Wrotham Park

History

Originally part of an estate known as Pinchbank (also Birchbank), first recorded in Middlesex in 1310 and owned in the 17th and early 18th centuries by the Howkins family, the property passed to Thomas Reynolds, a director of the South Sea Company, who renamed the estate Strangeways. His son, Francis, sold the property to Admiral John Byng who had the house rebuilt by Isaac Ware in 1754.

Admiral John Byng changed the name of the house to Wrotham Park in honour of the original family home in Wrotham, Kent. Byng never had an opportunity to live in retirement at Wrotham. Following his inadequately equipped expedition to relieve Menorca from the French during the Seven Years' War, he was court martialled and executed in 1757. This event was satirised by Voltaire in his novel Candide. In Portsmouth, Candide witnesses the execution of an officer by firing squad; and is told that "in this country, it is wise to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others" (pour encourager les autres).

The house was inherited by John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford in 1847 and passed to his son, George Byng, 2nd Earl of Strafford, on the first earl's death in 1860.

Filming location

Wrotham Park has often been used as a filming location including Hart to Hart, Top C's and Tiaras, White Mischief, Inspector Morse, Jeeves and Wooster, King Ralph (1991), Bridget Jones's Diary, Gosford Park, Peter's Friends, Vanity Fair, The Line of Beauty, Sense and Sensibility (2008), Jane Eyre, The Hour, Great Expectations, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle and The King's Man, Mr Selfridge (2014), Agatha Christie's Poirot, episodes The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly, Third Girl, The Gentlemen (2019), Downton Abbey, The Crown, Bridgerton, and The Diplomat.

References

References

1. (25 January 2002). "Palladian marvel outshines a cast of stars". The Daily Telegraph.
2. {{NHLE
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4. [http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/places/places-b/barnet/barnet-wrotham-park.htm Wrotham Park, Barnet] Hertfordshire Genealogy
5. [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=26972 'South Mimms: Other estates', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 5: Hendon, Kingsbury, Great Stanmore, Little Stanmore, Edmonton Enfield, Monken Hadley, South Mimms, Tottenham (1976), pp. 285–290]
6. A disastrous fire in 1883 burned slowly enough to permit retrieval of the contents of the house, but gutted it. The house was rebuilt exactly as it was and still remains in the hands of the Byng family.[https://www.wrothampark.com/history.php History], Wrotham Park.
7. "The Bright Thoughts Company".
8. IMDb Ghost in the Machine https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0611641/locations
9. "Where was ''King Ralph'' filmed?". British Film Locations.
10. (January 2013). "Jane Eyre". Architectural Digest.
11. Glancey, Jonathan. (16 September 2011). "Constructive criticism: the week in architecture". [[The Guardian]].
12. [https://investigatingpoirot.blogspot.ch/2013/05/episode-by-episode-adventure-of-johnnie.html The Adventure of Johnnie Waverly] Poirot, 27 May 2014
13. "The Gentlemen at Wrotham Park - filming location".
14. Fecou, Louie. (2023-04-21). "Where was the Netflix series The Diplomat filmed?".