Set at the end of the eighteenth century, The Duchess is the story of the beautiful and glamorous Georgiana Spencer, the most fascinating woman of her age. Holkham Hall was one of the country houses selected as a location for this film. Along with Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, the hall was used to recreate the interiors of Devonshire House, the London residence of the Duke of Devonshire - a building which no longer exists.

Shooting in some of England's most spectacular country houses helped the cast. Stepping into centuries of history gave them a valuable sense of their character's backgrounds. The lead role of Georgiana was played by Keira Knightley and the Duke of Devonshire was played by Ralph Fiennes who explains: "I think to shoot in real locations and to have the actual fabric of the times around is fantastic."

Gaby Tana, one of the producers said: "We shot in these incredible mansions throughout England and you felt as if you really re-creating and re-living something."

 

The Duchess Exhibition

In 2009, visitors to the hall will have the opportunity to see a special exhibition of photographs and costumes highlighting how some of the state rooms in the hall were used for the scenes shown above. Costumes will be on display from June to the end of August only.

NB: The exhibition can only be seen when the hall is open. For details of opening times please click here.