Allington Castle near Maidstone featured in new season of BBC’s Horrible Histories

A privately-owned historic landmark has been featured in a popular children’s programme.

Allington Castle, near Maidstone, was used in the filming of BBC’s Horrible Histories.

The British historical sketch show is based on a series of educational books by author Terry Deary.

It uses humorous spin-offs from TV shows, including Wife Swap, MasterChef, and Fashion Fix, as well as teaching through satirical song numbers.

Horrible Histories has been running on CBBC since 2009 and previously featured actors Mathew Baynton, Jim Howick and Martha Howe-Douglas.

Allington Castle, a 42-acre private residence, has been revealed as one of the locations used in series 10 of the show.

Dating back to the 12th century, it was once home to Sir Thomas Wyatt – a renowned poet, courtier, and diplomat who served under the reign of King Henry VIII.

The medieval castle and gardens were previously used in series eight and nine of the show – becoming Samuel Pepys’ home, the Tower of London, the Palace of Versailles, and a Tudor castle.

It was also selected as the location for Children in Need 2019 and featured in soap opera series The Royals.

Conservative councillor Tom Cannon said: “I am delighted our local history is appearing on such a popular children's show.

“The KCC Kent Film Office helped the production company and in total it contributed an estimated £40,250 to the Kent economy over 11 filming days.”

Scenes were also shot at The Historic Dockyard Chatham and Ightham Mote, near Sevenoaks.

Two new episodes of Horrible Histories are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.