Hall Place’s latest starring role sees the location reach regal heights as a pivotal location for episode 7, season 3 of Netflix smash-hit The Crown.
The episode – Moondust – uses the 1969 moon landing as a way of exploring a particularity profound chapter in Prince Philip’s life. Hall Place doubles as St George’s House, a home for exploration of faith and philosophy in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
We first come across it about halfway through the episode as Prince Philip is introduced to the house and its group members for the first time by the Dean Robin Woods. Hall Place is beautifully showcased throughout – from its sprawling grounds and topiary, to the wooden beams and original checkerboard masonry inside.
Towards the end of the episode, there is a crucial scene (as seen above) in which Prince Philip opens up to the group at St. George’s House. One of the many fantastic reasons for filming in an authentic, historical location is the atmosphere, which can’t be recreated in a studio. Often, it brings out an unbeatable quality of performance and emotional truth from the actors. We think Tobias Menzies’ captivating delivery in this scene is an undeniable testament to that.
The Shoot
The shoot itself took place last November and was a day long with two days of prep and strike either side. There were around 180 people involved including cast and crew and everything went off without a hitch, thanks to the fantastic efforts of Hall Place staff and the brilliant Locations team.
Aurelia Thomas, Location Manager for the shoot, says “It was a pleasure to film at Hall Place. It is a beautiful Location with a mix of Tudor and Jacobean Architecture. We were helped enormously by having a large tarmac car park directly adjacent where we could park all our Technical Trucks and Unit Base” – an advantage that can never be underestimated!
Filming at heritage locations always needs to be carefully and respectfully managed to protect the building and its contents. In this case, the Locations team did just that. Max Healy (Bexley Film Officer) says “We’re over the moon that Hall Place is getting this well-deserved exposure. It’s a beautiful location and is ready-to-go as a period setting, as demonstrated in this episode. The Locations team were a dream to work with and it’s safe to say that Hall Place would more than happily host them again next time the Queen’s in town.”