And the award for Best Location … would go to the National Trust

The National Trust has seen its best year for filming, with its locations providing the setting for more major movie hits than ever before.

With the Oscars fast approaching, film stars are gearing up for the highly-acclaimed award ceremony on 27 February, but it’s not just the actors and directors who deserve a standing ovation.

If there was an award for Best Location, then the National Trust would surely be the bookies favourite. A whole host of its locations and landmarks have had an important role to play in award-winning blockbusters – generating £5.5 million for the Trust to invest back into its’ special places, and millions more for the surrounding, local areas.

On average, three film crews are on site are National Trust locations every day of the year, with up to 15 ‘major’ shoots each year – paving the way for Oscar winners of the future. The latest to join the impressive list is Never Let Me Go, which has just hit British cinemas starring Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan.

Films, including the ‘best of British’ Oscar nominees Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, have helped a global audience of billions see for themselves the beauty of British heritage found at National Trust places – not to mention inspiring many thousands to visit the locations for themselves. Antony, in Cornwall, used as the beguiling location for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland blockbuster, saw visitor figures increase from 25,000 to almost 100,000, following the film’s success in 2010.

Harvey Edgington, Broadcast and Media Manager for the Trust, said: “Our locations are chosen time after time because of the diversity of the places the Trust cares for. We have everything from deserted beaches to ornately decorated mansions on offer to production companies, all of which can be transformed into incredible sets. All funds from filming go to the specific place where the film is shot and of course the local area really benefits too.”

To celebrate these cinematic successes during award season, the National Trust is premiering a movie map that showcases its best ‘performances’ – available to download at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/moviemap.

For film buffs, a visit to these breathtaking National Trust ‘stars’ is a must and movie fans can retrace the footsteps of celebrated characters, hear the echoes of famous speeches and discover the true stars of the screen.

Here’s just a selection of the Trust’s finest players:

Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Antony, Cornwall
This classically beautiful house is a beguiling mix of the formal and informal and has now been famously brought to life in the equally beguiling recent adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton.
Filming took place over nine days back in September 2008, transforming the grounds and creating a ‘mini’ village of catering trucks and hair and make-up tents. Alice in Wonderland has been nominated for three Academy Awards: Art Direction, Costume Design and Visual Effects.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1&2 (2010-2011)
Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire
Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire
Lavenham Guildhall, Suffolk
Three of our locations were used to shoot the last two instalments of the Harry Potter film series. Lavenham was the setting for Godric’s Hollow, once home to the Dumbledore family and Lily and James Potter and the location of the graveyard that Harry and Hermione visit in Part 1 of the film to see the resting places of Harry’s parents. Freshwater West is the location of Shell Cottage, the home of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, and in Part 1 was also used for several scenes with Death Eater, Bellatrix and the final resting place of Dobby in Part 1. Harwick Hall is transformed for the film as Malfoy Manor, home to the Malfoy family and used as the base of operations by Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 has been nominated for two Academy Awards: Art Direction and Visual Effects.

Never Let Me Go (Film release: 11 Feb 2011)
Ham House, Surrey
Historic Ham House on the River Thames is better known for its formal façade and immaculate gardens, but for the film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's acclaimed, best-selling novel it was transformed into a mysterious children's home. The house and grounds beat hundreds of locations to become atmospheric ‘Hailsham’, the setting for much of the film, which stars Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan.

Robin Hood (2010)
Ashridge Estate, Hertfordshire
Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire
Dovedale, Peak DistrictStarring Russell Crowe and directed by Sir Ridley Scott, three of the Trust’s locations – including coast, dale and forest - were used to help create major battle sets, medieval villages and key scenes within the film.
At each location, dozens of staff and volunteers were brought in to aid the cast and crew, which was in its hundreds on many occasions. Tasks ranged from temporarily removing signage and diverting roads, to transporting Russell Crowe and fellow actors around in tractors.

Gulliver’s Travels (2010)Osterley Park and House, Middlesex
Ashridge Estate, Hertfordshire
Holywell Bay, Cornwall
This blockbuster, that made $190 million world wide, was on location at Osterley Park for two days in 2009, turning the entrance hall into a princess’s bedroom. The scenes of Gulliver being dragged along by the Lilliputs and tied up after the shipwreck were also shot at Holywell bay and the Ashridge estate.

The Young Victoria (2009)Ham House, Surrey
Ham House has proved to be a popular choice for the silver screen and it was a key location in the period film, The Young Victoria. The film chronicles Queen Victoria's ascension to the throne, focusing on the early and turbulent years of her reign and her legendary romance and marriage to Prince Albert. Both the interiors and exteriors of Ham House were used in the film, and represented Kensington Palace where Victoria was born and spent her early years. The Trust property also posed as the location within the film where Victoria sees Albert for the time.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2009)Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire

The Abbey at the heart of Lacock Village has experienced its fair share of the limelight. Founded in 1232 and converted into a country house in the 1540s, the atmospheric monastic rooms include medieval cloisters, a sacristy and chapter house. The Abbey's cloisters and side rooms were transformed into the magical classrooms of the famous ‘Hogwarts’, while the location was also used for Harry's discovery of the mystical ‘Mirror of Erised’. More recently the Abbey was immortalised as the beautiful chambers of Catherine of Aragon in The Other Boleyn Girl.

The Duchess (2008)Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire
Designed to impress and amaze, Kedleston is a stunning example of 18th-century architecture and it comes as no surprise that it was chosen as one of the major locations for the blockbuster, The Duchess. Starring Keira Knightley, the film delves into the life of Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, who lived a life of political and romantic intrigue in the 18th-century. Filming at Kedleston spanned four weeks and at least six different rooms in the property were used.

The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)Knole, Kent
Adapted from the best-selling novel by Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl, follows the story of the Boleyn sisters, Anne and Mary, as they compete for the love of King Henry VIII. The romantic internal courtyards and deer park of Knole were placed centre stage, depicting the Tudor London of King Henry VIII’s time. The Green Court and the Stone Court were also featured, becoming the backdrop for the departure of the Boleyn sisters. In reality, Knole has a link to King Henry himself. He was so impressed by the beauty of Knole, that in 1538 he forced Thomas Cranmer, his Archbishop of Canterbury, to hand the property over to him.