Hatfield House is the location used for the Miss Marple episode called The Secret of Chimneys:
The Old Palace was the home of Elizabeth I when she was a young child. Elizabeth’s heir, James I, traded the Old Palace and its grounds for Robert Cecil’s family home. Subsequently, Hatfield House was built by Robert Cecil, the first Earl of Salisbury. Today, the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury call it home.
Hatfield House, located north of London, is a huge estate which provides all sorts of beautiful scenery – so important in portraying the feeling of a British aristocratic settings. With a lake, formal gardens, topiaries, a church, cottages, houses, and of course, the beautiful mansion, Hatfield House must have seemed like a dream-come-true for producers of this particular Miss Marple episode. And, of course, the house’s interior includes the exact type of furniture one expects from these period piece shows… plenty of chandeliers and tapestries, not to mention the beautiful furniture!
Here is the location NOT used for the Miss Marple episode called The Secret of Chimneys:
The setting is a Gothic mansion called Knebworth House in Stevenage, which is located 29 miles north of London. It has belonged to the Lytton family since 1490. At one time, it was the home of Edward Bulwer Lytton, a Victorian politician who was also a novelist and playwright. He is famous for the quote: “The pen is mightier than the sword”.
Knebworth House has been used as the location / setting in many different television shows and movies, as well as a location for rock concerts. Here is a list of some of the other places you may have seen Knebworth House:
Anastasia – 1956
The Avengers, episode Invasion of the Earthmen – 1968
The Big Sleep – 1978
The Essential Mike Oldfield – 1980 – Remember the phenomenal music in the movie The Exorcist?!?
The Great Muppet Caper – 1981
The Shooting Party – 1985
Batman – 1989
Live at Knebworth – 1990
The Canterville Ghost – 1996
The Wings of the Dove – 1997
Jane Eyre – 1997
Eyes Wide Shut – 1999
Led Zeppelin DVD – 2003
Robbie Williams Live at Knebworth – 2003
Foyle’s War, episode Enemy Fire – 2004
Marple, episode What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw – 2004
Batman Begins – 2005
Jonathan Creek, episode The Grinning Man – 2009
The King’s Speech – 2010 (Not yet released, stars Colin Firth)
These are just a few of the television, movie, documentary events that have been filmed at the Knebworth House. I posted the events that might be of most interest to Cozy Mystery site readers.
As the title of this Cozy Mystery site entry says: Miss Marple Series V is back – with a NEW 90 minute episode: The Secret of Chimneys. And, if you are ANYTHING like me, you are probably ready for your “dose” of Agatha Christie via the good folks of British television and PBS. (Thank goodness PBS still airs our favorite British mysteries… now that other channels like A & E no longer do so!)
Here are some fun Vermont facts: