Wednesday, May 28, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Eastern – Gardens on Film: Risk and Reward
Historic parks and gardens play a frequent – and frequently tantalizing – role in films and on TV. Where is the 18th century landscape that forms the background to scenes in Bridgerton? Which English country estate serves as Paris for both James Bond and Sherlock Holmes? Is that really a world heritage site being flooded for a scene in The Secret Garden?
Join The Gardens Trust on Wednesdays in May for behind-the-scenes at some of the locations used in costume dramas, children’s adventures, murder mysteries and much else. We’ll hear from a location manager on choosing the right gardens for shoots and from a garden historian on films in her own county, as well as the experience of three major players who regularly manage film crews in their historic landscapes – the National Trust, the Royal Parks and English Heritage. This ticket costs £35 for the full series of five talks or you may purchase a ticket for individual talks, costing £8. To sign up, visit Eventbrite UK HERE. Ticket holders can join each session live and/or view a recording for up to 2 weeks afterwards. Attendees will be sent a Zoom link 2 days (and again a few hours) prior to the start of the first talk.
This May 28 talk will focus on how the members of the English Heritage venue hire team work with their gardens and landscapes specialists to protect spaces used for filming while encouraging filming hires across the portfolio of English Heritage sites. The session will look at some of the potential risks, approaches to mitigation – and the rewards attached to using historic gardens and landscapes in film. It will include case studies from some familiar film and TV series such as Bridgerton, Downton Abbey and The Crown.
Christina Pascoe is National Venue Hire Manager and Interim Commercial Development Team Lead at English Heritage. Christina and her team manage all hires at English Heritage from small scale photoshoots to large scale filming hires, events, concerts and weddings. Christina is also the founder and chair of the Heritage Filming Alliance, established in 2024 to support venues within the heritage and culture sector during the planning and delivery of filming hires and to support them in expanding their filming business. She is also a trustee of The Bowes Museum.
