Real-Life Saltburn Mansion Owner Distressed by Trespassers and Influencers, Adds Security Patrol

The owner of the spacious estate shown in Saltburn says fans of the film are breaking into the grounds to take photos at an alarming rate.

Charles Stopford Sackville, 63, said for The Daily Mail says that following the release of the 2023 psychological thriller starring Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan, there has been a flood of tourists and social media influencers flocking to his property to take videos and photos.

“I could never have imagined how much interest there would be. It’s quite strange,” he told the newspaper. “I don’t take that as flattery.” Because of this, he says, he was forced to hire additional staff and security to patrol the area.

The boom is likely due in part to posts by British TikTokers sharing videos with directions to properties in Northamptonshire.

MGM

Just last month, TikTok user Rhian Williams shared two videos of herself visiting the 700-year-old property, actually called Drayton House, via the public footpath that runs alongside it. After sharing her first clip — which has racked up more than 2 million views on the app — she made a second video in response to fans’ questions about how to get to the track, complete with a map. Her follow had more than 3 million views.

Since then, fans of the Emerald Fennell-directed film have filmed themselves standing on the property, often dancing to Sophie Ellis-Baxter’s 2000 pop hit “Murder On The Dancefloor,” which is featured prominently in the film.

Watch Rosamund Pike and Carey Mulligan Spar at the dinner table in Saltburn Clip (Exclusive)

According to Sackville, whose family has owned the property since the 18th century, “more than 50” fans have entered the property.

“Most people are pretty good, but some get, let’s say, a little curious,” he said post.

MGM

Williams told the BBC she thought it was a “disgrace” that fans were trespassing on the property instead of viewing the house from the public footpath.

“When I made my TikToks about the location of Drayton House, which I discovered online, I never dreamed it would get 5.6 million views,” Williams told this newspaper on Sunday. “It is a real shame that people are trespassing on the property as there is a public footpath through the property which everyone should stick to if they want to visit.”

“I think it is important that the younger generation, like many who enjoyed the Saltburn film, they are encouraged to take a walk in the countryside and get some fresh air,” she added, “And it’s great to see such a hidden corner of our beautiful Northamptonshire in such a big film as Saltburn.”

The film follows Oxford student Oliver, played by Keoghan, as he falls in love with his wealthy classmate Felix (Elordi), who invites Oliver to visit his family home for the summer. The story soon turns ominous, as the couple’s social imbalances are exposed.

Fennell, who also directed the 2020 hit thriller A promising young woman, told City and country in October 2023 that the mansion was the perfect setting for a film that explored class and power.

“A place as unreal as Saltburn,” said Fennell, “always had to be real.”

Chiabella James/Prime Video

Despite the indie film’s success at the box office (it has grossed more than $21 million worldwide as of November, according to Box Office Mojo), the estate’s longtime owner remains hopeful that interest in the medieval mansion will wane.

“How would you feel if people were taking pictures in front of your house?” said Sackville. “I would like the interest to fail, but I cannot overdo it.”

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education