This classic Georgian townhouse in the heart of York has hosted many period productions and was used in the BBC’s historical drama Gentleman Jack for interior shots of Vere Cameron’s house. It also featured in ITV’s Victoria, where the exterior and period rooms doubled as a number of locations including a gentleman’s club, a London townhouse, a Buckingham Palace bedroom and even stood in for a castle in Ireland.

Despite all appearances, the house has had a rollercoaster of a life. Originally the winter home of Viscount Fairfax and his daughter Anne, it was later converted into a gentleman’s club, then cinema and dance hall, before falling empty in the 1980s. It was only after a meticulous restoration project that this masterpiece of Georgian design and architecture was brought back to life.

Today it vividly recalls a lost world of townhouse-living from the 1760s and the vibrancy of its interiors, ideal room proportions and magnificent stucco ceilings make it popular for both TV and film shoots. Fairfax House provides a snapshot of what domestic Georgian life would have looked like, particularly the fashions for architecture, interior decoration and furniture. Visit and you’ll discover the customs and habits of York’s wealthy gentry and aristocracy that are so beautifully presented in shows like Gentleman Jack.