When BBC producers were on the lookout for an outstanding historic house in which to film a Doctor Who Christmas Day special, they stumbled upon a remarkable 19th Century Grade II listed stone-built manor in four acres of countryside, and views of the Bristol Channel and Somerset coastline.
It was Vaendre Hall – and was exactly what BBC location manager Iwan Roberts was after for the 2014 episode.
For the show, stars Peter Capaldi and Jenna Coleman filmed inside the hall and the TARDIS materialised outside. ‘The BBC brief was for me to find an impressive Victorian property in South Wales where they could film a wintry scene,’ says Roberts.
The film crew from BBC Wales, which makes Doctor Who, erected railings, lampposts and shrubs outside the house, covering them, and the ground, in fake snow. The festive look was completed with a Christmas tree and Christmas lights in the living room.
‘We filmed in the living room and a bedroom,’ says Roberts. ‘Exterior shots were done at night and the snow gave the mansion the magical effect we were after. Viewers want something special on Christmas Day and we definitely achieved that.’
A number of generations of the Gwynne Davies family, which has owned Vaendre Hall since before the Second World War, gathered at the house for the filming.
Ivor Gwynne Davies, 58, says: ‘The whole family, especially the younger ones, were thrilled when the property was used as a location for Doctor Who. In fact we made a big thing of one of the production days and used it as an excuse to all spend the day together and watch from the garden.’
Ivor’s father lives at Vaendre Hall and the house is being sold so he can retire overseas. He moved out for a week for the filming, while the crew spent three days preparing the rooms and four days shooting.
At its entrance, the property, which is on the market for £2 million with Chewton Rose estate agents, has wrought-iron gates with stone pillars on either side. There is a lodge house, as well as a coach house with stables.
Inside the main building there is a vast oak-panelled reception hall, and oak floors in most of the rooms. Downstairs is a spacious drawing room with bay windows, a breakfast room and a dining room with an Adam-style mantelpiece and marble hearth.
A sweeping staircase leads to the first floor, where there is a large master bedroom, with dressing room and balcony overlooking the grounds.
There are four further bedrooms – one with a dressing room – plus two bathrooms.
On the second floor, there are a further three bedrooms, originally used as staff accommodation.
The house also has a spacious billiards room, with lighthouse-style roof lantern.
Vaendre Hall is on the edge of Cardiff in St Mellons, surrounded on three sides by St Mellons Golf Course. It was built in the mid-19th Century for a coal merchant and shipping magnate, and retains many of its original features, such as its gargoyles.
But Ivor points out that the property has much more to offer.
‘We’ve had some great parties at Vaendre Hall with family and friends, and with five bedrooms on the first floor, there are plenty of rooms to accommodate overnight guests,’ he says.
He adds that croquet on the front lawn, lunch in the back garden and sitting round a wooden bench table under a weeping willow tree have been favourite family pastimes.
‘It’s a blissfully peaceful location.
We have lots of interesting birds and wildlife visiting the garden, and the grounds include lawn and natural woodland.
‘There are lots of possibilities for landscaping and growing fruit and vegetables. At the bottom of the garden there used to be a tennis court, which could be reinstated by the new owners.’
The coach house is currently used as a garage and workshop.
The lodge house is empty but in the past was occupied by a gardener and housekeeper. ‘It could be used as a guest cottage or holiday let,’ says Ivor, adding that the manor house would be perfect as a luxury boutique hotel or wedding venue.
