'How to visit Saltburn' videos watched by millions on TikTok

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Two shirtless dark-haired men sit beside a river with a young woman with long fair hairImage source, Amazon Studios
Image caption,

Drayton House in Northamptonshire became Saltburn for Emerald Fennell's movie

A woman whose Tiktok videos about a stately home in the film Saltburn were viewed four million times said she did not expect "such brilliant engagement".

Drayton House in Northamptonshire plays the role of the eponymous mansion in Emerald Fennell's movie.

Rhian Williams, who lives nearby, has posted two TikTok videos about "how to get to Saltburn" and view the property.

She said: "I knew there'd be interest, but I didn't think it would be like this."

Fennell's comedy drama was released in November and has proved a hit with audiences, especially online, where content producers paying tribute to the film's use of Murder on the Dancefloor helped propel Sophie Ellis-Bextor back into the top 10 of the charts last week.

Image source, Rhian Williams
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Rhian Williams' videos show ways of seeing the private home without trespassing

When a location was chosen to be transformed into Saltburn, the cast and crew of the film were reportedly told not to reveal where it was, external, as the Grade I listed property is still a private home.

It was, however, soon identified by journalists and social media users as Drayton House near Lowick.

Home to the Sackville family since the 18th Century, it is not generally open to the public.

Image source, Rhian Williams
Image caption,

Drayton House was identified as the location for Saltburn when trailers for the film came out

There is a public footpath through the site, which Ms Williams describes as a "stunning walk", so she decided to use the TikTok app to make more people aware of it, external.

"I was the first one to do a kind-of 'how to get there' video and I knew it would work well on TikTok," she said.

"Views are really great, but what's really important with TikTok is how much engagement you get from what you create, and I've had such brilliant engagement - I'm sort of playing tourist information service at the moment.

"I'm being asked everything from 'is there flooding in the area?' to where people can stay to go and look at it."

Image source, Rhian Williams
Image caption,

Rhian Williams is urging people to stay on the public footpath past Drayton House and not get any closer

Ms Williams said she wanted anyone who did make the journey to Lowick to stick to the public footpath and not roam around the grounds.

While the owners of Drayton House want it to keep a low profile and declined to comment on the filming, Ms Williams says the nearby village does appear to be taking advantage of the site's new-found fame.

"I have got it on good authority that, yesterday, the village hall was selling tea towels to the soundtrack of Murder on the Dancefloor," she said.

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