Spot deer, rare lambs and butterflies at historic stately home where Peaky Blinders was filmed in Derbyshire

A popular tourist attraction and stately home in Derbyshire is about to get even busier after a turn on the silver screen.

Scenes from the new Peaky Blinders film were shot at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire.

It was the first time the estate was the setting of a major cinema production welcoming stars Rebecca Ferguson, Packy Lee and Cillian Murphey to Derbyshire.

Scenes were filmed inside the house and on the grounds of the National Trust property which lies 15 miles or a 40 minute drive from Derby.

The country house estate, nestled in 600 acres of countryside in Ticknall, made it a top location for scouting producers keen to capture the atmospheric gentle decay of Calke Abbey.

I have to agree with the producers’ vision. This embracing of the past, replete with peeling paintwork, faded wallpaper and remarkably well preserved family antiques makes Calke Abbey one of the most intriguing buildings I had the pleasure of visiting.

I took a short five minute walk through a winding forest and discovered a secret stone wall garden. Another point of fascination is the ice house.

It was a place where people in the olden days stored ice in the winter to be used over the summer in the large abbey.

The final jaw-dropping moment was seeing beautiful brown grazing deer not far from the ice house, their ears twitching upwards in lazy curiosity as I walked past a herd.

Although I’m not the biggest fan of nature (the friendly note to watch out for ‘abseiling caterpillars’ in the forest put the fear of God in me) I would highly recommend a visit to Calke Abbey.

Location: Calke Abbey, Ticknall, Derby DE73 7JF