SUMMONING THE PAST IN SUFFOLK: THE DIG

 There are many interesting places to visit in Suffolk, as we discovered on a long weekend break a few years ago, but one place that particularly stands out in my memory is the site of the archaeological dig at Sutton Hoo and its museum full of replicas of Anglo-Saxon treasures.  The initial finds were made by amateur archaeologist Basil Brown on land owned by widow Edith Pretty.  Brown made the extraordinary discovery of a 7^th century ship burial, but a Cambridge archaeologist took over the excavation on realising its significance and Basil was left somewhat sidelined.  This is the subject of the Netflix film The Dig, starring Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty and Ralph Fiennes as Basil Brown. 

Sutton Hoo ship-burial model. Photo by Steven J. Plunkett, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Suffolk coast, particularly the southern part of it, is characterised by a series of estuaries, and it is the River Deben that runs alongside the Sutton Hoo site.  In the opening scene of the film we see Basil taking his bike on a foot ferry across the River Deben – this was actually filmed on the Butley Foot Ferry on the Butley River near Orford.   Other coastal locations used in the filming include Thorpeness Beach, just up the coast from Aldeburgh, and Shingle Street, a hamlet midway between Orford and Felixstowe (which also featured heavily in Daughters-in-Law by Joanna Trollope, covered elsewhere in this blog). 

 

Butley Ferry - geograph.org.uk - 1303087. Photo by Keith Evans, via Wikimedia Commons.

Two wildlife reserves make an appearance: the Boyton Marsh RSPB site and Snape Marshes, run by the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.  Boyton Marsh is where we see the ruined house where Peggy Piggott (Lily James) has a fling with Edith Pretty’s cousin Rory Lomax (Johnny Flynn).  Snape Marshes is used for the scene in which Basil is seen smoking his pipe while sitting on the banks of the River Alde after making his first significant find, and a restored 19^th century sailing barge called the Cygnet is seen appearing before him. 

 

Boyton Marshes - geograph.org.uk - 1298304. Photo by Keith Evans, via Wikimedia Commons.

Pretty’s house, which in real life was part of the Sutton Hoo estate, and is now a museum, was actually in Surrey in the film, represented by a property called Norney Grange near Shackleford, which was used for both interior and exterior scenes.  The scenes of the actual dig were also shot near here.  As for the village scenes, the post office in Diss was played by the village shop in the village of Shackleford, and the hamlet of Hambleden in Buckinghamshire was used for the scenes of the inquest in Sutton.

 

The real-life Sutton Hoo site is run by the National Trust.  The objects on display are replicas; the real items are now housed in the British Museum.  Tranmer House , where Edith Pretty lived, houses a museum telling the story of the discoveries and her role in them.  Norney Grange is not open to the public, but a history of the property can be found on the Shackleford website.

The Butley ferry is currently closed, but is due to reopen on Easter weekend.

Map of Sutton Hoo.

A POOR MAN'S JANE AUSTEN RICH IN LOCATIONS: BRIDGERTON

 

When fans of the Regency period in general, and Jane Austen in particular, got wind of the imminent arrival of the Netflix series Bridgerton they were no doubt salivating at the anticipation of the prospect of flirtations between cleavage-bursting young women and dashing young men sporting sideburns and knee-high boots.  However, as the series got underway opinions were deeply divided between those who found the series embarrassingly lightweight (with plenty of dark mutterings about ‘wokeness’) and those who thought it was a wonderfully entertaining tonic for these dark covid times.  One thing that cannot be denied, though, is the splendour of the locations used in the series.

I have previously blogged about Bath and its Jane Austen connections, and this handsome, honey-coloured city in the west of England plays a large part in Bridgerton.  The Royal Crescent puts in an appearance with number 1 serving as the Baron Featherington household, with digital enhancements on the facade.  Filming also took place at the Assembly Rooms and Trim Street is where we see the exterior of Gunter’s Tea Shop.

Royal Crescent, Bath. Photo by MontanNito, via Wikimedia Commons.

The stately piles occupied by the various families involved in the story are played by photogenic properties scattered around the country.  An art museum in Greenwich called Ranger’s House was used for the Bridgerton family home, with the addition of wisteria and ivy to the facade to make it look more homely.  The property belonging to the dashing Duke of Hastings was represented by three different properties: Wilton House near Salisbury for interior and exterior shots, with further interior work done at Syon House in Middlesex and Badminton House, Gloucestershire, which we last encountered as Darlington Hall in The Remains Of The Day.  Badminton House and Wilton House were also used for some of the interior scenes depicting the home of Lady Danbury, who acts as a kind of mother figure to the Duke.  The exterior of Lady Danbury’s house, meanwhile, was shot at the Holburne Museum of Art, taking us back to Bath.

Wilton-House-02-2004-gje. Photo by Gerd Eichmann, via Wikimedia  Commons.

Soaring up to the heights of Regency society, we encounter Queen Charlotte, whose residence in the series is an actual palace in real life, namely Hampton Court Palace.  Wilton House pops up again here, with some of its interiors used in the filming, along with those of Lancaster House in London. 

For the marital home of a certain pair of newly-weds we are whisked to the north of England, to Castle Howard, 15 miles north of York, where the exterior scenes were filmed, while Wilton House and Badminton House are once again used for interiors, along with North Mymms Park, a wedding venue south of Hatfield, Hertfordshire.  Staying in Hatfield, Hatfield House, a property which has been used in numerous previous productions, provided some of the interior shots of the Featherington residence.

Castle Howard and garden. Photo by Pwojdacz (talk), via Wikimedia Commons.

The city of Bath nestles in a dip in the Somerset countryside with the River Avon running through it.  Jane Austen once lived there, and as a reminder of this time there is an annual Jane Austen Festival.  Visitors who are feeling a bit flush and who want to immerse themselves in the Bridgerton experience can stay at the Royal Crescent Hotel, the city’s finest, although the less moneyed can make do with a visit to No. 1, which is a heritage museum.  The Holburne Museum of Art is next to Sydney Gardens on the east side of the city.  The Assembly Rooms are run by the National Trust and are a short distance to the east of the Royal Crescent.  For visitors coming from outside the UK the nearest international airport is Bristol Airport. 

For Bridgerton fans visiting the London area, Ranger’s House, which lies on the boundary between Greenwich Park and Blackheath, is run by English Heritage and is home to the Wernher Collection.   Syon House to the west of London is across the Thames from Kew Gardens and is the London home of the Duke of Northumberland.  The house forms part of the wider Syon Park, which is open to visitors.  Hampton Court Palace is further upstream and is famous for having been the seat of Henry VIII.  Lancaster House is near St James’s Palace and is managed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 

Further afield, North Mymms Park is just off the A1 (M) south of Hatfield and offers wedding and events services, while Hatfield House forms part of Hatfield Park, both of which are open to visitors, and is a short distance to the east of Hatfield.  Heading further west, Wilton House, just outside Salisbury, is home to the Earl and Countess of Pembroke, but is open to visitors.  Badminton House is part of Badminton Estate and has been the main seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the 17^th century.  The Estate is open to visitors for house tours and garden visits.  Finally, to Yorkshire and Castle Howard, 15 miles north-east of York just off the A64 Scarborough road, which belongs to the Howard family, going back several generations.  The house and gardens are open to visitors.