A Year in the Life of Lodge Drive
14 October 2025
The changing seasons along an historic driveway at Longleat have been captured on camera.
From sumptuous greens of summer to evocative reds and orange in autumn, the images show the annual transformation of the trees along Lodge Drive which leads from the park gates at the village of Horningsham in Wiltshire to the south entrance of Longleat House.
Tops of trees within the Capability Brown inspired Arboretum that runs parallel to Lodge Drive can be seen in the images; these Cedar of Lebanon and Coast Redwood reach 45m plus in the sky and were planted in the mid-18th century.
David Abrahams, Longleat’s Arboricultural Supervisor, said the footage also clearly features veteran oak trees, home to native species such as bats.
“It also has the avenue of Tulip Trees planted in the 1970s under the direction of British garden designer Russell Page and Horse Chestnuts planted in 2000.”
Autumn was a key part in the Bollywood blockbuster released 25 years ago this month to much acclaim; the archives show the producers of Mohabbatein used a host of different initiatives when shooting in the park in the spring. To ensure they captured the effect they wanted, the plans included bringing in thousands of leaves.
Archivist Emma Challinor said: “The time-lapse footage gives a great view of Lodge Drive which was originally gravelled and known as The Great Walk when first made in 1732. It cost £1410 and was planted with double rows of trees on either side.
“The Universal Magazine 1792 described the drive as ‘an avenue of near three-quarters of a mile of full-grown handsome trees, which are so disposed, as just to catch the ends of the house; so that the eye sees no limit to its length’.
“Since its creation the Lodge Drive has been the scene of many unusual events; when George III visited in 1789, he, along with the Queen and the three princesses took a trip in an open chaise up and down the Lodge Drive ‘to satisfy the populace’ who were waiting in the Park to catch a glimpse of the royal party; during the Second World War when the Royal School, Bath, were lodged at Longleat, girls who transgressed by making snowmen without wearing their berets were put on the ‘criminal list’ and made to walk up and down the Lodge Drive twice as punishment; and in August 1977 the drive was the setting for a nail-biting motorcycle ‘Jump-Off’ between Rex Blackwell of the USA and Great Britain’s Eddie Kidd.
“When it featured in Mohabbatein, leaves appeared on the props list for several of the days shooting, special equipment listed included a fog machine, rain machine and storm fan to achieve the correct seasonal effects with the orange maple leaf becoming a recurring symbol of love in the film.
“Lodge Drive was itself a key location as the approach road to Gurukul, the fictional boarding school – Longleat House – and was lined with flagpoles along part of its length.”
Longleat is celebrating the Great British Autumn from 25 October to 2 November and The Festival of Light from 8 November to 11 January. Tickets are on sale now.