We often receive requests for filming and photography in our museums and archive; we recognise that the environment and/or exhibits are of great interest for all types of productions.
We endeavour to accommodate requests, but due to the nature of these buildings certain conditions need to be met:
For all requests please give at least three weeks notice.
Our museums are closed on Mondays during term time and this can be the easiest day to accommodate filming. The Historic Houses are closed Wed – Fri.
Staffing costs will apply to filming in these buildings.
We have provided some further guidance below, please read then contact us at [email protected] detailing the proposed shoot and desirable outcome.
Professional Crews
Factual
We are very interested in sharing artefacts/archives in order to generate interest in history and the arts.
For queries for this type of filming please contact us with:
The name of the artefact/portrait/document you are interested in
The era/category you are interested in, so we can direct the request to the relevant curator.
Please provide as much notice as possible for your film date – our ability to facilitate your filming will depend on curator availability, whether the object is owned by the museum service or a donor, and suitability of equipment in the proposed filming area.
Please note the public opening times of the specific building, this will often dictate what is achievable.
Non-factual productions
Our buildings are often listed, have decorative features and have many artefacts on display, all of which we need to protect from damage. (This is particularly relevant for the Georgian House.)
Please allow plenty of time between the request and the film date due to the intricacies and opening hours of the buildings. Be aware that if filming is allowed, that this will have to be supervised by curators and these costs will be in addition to location fees.
Advice for students
We want to encourage students as the next generation of filmmakers, and will try to accommodate student filming. However, as these are working buildings there are limitations as to what we can allow.
During opening hours we can only consider filming in the foyers.
During closed periods, eg Term Time Mondays, before 10am, we may be able to assist, but this will be on a case by case basis.
Gallery filming
Please note that tripods are not to be used in the portrait galleries.