Stately home marks movie debut

Keira Knightley in the marble hall [picture by Pathe Productions 2008]

A stately home in Surrey is celebrating the opening of a movie with scenes filmed in its magnificent marble hall.

The hall at Clandon Park, near Guildford, became a dining room for three scenes in The Duchess, starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes.

Another scene saw musicians playing in the saloon as the house doubled for Devonshire House in London.

An exhibition about the filming is being held next month, to coincide with the movie's opening on 5 September.

"Filming created a real sense of teamwork among the participating staff," said property manager Julie Lawlor.

"There was an awful lot of preparation work to protect the areas used."

The Duchess, based on Amanda Foreman's biography Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, tells the story of an 18th Century fashion icon, socialite and political campaigner.

Lady Georgiana, an ancestor of Diana, Princess of Wales, was born into the Spencer family and married into the hugely wealthy Devonshires.

Clandon Park, now a National Trust property, was built in 1730 for the 2nd Lord Onslow.

The exhibition, which opens on 2 September, will feature photographs of the four-day filming and interviews with staff involved.

Visitors to the house will be able to see the rooms where filming took place.