Seaside Crane
Estate is setting for period drama
A television
pilot for a turn-of-the-century romantic drama has been filming at Castle Hill,
the grand house at the Crane Estate in Ipswich.
A project
titled "Gilded Lilys" has pulled an electrical permit from the town
of Ipswich for film-related construction at the Argilla Road property.
According to
various industry websites, "Gilded Lilys" is a television series
being filmed for ABC and produced by "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda
Rhimes. The period drama revolves around the opening of the first luxury hotel
in New York City in 1895.
The 59-room
mansion at Castle Hill was built in 1928 as the summer estate of Richard T.
Crane Jr., who was one of the wealthiest Americans of his day. It was built in
the style of a 17th-century English country house, with features that include a
grand staircase, a rotunda with painted ceiling, a library with an intricately
carved fireplace and views of a terraced lawn faced by rolling woodlands
tapering down to the ocean.
Real-life
romantic drama often takes place at the seaside mansion, as it's rented out for
weddings.
Filming for
"Gilded Lilys" is being done on a closed set, and the Trustees of
Reservations, the nonprofit that owns the Crane Estate, has declined to comment
on the project.
"There
has been some filming in the Great House this week, but our agreement with the
production company prevents us from discussing specifics," David
Beardsley, Crane Estate director, said in an email to The Salem News Friday.
Last week, a
half-dozen trailers and equipment trucks sat in the parking lot at Crane Beach,
adjacent to the mansion. Yellow signs printed with "G L" directed
extras and crew members in from Routes 1A and 133 in Ipswich and down Argilla
Road to the property.
On Friday, a
Trustees employee in the guard shack at Castle Hill said the house was closed
for filming and kept the public from driving up the road that leads to the
mansion.
Lighting, tents
and equipment could be seen just over the crest of the hill near the house.
Castle Hill
is no stranger to film crews. According to the Massachusetts Film Office,
numerous projects have filmed at the Crane Estate, including "Ghosts of
Girlfriends Past" in 2008, "The Next Karate Kid" in 1993 and
"The Witches of Eastwick" in 1986.
"We're
excited to be a key site for another production," Beardsley wrote in his
email, "and we're pleased that we can help draw this kind of business
activity to Massachusetts."
"Gilded
Lilys" is filming in several Massachusetts locations this month. Blythe
Danner and John Barrowman are among the actors said to be in the cast.
Source: EagleTribune
Note for UK readers:
I believe this is Ipswich, Massachusetts
~ helygen
~ helygen
FYI, Gilded Lilys TV pilot show has been filming in several locations in and near Boston and Worcester, MA. Crane's Castle is in Ipswich, MA, but JB was not there. He was filming later in the week at the Wang Theatre, Boston, Worcester's Union Station (outside & night shoot), and at Nick's Saloon & Bar, Worcester. GildedLilysFans twitter and FB pages are tracking filming locations pretty well if you want more info.
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