Legacy of BAFTA-nominated Saltburn leaves lasting mark on Northamptonshire as people continue to visit the village where it was filmed

The success of 2023 film Saltburn has had a big impact on the otherwise unassuming village of Lowick near Kettering, with people coming from all over to see where the film was shot.

The Emerald Fennell-directed film uses Drayton House as the home of the Catton family, the central focus of the film and the object of protagonist Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan)’s desires.

It released on Amazon Prime on December 22, and since then the village has been a hotspot of tourism in north Northamptonshire.

The Snooty Fox in Lowick was able to share in the film’s popularity, with people frequently visiting the restaurant en route to the stately home.

Steven Hyare, its manager, noted the film’s impact on the restaurant, and the village itself.

He said: “It was amazing, there was 14 weeks of shooting, and all the crew and some of the actors would come in and have lunch, we even did a wrap party for them as well.

“We didn’t really think about the actual impact the film would have, but since the film has been released we saw a few new faces coming in.

"People were travelling from far and wide, as far away as Cheshire and up by Harrogate just to come and see the house and walk around the grounds, and they came to the pub.

“We didn’t think we’d get that much more footfall but then the first weekend happened, and it was beautiful weather for the first week of January, which is meant to be the quietest month of the year for hospitality, we just had so much footfall.

“We’re seeing a lot of younger people coming to the village pub and normally a village people may think that it’s a little old school style pub, but it’s great to see we’ve been able to reach a different demographic to what we would normally do.

"It’s been a great, positive start for 2024, and we just hope it carries on.”

Many people have taken a stroll to Drayton House from the Snooty Fox, which takes around half an hour, to get a glimpse of the house that features in the film.

And in an effort to ease congestion in the village and be respectful of residents, The Snooty Fox opened its car park to people visiting the village.

Steven added: “It does put Lowick on the map, whether people like it or not. I don’t know how long it will last, but while it does, let’s embrace it.

"We’re not here to cash in on Saltburn’s success, we do what we do and we do it very well.

“If people want to come and enjoy what we do, I’m not going to put on a new cocktail that’s Saltburn related, I want people to be respectful of the village."

Google searches for ‘Holidays in Northamptonshire’ have experienced an 11,000 per cent increase over the past month, and searches for ‘Drayton House’ have seen an uptick of more than 5000 per cent.

Office for National Statistics property value data, a geocode system, and a land value estimator were recently used to create a total estimate of £42.5 million for the entire 200-acre estate.

Chris Heller, co-founder of Agent Advice that gave the valuation, said: “Saltburn has been the most talked-about film of the last few months, with fans showing a particular interest in the Catton’s titular estate, Saltburn. This valuation sheds some light on the volume of wealth displayed in the film, putting an even greater emphasis on the absurdity of wealth Emerald Fennell so avidly outlines in her film.”

In our review of the film, we said: “Saltburn is bold, creative, and challenging in ways few films manage to replicate, and a perfect example of why cinema needs to be more than just by-the-numbers blockbusters. Art has to be thought-provoking in order to be remembered and, for better or worse, Saltburn is the most memorable film of 2023.”

The film is nominated for five BAFTA awards, including Outstanding British Film, which Steven called ‘well deserved’.