Antony House provided one of the few ‘real life’ locations for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland 3D extravaganza.
A hidden National Trust gem, Antony House is the permanent home of the Carew Pole family, who have lived there for the past 600 years. An early 18th century mansion, with beautiful gardens and woodland, the house was the perfect choice for Burton, who was looking for "…a perfect, pocket-sized mansion; something beautifully symmetrical, with intimate interiors, wide views and landscaped gardens."
Spot the locations used in Disney's Alice in Wonderland movie at this beautiful house.
The National Trust has a long history of facilitating films at its venues, with an average of three crews filming a day in its stately homes, gardens, buildings and land. While allowing filming on heritage sites boosts visitor numbers and has a positive effect on the local economy, it also brings unique responsibilities. Cut-open tennis balls under tripods and corrugated plastic on the floor are just some of the tricks used to protect historic houses.
During the filming of the forthcoming version of Robin Hood, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe, at Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire, all the horse dung had to be picked up and removed to prevent new bugs being introduced to the nature site!
Curiouser and curiouser: fun facts about Alice in Wonderland
- Auditions for extras in Plymouth saw queues of 3,000 people hoping to claim one of the 250 places up for grabs!
- Local companies were used for everything from fencing posts to the local green grocers. Everything that could be recycled was, ensuring that the movie was as ‘green’ as possible.
- Alice in Wonderland author, Lewis Carroll, was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.
- Carroll was an avid inventor. He devised an early version of the word game known today as Scrabble.
Buildings and places not only provide inspirational settings for movies, they are also a great resource for creative lessons.
Suggested teaching activity: Key stage 1-3 English and history
Using Engaging Places, search for a dramatic site near you that could be used as a film setting. Your class can then visit this location and develop a short script. Use the script to explore: the period the film should be set to suit the venue, the type of transport that would be featured and the sort of costumes that would be worn.
For more teaching ideas visit our teaching resources section.
Visit the National Trust website for more details about the events at Antony House and to access their free collection of Antony House images.
