SOMETIMES, the tastes of children surprise you.
While most of us would expect the little ones to utilise their TV time to watch the likes of Bluey, or Teen Titans (both quite funny, adults, if you’re listening) – every now and again, they will settle on an unexpected favourite.
For our history-loving eldest, it was the BBC sitcom, Ghosts, which tells the story of a couple – Mike and Alison – who unexpectedly inherit a largely-derelict mansion which is haunted by a number of spirits who passed away on the premises over centuries.
Alison, after a fall out of a window, has a near-death experience and as a result, discovers she can see and communicate with the ghosts who inhabit her new home – and a series of hilarious and sometimes tearjerking situations follow, of course.
So, being young and still in possession of that earnest childhood curiosity, our eldest started reading about the show in a bid to find out everything there is to know, the way children do.
Among the facts she demanded was where the ‘Ghosts house’ was – and if she could go to it.
Mum and dad got searching online to find out these details and soon discovered the Ghosts house – called Button House in the show – is, in fact, West Horsley House, near Guildford, in Surrey. And yes, you can visit it.
It also turns out the actual house has a number of amazing stories that wouldn’t be out of place – and in fact do figure – in the series itself.
It was formerly owned by University Challenge legend, Bamber Gascoigne, but has a far longer history than that.
West Horsley Place, in Surrey, is Button House in BBC show, Ghosts. Picture: Paul Jones/Somerset Leveller
In 1536, King Henry VIII enjoyed a 35-course banquet within its walls, while Parliamentary pyromaniac Guy Fawkes is also believed to have worked there as a servant, and Sir Walter Raleigh’s embalmed head is also understood to have paid a visit. Yuck.
There is plenty of real-life history that runs alongside the fantastic tales of Ghosts.
So it was, during the half-term break, we took our eldest on a surprise trip to Surrey from Somerset to visit the place she so adored on-screen.
And she loved it. Let’s be honest, we all did.
From the minute you drive through the gates (yes, the same ones representing the boundary for our TV spirits), you, like Alison in the show, feel like you’re ‘home’.
The grounds are the same ones we see on screen – though it appears a tree was added for Pat to crash into – the rooms where the ghosts get up to their madcap schemes are as they appear, pretty much, so you can happily spend hours recreating your favourite scenes alongside dozens of others doing exactly the same thing. (Our eldest spent a lot of time lying against a tree saying, ‘I am shot!’, in the manner of her favourite character, Thomas, for example)
The rooms of West Horsley Place will seem familiar to fans of BBC comedy, Ghosts. Picture: Paul Jones/Somerset Leveller
As you make your way around West Horsley Place, it is clear it is badly in need of restoration – much like Button House – with work on-going to bring it back to former glories.
In a bid to help that effort along, the house – now owned by a trust after the death of Bamber – hosts a series of events throughout the year.
They are, rightly, cashing in on the popularity of Ghosts, with regular ‘filming’ days, where people can see their favourite spots and just as we did, recite their favourite lines in the library, the kitchen, or in the walled gardens (‘I am shot!’).
We were also lucky enough to see a few props from the series, including letters written between Alison and Thomas, as well as the actual cardboard cutout Button House used in the opening credits.
And yes, our eldest took great pleasure in lying, face-down, beneath one particular window. If you know, you know.
You can recreate your favourite scenes from BBC show Ghosts as you tour West Horsley Place, in Surrey. Picture: Paul Jones/Somerset Leveller
Enter the famous front door of Button House and take a trip inside BBC show, Ghosts… Picture: Paul Jones/Somerset Leveller
The cardboard cutout version of Button House, used in the opening credits of Ghosts, is also on display at West Horsley Place. Picture: Paul Jones/Somerset Leveller
Another of the famous rooms from BBC comedy, Ghosts, complete with murals. Picture: Paul Jones/Somerset Leveller
Lifting up floorboards and checking books at the Ghosts house – West Horsley Place. Picture: Paul Jones/Somerset Leveller
Thomas Thorne and Alison’s letters, as used in BBC comedy, Ghosts, on display at West Horsley Place. Picture: Paul Jones/Somerset Leveller
READ MORE: History news from your Somerset Leveller
Some of the spots from BBC comedy Ghosts you can visit at West Horsley House…
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