Aloysius Wilmington’s Library in Englefield House

Englefield House is a film location for:Aloysius Wilmington’s house incl. the library („The Magician’s Nephew“).

Film Location for Midsomer Murders

The majestic building is, among other things, the film location for what is probably Midsomer’s largest and most beautiful library…

• Aloysius Wilmington’s house incl. the library (11×05: The Magician’s Nephew)

Obviously, the manor and its estate of 20,000 acres and woodland (8,100 ha) – to which the parish of Englefield largely belongs – are in the county of Berkshire. The special thing about the parish is that it is still very original in its form from the 19th century before the Enclosure.

The base of today’s the house was built between 1590 and 1600 or around 1600 (and not as early as 1558, as some sources incorrectly attribute). It is therefore architecturally a late-Elizabethan country house, which was rebuilt four times in the 18th and 19th centuries, most recently by architect Richard Armstrong. 

Englefield’s families

There are two dates above the door: 1587 and 1887, the first of which could be the year of construction, the latter referring to renovations in the house after the fire in 1886 that destroyed the interior of the Long Gallery (but not the whole house, as is sometimes read).

The house became part of the National Heritage List on 19 June 1984 and the garden followed on 30 September 1987. While the house can only be booked in the warmer months on Tuesdays to Thursdays for larger groups of 20 or more, the garden is always open on Mondays on a trust basis. The entrance fee of 5 pounds (children free) is deposited in a kind of letterbox and you can enter the large, differently furnished garden – which is more of a park.

But let’s start the story at the beginning – back in the days of Anglo-Saxon England. We know of one Alwin who had an building here in 1066, before the Domesday Book was compiled. He is thought to have been a member of the Englefield family, who gave the area its name and who had probably lived here since the 10th century. The influential Catholic family owned the forerunner of the manor on the hill until the mid-16th century. Sir Francis Englefield (c.1522-1596) was a servant of the catholic Queen Mary.

In 1559, shortly after the death of Mary I and the accession of Elizabeth I, Sir Francis wisely fled to Vallodolid in Spain and never returned to England. His estate was then confiscated by the Crown.

And then they begin, the local traditions and myths – not only about the ownership of the manor, but also about who built it in the 1600s. But virtually all of them are so historically confused as to be easily refuted by the actual evidence.

Sir Francis Walsingham, who was one of the Queen‘s principal advisers (spymaster is more like it), although there is no evidence of this. It is probably an example of the post hoc fallacy and is not supported by evidence or modern authority.

The Earl of Essex is ruled out as the dating is uncertain and his politically uncertain position makes him implausible as a builder.

Finally, Lord Norreys is ruled out because historical evidence shows that his estate at Englefield probably did not include Englefield House, but the older Cranemoor House, elsewhere but within the Englefield estate.

Many Powletts & Richards in Englefield

The fog did not lift until the early 17th century, after the estate passed first to short-lived occupants and then, from 1635, to the Paulette/Paulet/Powlett family. In the middle of the English Civil War. John Paulette, 5th Marquess of Winchester, famous for defending his main residence, Basing House, bought it from Lucy Davies, daughter of the poet, lawyer and politician Sir John Davies. (This purchase may also have had a family connection with his marriage to Honora de Burgh).

After the loss of Basing House ten years later, Englefield House became the new main residence of the family, who owned the house and estate until the 18th century. In 1712 it passed within the family to the Wrightes, as Anne Powlett had previously married the Reverend Nathan Wrighte. They called one of their sons by his first name – Powlett Wrighte. He married Mary Tyssen, daughter of Rachel De Beauvoir and Francis Tyssen of Hackney. They had a son who was again given the Christian name of Powlett.

Powlett senior died soon after the birth and Mary married Richard Benyon, who had made a fortune as a trader of the East India Company and governor of Fort St George (now Chennai, India). They had a son, also named Richard. When Mary died in 1777, she left two sons who shared their father’s first names and were half-brothers, Powlett and Richard.

The elder, Powlett, originally lived at Englefield but died childless in 1779. In his will he left his uncle Nathaniel (Powlett senior’s brother) the right to live at Englefield for life. (Or did Powlett junior bequeath the estate to him? I have found conflicting sources on this and cannot say for sure). However, two years later, in 1781, Nathaniel was very short of money and rented out the estate in order to become solvent again. Although the estate was valued at 400 guineas per annum, he sold it to Lady Margaret Clive for 300 guineas per annum – including the outstanding library you know from the episode ‚The Magician‘s Nephew‘. Lady Clive was a very wealthy widow of Robert Clive, a military hero of Fort St George. It is possible that there were connections through his deceased mother and half-brother.

What about Powlett’s half-brother Richard? He lived most of the time at Gidea Hall in Essex. He seems to have had no claim to Englefield and died in 1796. It was Richard’s (junior) son of the same name, Richard, who became the first Benyon to have Englefield as his principal residence.

This is how the Benyon connection started and evolved. Richard’s descendants, Richard and Zoe Benyon, now own the estate with their family.

It is also a popular as a film and TV location not only for British detective series such as Midsomer Murders, Agatha Christie’s Marple and Poirot, but also for more internationally renowned productions such as The Crown and the films The King’s Speech and Cruella.

Looking for the Battle of Englefield? The battle was fought on the hill above the village not far from the manor and marking an important victory for the West Saxons. Find out more here: At the Beginning of the Year in Englefield

Read more about Midsomer Murders & History

The Chronology of Midsomer County by Year or by Episodes • Deep Dives into Midsomer & History.

I would like to point out that this is an unofficial fan site. I am not connected to Bentley Productions, ITV or the actors.