Fanhams Hall

The Great Gallery at Fanhams Hall in Hertfordshire is long, and that length is the whole point, because the aisle runs far enough for us to shoot your walk in from the other end of the room with every guest standing. It’s panelled, with leaded windows down one side and a moulded plaster ceiling. There’s enough detail in the house that we never have to dress anything - an oak staircase, stained glass, a carved fireplace behind the top table, a chequerboard floor under a chandelier that works best shot from the balcony above it. Outside there’s an arched stone cloister along the terrace, garden steps wide enough to drape your train down, gate piers topped with heraldic beasts, and a fountain in the formal gardens. The brick courtyard takes the whole guest list from overhead. Winter suits the place, because bare trees and a fur cape against all that brick look better than you’d think. Last thing, the facade floodlights and there’s a warm doorway to stand in, so you finish on the building rather than a dark lawn.