Penshurst Place
Penshurst Place is a manor house with a heart dating back to medieval times. It is perhaps best known as being the home of Sir Philip Sidney, the Elizabethan poet, courtier and solider. His indirect descendant, also named Philip Sidney, still lives there today with his family.
how it's used in Merlin
The Baron's Hall at Penshurst Place was used as the banqueting hall in the early episodes The Dragon's Call (the feast during which Lady Helen sings) and Valiant (the celebration after the tournament). The chandeliers with which Merlin kills Mary Collins were created with CGI (when we first pan down past them) and rubber (when one falls on the evil sorceress).
I am assuming that the two early dungeon scenes were also filmed here - when Merlin is thrown in the dungeon in The Dragon's Call and then Gwen in The Mark of Nimueh. The DVD audio commentaries mention that the room used was in 'a stately home' in England - but then the creators realised they were going to be throwing a lot of people into the dungeons over the course of a season, so they accordingly built a new set for the purpose! (This amuses me greatly.)
the place itself
Penshurst Place is the embodiment of its own history. The earliest part of it to be built was the Baron's Hall in 1341. Further additions to the house have been made throughout the centuries, creating an intriguing patchwork of eight different major architectural styles. The gardens are also magnificent, dating back to 1346, but being significantly restored in the 1800s and again after the Second World War.
We visited Penshurst Place for its Elizabethan connections some while ago, pre-Merlin, and we loved it. A fascinating place, made more interesting by the fact that it's still owned and lived in by the Sidney family.
Mr Leary took this photo. The Baron's Hall is within the two long windows, under the high red roof.
links and details
- the official site for Penshurst Place including a page on the Baron's Hall
- the Wikipedia entry for Penshurst Place
- a page on Merlin at the Kent Film Office
- the location on Google Maps
rating
The place is worth a visit in its own right, but it's probably not one of the highest priorities for Merlin fans. I doubt that they'll be using the Baron's Hall again, or not regularly, as the guard room at the Chateau de Pierrefonds has been used as the banqueting hall since the first block of episodes was filmed at a studio in Surrey. So I'll give this location a rating of three pointy hats (though I'm tempted towards four).