Sir Ian comes toWinchelsea forSherlock shoot

Filming has been taking place at Wickham Manor Farm over the past month with the veteran actor, loved for his role as Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, working on set.

Wickham Manor Farm is also home to a vineyard which produces the award winning Charles Palmer wine.

Elizabeth Als, from Wickham Manor, said: “Bill Condon, the director, and Sir Ian both commented that they couldn’t believe that Wickham Manor had not been used as a location before considering its timeless, beautiful setting.

“Location Manager Richard George had spent some considerable time searching for the perfect location to use as Sherlock’s country residence until one day he stumbled across Wickham Manor and thought the location perfect.

“On the last day of filming the cast and crew appropriately toasted the movie with a glass of Charles Palmer Sparkling 2009, produced from the farm’s vineyard.”

The movie, directed by acclaimed Hollywood director Bill Condon, stars Sir Ian McKellen as a 93 year old Sherlock Holmes and American actress Laura Linney as his housekeeper.

The film is set in 1947, and follows the long-retired Sherlock Holmes, now aged 93, where he lives in a remote Sussex farmhouse along with his housekeeper, Mrs. Munro and her young son, Roger.

The film follows Holmes as he reflects and recollects on his life through writing in his journals, whilst tending to his bees as well as dealing with the deterioration of his once incredible mind.

Holmes finds himself haunted by an unsolved 50-year old case and can only remember fragments of the case due to his ailing mind: a confrontation with an angry husband, a secret bond with his beautiful but unstable wife. The film is due for release in 2015.