West Horsley Place, though a grand-sounding name, could be many things: a stately home, a cul-de-sac, even an investment group. But Button House, for those in the know, can only mean one thing: Ghosts, the BBC sitcom about a couple who inherit a haunted mansion.
If you’ve never seen it, it’s about Alison and her husband Mike, who are bequeathed a dilapidated manor house. When they first move in, Alison bangs her head and, as a result, is able to see, hear and speak to the gang of spirits that share the place with the newcomers. The ghosts are all played by members of CBBC’s Horrible Histories, which our girls (and us adults, if we’re honest) absolutely adore, and all come from different historical periods.
Right back at the start of the year Susan spotted that there were open days available at the location, which is actually West Horsley Place near Guildford in Surrey, and we couldn’t pass up a chance to get a guided tour of somewhere that has become almost as familiar to us a our own front room.
As we’ve seen from the TV show, the house is in a stunning location, surrounded by fields. We joined about 20 other fans at the entrance, met our guide and began our tour. We first had it explained to us that the house, which was originally constructed in the 15th century and had its current facade added in the 17th century, has been used as a filming location for quite a few other productions, including Enola Holmes and the far more serious My Cousin Rachel.
But that’s not really what we were bothered about, and the guide, thankfully, knew it!
We were shown most of the main rooms we recognised from the TV show, with the exception of the kitchen, which was being used as storage for an opera festival at the time of our visit, and the basement, which only exists through the magic of television. Every room we went into triggered little giggles as we recalled a scene or two from the show, and the guide was very good humoured and added to our repertoire with her own favourite bits.
Seeing behind the scenes is always interesting, and so it was with Button House. The grand gate at the entrance that you see on TV doesn’t actually exist – it’s a prop (very convincing). Rooms were cut in half or had furnishings and wall coverings added for specific scenes. Some rooms even doubled up as two different sets when required. It took quite a few leaps of imagination before the penny dropped and we could picture the scene that was being mentioned.
Upstairs, past the bear, one of the rooms contains a lovely collection of props and mementos from the show. This includes the doll’s house that appears in the opening credits, which had to be rescued from ebay after someone on set thought it wasn’t needed any more and put it up for auction. There are also costumes and prop items such as Robin the caveman’s weapons.
Outside we got to see where Lady Button throws herself (or was she pushed?) out of a window every morning, and where Thomas met his end in a duel. One of us may have recreated this scene, much to the children’s embarrassment!
As well as lots of TV fun, the house does hold pretty significant historical importance. It’s Grade I listed and Henry VIII stayed there during his reign. It also boasts the oldest decorative plaster ceiling in England, dating back to 1547. They run separate tours which go into the actual history of the building, so we’d love to make a return visit to learn all about the real history.
For fellow fans of Ghosts it’s an absolute must-visit.
