Thirteen years after the Ang Lee movie, the BBC created a Sense and Sensibility mini-series featuring Hattie Morahan as Elinor and Charity Wakefield as Marianne Dashwood. The film locations for Sense and Sensibility transport you to the times of Jane Austen.
Many Sense and Sensibility locations are used for several fictional homes in the story. For example, Ham House is used for both Cleveland and Norland. The historic houses and other film locations in Sense and Sensibility are mainly located in Southern England.
Where Was BBC Sense and Sensibility Filmed?
The BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility was mainly filmed at several locations in the counties Devon, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Somerset in England.
Wrotham Park as Norland Park
The story of Sense and Sensibility starts at Norland Park, the family estate of the Dashwood family. As the estate is inherited by Elinor and Marianne’s half-brother John Dashwood, they will have to leave the place they have always known as their home.
In the Sense and Sensibility BBC series, Wrotham Park is used as the location for Norland Park. Wrotham Park is a neo-Palladian country house in Hertfordshire. The house was built in 1754 for Admiral John Byng, and today the house is still the family residence.
Wrotham is one of the largest private homes near London and has often been used as a film location. Besides Sense and Sensibility, Emma, The Crown, Downton Abbey, Jane Eyre, Gosford Park, and Bridgerton are also filmed at Wrotham Park.
Ham House as Cleveland Exterior and Norland Interiors
Cleveland is the house of the Palmer’s where Marianne and Elinor stay after their time in London. In the BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, the exterior scenes of Cleveland are filmed at Ham House. Some Norland interior scenes are also filmed at Ham House.
Ham House is a rare example of a 17th-century country house in England. The house sits on the banks of the River Thames in Richmond. The house is the creation of the Duchess of Lauderdale and her husband. They transformed Ham House into one of the greatest Stuart houses in England.
Ham House features a world-class collection of paintings, furniture, and textiles over 400 years old. Formal, restored 17th-century gardens surround the historic house.
Since the mid-20th century, Ham House has been a National Trust property. The house is often used as a film location. Besides Sense and Sensibility, The Young Victoria, A Little Chaos, Anna Karenina, Rebecca, and Belgravia are filmed at Ham House.
Dorney Court as Barton Park Interior and Delaford Vicarage Exterior
Barton Park is the house of Sir. John Middleton, the cousin of Mrs. Dashwood, who offered Barton Cottage to the Dashwood women. The interiors of Barton Park are filmed at Dorney Court in Buckinghamshire. The exterior scenes of the Delaford vicarage are also filmed at Dorney Court.
Dorney Court is an early Tudor manor house in the village of Dorney. The house dates from around 1440, and for almost 500 years, the house has been owned by the Palmer family. Though the house looks Tudor, some parts of the house were remodeled in Victorian times, using the original Tudor bricks. The interior layout of Dorney Court has not been changed much since its construction.
Loseley Park as Barton Park Exterior and Delaford Library
The exterior scenes of Barton Park and the Delaford Library are filmed at Loseley Park. Loseley Park is a Tudor manor house in Surrey. The house was built between 1562 and 1568 using stones that were bought from the ruined Waverley Abbey. The house replaced a smaller home that Queen Elizabeth I deemed “inadequate” for her to visit, and she wanted something bigger to be built instead.
The house features paneling from King Henry VIII and one of the few paintings of Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn. The garden at Loseley Park is based on a design by Gertrude Jekyll, with several “rooms,” and each their own theme.
The Tudor house is often used as a film location. Besides Sense and Sensibility, Emma, The Favorite, The Crown, Belgravia, and Rebecca were filmed at Loseley Park.
Hall Barn as Delaford
Delaford is the house of Colonel Brandon. In the BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, Hall Barn is used as the film location for Delaford. Hall Barn is a country house in Buckinghamshire that was built in the late 17th century by Edmund Waller, a poet and member of Parliament.
The period dramas Sense and Sensibility, Gosford Park, Downton Abbey, and Call the Midwife were filmed at Hall Barn.
Blackpool Mill Cottage as Barton Cottage
The Dashwood women move to Barton Cottage after they are forced to leave Norland Park. In the BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, Barton Cottage is located near the coast in a beautiful idyllic setting.
Blackpool Mill Cottage in North Devon is used as the film location for Barton Cottage. The 15th-century cottage is located on the Hartland Abbey estate in a sheltered valley close to a remote Atlantic cove. The cottage’s interiors were not good enough for filming, so interior shots were filmed in a studio.
The beautiful cottage is now a holiday rental, so if you want to experience a Sense and Sensibility experience fully, you can rent this cottage for a holiday.
Coastal Footpath, Hartland Abbey Estate as Barton Cottage Grounds
The Hartland Abbey Estate, on which Blackpool Mill Cottage also stands, was used as the Barton Cottage Grounds for several outdoor scenes. The grounds are beautiful, but when you’re here, you should also visit Hartland Abbey, a former 12th-century abbey that was turned into a family home.
Dyrham Park as Allenham House
Allenham House is the home of John Willoughby. In the series, Willoughby and Marianne visit the house, and these scenes are filmed in Dyrham Park. Dyrham Park is a Baroque country house in South Gloucestershire that was built in the 17th and early 18th centuries.
Dyrham Park is now owned by the National Trust, reflecting the life of William Blathwayt, the man who built the house. It has a fine collection of art (including Dutch Masters) and Dutch Delftware.
Besides BBC Sense and Sensibility, other period dramas that were filmed at Dyrham Park are The Remains of the Day, Wives and Daughters, Australia, Sanditon, The Crimson Field, and Poldark.
Clovelly Pier
The pier in Clovelly, Devon is used for one of the scenes where they are buying fish.
About Sense and Sensibility
The 2008 BBC mini-series adaptation of Sense and Sensibility was written by the famous screenwriter Andrew Davies, who also wrote the screenplays for Pride and Prejudice (BBC), Brideshead Revisited, Northanger Abbey, and Sanditon a.o. The series was nominated for two Emmy awards and one Bafta award.
The cast includes Hattie Morahan as Elinor Dashwood, Charity Wakefield as Marianne Dashwood, Dominic Cooper as Willoughby, Janet McTeer as Mrs. Dashwood, Lucy Boynton as Margaret Dashwood, David Morrissey as Colonel Brandon, Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars, Linda Bassett as Mrs. Jennings, Mark Gatiss as John Dashwood, and Mark Williams as Sir. John Middleton.
Thirteen years before the mini-series, the Jane Austen novel was also adapted into a movie written by Emma Thompson and starring Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grand, and Alan Rickman. The film locations for the 1995 adaptation featuring Saltram House in Devon and Montacute House in Somerset can be found here.
