tea and scones
National Trust Gift shop
Osterley House – from a different angle
Paradise for walkers and bikers or even if you want to fish!
Quiet during the day or when the weather is cooler, this part of the park is my favourite as you can sit and relax with the twitter of the birds around you without your thoughts being disturbed.
From here you’re heading to a pleasant spot where you can enjoy the peaceful, undisturbed views on the following images.
Sometimes you’re lucky to see some water birds diving into the water to catch a fishy meal.
Or playful doggies after their balls!
This tree has almost been “up-rooted” by wind and weather – Birds love this tree.
From here you can go left/right, but both ways take you back to the front of the park – only if you want to go, you can always take another turn off to the right and follow a path which you will see on the link of my previous entry.
movie news: empireonline.com/news
It’s too bad no one lives there anymore. I would, if I could. 😉
hi Dan, if you look at the images of the house on the National Trust’s site, then I would also agree with you. 🙂
What a magnificent place. Times now gone, sadly.
Hi James, very true what you say!
Hi All..
We are very proud to live in Osterley since 2003..Yes Osterley park is very nice place to visit but We don’t accept the entrance fee to go to the rear side.
hi vajira and gayani
Yes, I agree with you, we were pretty disappointed too in the beginning as we used to go there on our bikes, but if you are a member of the National Trust you can enter it – luckily we are members now, but still, it is unfair to close it off to everyone as it is such a beautiful part of this beautiful park and sometimes – with the sunny days – it does get a bit crowded in the front end of the park and you do want a bit of “space”.
Beautiful plek!
So movie skietery sou my ook baie geinteresseer het. So paar jaar gelede het die BBC iets hier by ons (Richardsbaai) kom verfilm. “To the end of the world”, of so iets. Groot skip in ons kleinhawe kom bou, en baie locals gehuur vir ekstras. Hulle het baie agies gehad wat alles dopgehou het! 😆
hi boendoe! Hier vlak voor ons huis het die BBC al 2x die afgelope 5 jaar hul tente kom opslaan om tonele in ons straat te skiet..vir een of ander reeks… die laaste so ‘n jaar gelede omtrent. Hulle se dat ons straat ‘n bree straat is en dis maklik vir hul trokke en ook die tonele wat hulle moet skiet. Die 3de keer was dit ‘n advertensie vir padveiligheid wat ons so nou en dan sien, maar jy moet die straat ken om hom te herken in die advertensie. Hulle het so vir 3 dae hier voor ons tuinhekkie gekamp! Ons moes nog “askies” se as ons wou inkom! LOL! ons het vanuit ons kamervenster vir hul geloer..die advertensie was 2 kinders wat by ‘n bushalte gewag het (‘n tydelike bushalte is voor die bure se huis opgeslaan) en het die twee nou op en af gestap hier vir 3 dae sodat hulle hul skote kon kry. Dan was daar ‘n kar wat nou kamma hul raakry en wegswaai en wegjaag..ens ens. Die advertensie was die laaste. Ek moet ook se die huise in die straat se vooraansigte is nogal almal baie mooi en netjies..as jy onthou hoe die sneeufoto’s gelyk het. Ons bly baie lekker hier en nou trek ons oor ‘n maand hier weg! Ons sal die BBC mis! haha…
Sommer nou blote nuuskierigheid: hoekom trek julle, Nikita?
hi boendoe, ons trek so effe uit London, so ‘n uur se ry van waar ons nou is – naby Heathrow – na ‘n pragtige area..Amersham – google images dit en sien hoe mooi… manlief hou al klaar ‘n jaar daar skool en ek begin volgende week so 20 min van daar af. – groter huis en alles byna dubbel as waar ons nou is vir tien pond minder ook! 🙂 (ons bly al in hierdie huis vanaf 2004 en ek gaan hierdie omgewing baie mis, dis rerig mooi hier, veral hierdie spesifieke straat)
Wel, ek hoop julle gaan die nuwe plekkie net so lief en baie lekker daar bly. Sterkte met die trek. 😉
Dankie, boendoe, ek is seker ons sal lekker daar bly, ek dink net dit gaan baie stil wees in vergelyking met hier, hier het ons die vliegtuie wat nou en dan oorkom en glo dit of jy wil of nie, dit klink te stil as die vliegtuie nie van hierdie rigting af land nie, mens raak hulle gewoond (hulle kom darem nie reg oor ons huis nie) en dit voel asof hier “lewe” is, maar ons sal seker die “stilte” ook gewoond raak. 🙂
Wow, dis divine!!!
Sterkte met die trekkery, en ek hoop julle gaan baie lekker daar bly!