Boughton Monchelsea Place

The Royals (2016 – 2018)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
The three main characters standing in a row facing the camera in front of a white background, blue and red stripes cover them, the words The Royals written in white

©E! Entertainment

Creator: Mark Schwahn
Starring: Elizabeth Hurley, William Mosely, Alexandra Park, Jake Maskall, Tom Austen
Production Company: Mastermind Laboratories, Varsity Pictures, Lionsgate Television, Universal Cable Productions
Kent Locations Used: Allington Castle, Boughton Monchelsea Place, The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Tunbridge Wells

Set in modern-day London, The Royals (2015-2018) follows the lives and scandals of a fictional British Royal family.

The show was created by Mark Schwahn (Coach Carter, One Tree Hill) and the ensemble cast includes Elizabeth Hurley (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Bedazzled) as Queen Elena, William Mosely (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Carrie Pilby) as Prince Liam, Alexandra Park (Ben is Back, Home and Away) as Princess Eleanor, Jake Maskall (Eastenders, Centurion) as Cyrus and Tom Austen (Grantchester, Helstrom) as Jasper.

For Series 2, the production made use of two locations in Kent: Boughton Monchelsea Place and Allington Castle. Boughton Monchelsea Place can be seen in Episode 3 as the manor house that Princess Eleanor and Jasper visit. Allington Castle features in Episode 7, as the Henstridge residence that Princess Eleanor and Queen Helena visit.

The Historic Dockyard Chatham features in various episodes of Series 4. The Tarred Yarn Store was used to represent the interior of a house in India which Princess Eleanor and Sebastian (Toby Sandeman) are restoring. King Robert (Max Brown) leaves on HMS Cavalier. The gardens of the Commissioner’s House feature as the meeting place for Prince Liam and his ex Kathryn (Christina Wolfe). External street scenes, including a protest, were filmed around the Ropery.

Filming for Series 4 also took place in Tunbridge Wells, on Chapel Place, as part of a Royal Wedding. Unfortunately, this scene did not appear to make the final cut.

The Royals screenshot at Allington Castle - a woman riding a horse into a castle

The Royals screenshot at Allington Castle © Lionsgate Home Entertainment

The Royals screenshot at Boughton Monchelsea - a manor house with people outside

The Royals screenshot at Boughton Monchelsea © Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Boughton Monchelsea Place is a 16th Century manor house set within 15 miles of countryside to the south of Maidstone and has been featured in The Carer (2016) and Half Broken Things (2007).

Allington Castle is privately owned and situated on the banks of the River Medway and was previously on screen in Covington Cross (1992) and The Zany Adventures of Robin Hood (1984).

A historic 17th-Century dockyard spanning over 80 acres, Chatham Dockyard contains over 100 buildings dating from the Georgian and Victorian Periods. It is the most popular filming location in Kent, having played host to many high-profile films and TV shows, including The Crown (2016-2022), Victoria & Abdul (2017) and Holmes & Watson (2018).

Set in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Tunbridge Wells is a historic spa town that offers a mix of independent shops and restaurants set alongside the colonnaded Pantiles and the picturesque High Street. The area is renowned for its historic houses and gardens and has been a place of interest for over 400 years. Other productions to have filmed there include Rupert, Rupert & Rupert (2019), Series 3 of Britannia (2021), and The Cleaner (2021).

The second series of The Royals began airing on Wednesday 10th February 2016 on E!

Series 4 of The Royals began airing on Sunday 11th March 2018 on E!

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

The Carer (2016)

Posted on by Kent Film Office

Director: János Edelényi

Writers: Gilbert Adair, János Edelényi, Tom Kinninmont

Production Co.:  Hopscotch Films, Mythberg Films, Vita Nova Films

Starring: Brian Cox, Coco König, Anna Chancellor, Emilia Fox, Karl Johnson, Selina Caddell, Andrew Havill, Roger Moore

Kent Locations Used:  Boughton Monchelsea Place,  Sutton Valence Care Home,  Sutton Valence Main School, Sutton Valence Preparatory School , Headcorn, The Lord Raglan Pub – Staplehurst, Theatre Royal – Margate

The Carer is a U.K.-Hungary co-production film about a legendary actor (Brian Cox) who is terminally ill. When young Hungarian actress Dorottya (Coco König) becomes his carer, she hopes he will give her advice and help her reach the English stage. However, despite his revered status, Sir Michael is foul-mouthed and difficult. Will their shared love of Shakespeare bring them closer together?

The film stars Brian Cox (Braveheart, The Bourne Identity) as Sir Michael Gifford and Coco König (Assassin’s Creed) as Dorottya alongside a supporting cast that includes Anna Chancellor (Testament of Youth, Four Weddings and a Funeral), Emilia Fox (The Pianist, David Copperfield), Karl Johnson (The Illusionist, Hot Fuzz), Selina Cadell (Match Point, Doc Martin) and Roger Moore (Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me).

The production filmed on location in Kent for six weeks in February and March 2015 using Boughton Monchelsea Place,  Sutton Valence Care Home,  Sutton Valence Main School, Sutton Valence Preparatory School, Headcorn, The Lord Raglan Pub – Staplehurst and the Theatre Royal – Margate.

Boughton Monchelsea Place is a 16th Century manor house boasting unrivalled views across the Kent Weald. Previous productions to have filmed there include The Royals (2016), Half Broken Things (2007) and Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).

Sutton Valence and Headcorn are both small villages found in the district of Maidstone, which has welcomed filming from Missing (2009).

Other locations include the Theatre Royal, which is situated near the heart of Margate, a vibrant seaside resort, with complementary historic and modern architecture. Margate has welcomed other productions including Last Orders (2002) and Only Fools and Horses: The Jolly Boys’ Outing (1989).

The Carer is released in cinemas on 5th August 2016.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map. 

Half Broken Things (2007)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Penelope Wilton standing on the driveway at Boughton Monchelsea Place with grass and benches behind

Penelope Wilton standing on the driveway at Boughton Monchelsea Place © ITV

Production Company: Festival Film & Television, Festival Films, ITV

Kent Locations: Boughton Monchelsea Place, Herne Bay, Teston, Teston Bridge Country Park

Part of ITV’s autumn drama schedule Half Broken Things, starring Penelope Wilton (Calendar Girls, Doctor Who, Ever Increasing Circles), is a psychological thriller set against the idyllic backdrop of the Kent Weald.

The drama is an adaptation of the award winning novel of the same name by Morag Joss. Penelope Wilton plays Jean, a sixty-something house sitter, who is looking after Walden Manor. The house is full of mysteries and locked doors. When Jean isinformed that this will be her last job, she decides to defy all the rules and live the life she has always wanted.
Soon she is joined by Michael (Daniel Mays), a thief, and Steph (Sinnead Matthews), a pregnant girl on the run from her abusive boyfriend.

Over a blissful summer, these three live in an idyll that is soon to shattered when their past begins to catch up with them and events take a dangerous and sinister turn.

 

Filming with views over the Weald, swimming pool in the left hand corner

Filming with views over the Weald © ITV

  

Boughton Monchelsea Place exterior and garden

Boughton Monchelsea Place © Kent Film Office

 The programme was shot on location throughout Kent, with the main location being Boughton Monchelsea Place, which doubled as Walden Manor.  A stunning 16th Century manor house, Boughton Monchelsea Place has an ancient deer park and has unrivalled views across the Kent Weald.

The house is no stranger to filming. In addition to the many fashion shoots that it has hosted, last year it played host to reality TV series Australian Princess which sees young Australians going through lessons in ‘royal deportment’, the winner being ‘crowned’ Princess.  The house itself is not open to the public. However they are open for events, weddings and of course filming.

The programme also filmed on location in Teston village and Country Park as well as Herne Bay.

Herne Bay has a shingle beach, bandstand and seafront gardens as well as many shops and eateries, amusement arcades, and a windmill. Previous productions which have filmed in Herne Bay include Boomers (2014) and Big Bad World (2013).

Teston is a rural village on the outskirts of Maidstone and is home to Teston Bridge Country Park which has 32 acres of grazed meadow, river walks, a children’s play area and the picturesque 14th century Teston Bridge which was used for filming of feature film Dunkirk (1958).

The novel written by Morag Joss won a CWA Silver Dagger Award in 2003. She has recently completed her fifth novel Puccini’s Ghosts.

Half Broken Things was shown on ITV on Sunday 28th October 2007 at 21.00

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.