Osterley Park and House

2012-10-14-14-33-13

Last year, I visited Osterley Park which is situated in between Ealing and Heathrow Airport in south-west London. At the time of my visit, the Long Gallery in the house was closed for filming purposes. I asked one of the volunteers what was going on, and she said that it was top secret – not even they were allowed to know. All she could tell me was that it was a major production.

I got on with my life and thought no more of it, until earlier this year when I found out what the production was – no less than the new Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises! The Long Gallery, main staircase and a number of other rooms stood in for various rooms in Wayne Manor, while the Library served as the entrance to the Batcave via a door in one corner disguised as part of the bookcase.

The National Trust are capitalising on this and have put on an exhibition (Real to Reel) about filming at Osterley over the last half-century. The house’s location inside the M25 and within easy reach of central London, Heathrow Airport and Ealing Studios has made it the ideal location for filming and it has appeared in many productions including The Grass is Greener, BBC titles and – I’m sure – the recent BBC production of Parade’s End (it wasn’t mentioned in the exhibition but I could swear I recognised the entrance hall masquerading as a hospital!).

The house itself has a long and distinguished history, described by Horace Walpole as ‘the palace of palaces’. Robert Adam, architect and designer, created the house in the late eighteenth century for the Child family. Today, the house is presented as it would have been in the 1780s, and it is very beautiful, with gorgeous furniture and impressive artworks.

I enjoyed the exhibition, as well as my visit to the house, and was glad to be able to see the Long Gallery for the first time. Osterley Park is aptly named as the grounds are vast and beautiful, ideal for talking a walk on a crisp autumn day.

FACTS

Address: Jersey Road, Isleworth, Middlesex, TW7 4RB

Website: nationaltrust.org.uk/osterley-park

Opening Hours: Wed-Sun 11am-5pm during the summer (house), extended opening times for the park. Check the website for winter opening times.

Prices: £11 adults, £5.50 children (house); National Trust members free.