Directed by: James Ivory
Produced by: Ismail Merchant
Starring: Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter, Judi Dench, Julian Sands, Daniel Day Lewis
Production Company: Goldcrest Films International, National Film Finance Corporation (NFFC), Curzon Film Distributors, Film Four International, Merchant Ivory Productions
Kent Filming Locations Used: Emmett’s Garden in Sevenoaks, Chiddingstone, Brasted.
Set in the early 1900’s, Lucy Honeychurch (Bonham Carter) embarks on her first trip to Florence chaperoned by her elderly spinster cousin Charlotte Bartlett (Maggie Smith). When Lucy meets eccentric George Emerson (Julian Sands), Charlotte fears that the two young people are becoming a little too familiar and beats a hasty return to England.
Once home, Lucy begins a courtship with the stoic Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day Lewis), a far cry from the free spirited George. However Lucy soon finds herself torn between duty to her fiancé and her love for George, who miraculously appears in her life once more.
A beautiful and romantic social comedy, this Merchant Ivory film showed audiences the beauty of the Kent Countryside, as they filmed at a private residence in Brasted to double as the Honeychurch’s family home.
Owned by the National Trust, Emmett’s Garden in Sevenoaks became the venue for Lucy and Cecil’s engagement party in the film. A beautiful location, Emmett’s Garden was created in the late 19th Century and contains many exotic and rare trees and shrubs from around the world.
Also in Sevenoaks, the village of Chiddingstone featured in the film as the setting for Lucy and Cecil’s post engagement-party walk. Owned entirely by the National Trust, it is the perfect example of a Tudor one-street village where approximately over 70% of the buildings are at least 200 years old. In the scene you can also see St Mary’s Church in Chiddingstone which was built in the 13th Century.
Sevenoaks is also home to the historic Hever Castle, childhood home to Anne Boleyn. The castle has featured in a number of productions, namely Inkheart (2008), Lady Jane (1986) and Anne of a Thousand Days (1969).
A Room With A View was released in cinemas in April 1986 and is now available to buy on DVD.
For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.
