Wire in the Blood, Bollywood and Catherine Cookson

The Bollywood film industry is massive. It is successfull, vibrant and growing. So we felt both surprise and pride when we heard that Bollywood was coming to Northumberland. More specifically to Eshot Hall just outside Alnwick.

To quote from the local newspaper...

But the latest role for the luxury country residence has been in the upcoming romantic comedy Kaun Bola, featuring Bollywood heart-throb actor Arshad Wasi.
Filming took place over three full days when the historic hall – now a five-star retreat – was taken over to accommodate the set.

So what is Eshot Hall like and where exactly is it?

Well this is one quote from their web site

The Hall is one of Northumberland’s most beautiful 17th century country houses and enjoys an idyllic setting on a 500 acre family owned estate

The history of the estate is very interesting, dating back to 1310. The following gives some idea of the early years

Records of a Hall at Eshott date back to 1310, when Roger Mauduit was given a Royal licence to crenellate his dwelling house. The Estate was formed when, in 1328, he was appointed to receive lands of value £2,000 per annum on behalf of Joan, the King's sister.

In 1349 a rebellion on the Estate against the King led to the confiscation of the land by the Crown, but in 1358 the land was restored to John Mauduit (Roger's son). At this point the village is referred to as 'Esshete' and the Castle of Esshete is mentioned in the list of fortalices in 1415 belonging to Sir John Heron, a knight. In 1535 John's son William died and was succeeded by his granddaughter Elizabeth, who later married Thomas Carr. In 1588 William Carr purchased the Estate and in 1624 it was inherited by his grandson.

Subsequently the estate was bought and developed by the Bainbridges ( of department store fame).

It is also worth mentioning that both Catherine Cookson's The Moth and Wire in the Blood featuring Robson Green were also filmed at the Hall.

If you would like to stay close to Eshot Hall so that you can explore the area then there is self catering accommodation which can be booked through Northumbria-byways.com.