CHAVENAGE House near Tetbury has been given an 18th century makeover so it can be used as a location for filming of hit romantic period drama Poldark.

Filming for the show, which is based on the novels of Winston Graham and first appeared on the BBC in 1975, is taking place at the country home until the end of April.

The stellar cast of the eight-part production includes Aidan Turner (The Hobbit Trilogy) in the lead role (Ross Poldark) and Eleanor Tomlinson (Death Comes to Pemberley, The White Queen). Chavenage House is being used to represent Trenwith, a Poldark family home heavily featured in the series, which is being made by Mammoth Screen.

A spokesman for Chavenage House, which is owned by the Lowsley-Williams family, said: “We are delighted that they have decided to choose Chavenage as one of the main locations in the series. In the 70s there was a run of tried and tested dramas like Brideshead Revisited. It was a golden age of costume drama.

“We now have the success of Downton Abbey and I think the company are looking for the next Downton Abbey. It is perhaps easier to go back to the tried and tested type of dramas which they know work.”

As well as Chavenage, another local location, Corsham High Street in Wiltshire will be transformed as part of filming for the series, which is set in 18th century Cornwall, next month.

Other filming will take place in Cornwall and Bristol over the coming months.

A spokesman for the Poldark production team explained the appeal of using the Chavenage House for filming: “We chose to film at Chavenage because we wanted the Poldark family house to have a wonderful lived-in feel, which it most certainly does.”

Robin Ellis, who starred in the lead role of the original BBC version of Poldark, will play Reverend Halse in two episodes of the series.