Kirby Hall, Northamptonshire

Setting the scene

Peacocks in the deserted courtyard and red kites circling overhead only add to the romance of the remains of this great Elizabethan house that once resounded with life and revelry. The two massive gateways provide a fitting and formal introduction to one of the finest houses built in the 16th century. Like other great houses of that era it was built ready to receive Queen Elizabeth 1 on one of her annual ‘progresses’ around the country – but, sadly, it never fulfilled its purpose. More recently however it was used as one of the locations for the filming of the recent film version of Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park.