Tooth and Claw "in real life"

This is the latest in a series of Doctor Who in “Real Life” posts. The idea is that I discuss how episodes work from a real world perspective. To celebrate it’s ten year anniversary, today I am looking at the Series Two episode Tooth and Claw. 

 

This image comes from a book called It's a Mystery by T. Wilcox. It is from a story called "Terror From the Sky". Here's an extract:

"In the year of our Lord 1540, under the reign of King James the Fifth... an almighty fire did burn in the pit."

 In October, 1540, the monks at the Glen of Saint Catherine Monastery were going about their daily business. A simple diet of haggis and water, prayers, a vow of silence, charity work. Little did they know that their lives were about to change forever! Nobody knows for certain what fell to Earth on that fateful night. Was it a meteorite or something... worse? 

Torchwood House dates back to the fifteenth century. It was extensively rebuilt in the 1600s and then again in the 1800s by Sir George Macleish who was good friends with Prince Albert. Sir George also built the famous Torchwood Observatory.

After the death of Sir Robert Macleish in 1879 the house was purchased by the Crown. Queen Victoria is known to have stayed at the house and you can still see her room today.

  

Torchwood House is now a visitor attraction and is open to the public between April and September. One of the most popular exhibits is the House of History Exhibition, opened by Prince Charles in 2006, which charts the history of the house through photographs, personal accounts and newspaper extracts. 

The house is also now a wedding venue. A banquet of local delicacies is put on for wedding parties and an experienced photographer will capture the day. Some couples choose to stay at the nearby Glen of Saint Catherine Monastery. 

 

For more information about Torchwood House, you can visit their website here.

[The content of this posts come from the Torchwood House website, part of the promotial material for Tooth and Claw. I'm not sure why there was a picture of Bernard Cribbins on the wedding page, nor where that photo originally came from!]