Capturing the castle in Wiltshire

Early in Steven Spielberg's big-screen adaptation of the Michael Morpurgo book turned smash-hit play War Horse, there is a horse auction. It is 1914 and Joey, a colt, is bought by a Devonshire farmer for the story's protagonist, Albert. But doing a recce in the summer of 2010, in search of a location for this pivotal moment, Spielberg chose Castle Combe in Wiltshire to double as the Dartmoor village where the story begins.

It's not difficult to see why. With a market cross where just this sort of bid-ding would once have taken place, and a babbling brook, the picturesque village remains almost exactly as it was 100 years ago, give or take a few lurid fleeces and polka-dot wellies. Multicoloured ramblers nurse pints of Guinness at The White Hart, where local ale has been poured for five centuries, while locals in Barbours and Le Chameau wellies haughtily walk their dogs. The houses are all honey-coloured limestone and stone-tile roofs. Every property is listed as an ancient monument and strict planning rules apply, so, thankfully, there are no incongruous glass and steel extensions.

The castle itself is gone. The village originally grew up around a Roman fort. The spot was chosen because of its proximity to the Fosse Way, which marked the western frontier of the empire. The Normans later upgraded the fort into a castle and by the late Middle Ages the village had become an important centre for the wool industry. The cottages were home to spinners and weavers, and the river provided the power for the mills.

But Castle Combe is no stranger to a bit of showbiz sparkle. In the past few years Stardust, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Sienna Miller, was filmed here, as was the BBC's Lark Rise to Candleford, and in 1966, the Rex Harrison musical Doctor Dolittle. The Dower House with the noble Scrope family shield over its front door became Harrison's temporary home. So the residents were fully prepared late last year for three weeks of Hollywood disruption, not to mention stampedes, calmly relocating their cars as mud was caked along the three main streets. Cast and crew filled up the village's Manor House Hotel, while the bigger stars chose to stay at nearby Whatley Manor with its two-Michelin-starred menu.

With Bath's Royal Crescent only 12 miles away, this corner of Wiltshire offers plenty of high-end accommodation, but I was after a cosy rental property where my friends and I could eat at awkward hours, nod off whenever we felt like it and not have to say hellos and good mornings to over-attentive staff. We opted for Sheldon Manor, a ten-minute drive from Castle Combe. With a 13th-century porch and what English Heritage excitedly has acknowledged as the UK's earliest wooden drainpipe, it is Wiltshire's oldest manor house, now owned by Ken and Caroline Hawkins. The previous owners sectioned off the old pantry and nurseries into a west wing, available to rent. Packed with antique furniture (all bought at an auction house in Norwood - much cheaper than Lots Road), it also boasts flagstone floors, mullioned windows and an open fire big enough to roast a pig on a spit, should you be so inclined. The bedrooms are vast with mahogany chests and views over the gardens. Every minute spent inside is like living in a bygone era. It's the perfect escape for overworked Londoners.

To one side of the manor house stands a row of four converted cottages with interconnecting doors, so they can be rented individually or transformed into one large house to sleep 20. Beyond that is a barn with plenty of wood to pile on to the fire. If you run out, the Allington Farm Shop, a two-minute trundle by car, has plenty, as well as all sorts of local delights. We lugged home bags of chorizo, fresh eggs and frozen uncooked pains au chocolat (delicious hot from the oven), as well as cheeses and homemade pies.

Our days revolved around heavy brunches, followed by afternoon visits to the other pretty villages in the area including Lacock, whose abbey and inns were used in the Harry Potter films to re-create parts of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, and Corsham, whose Methuen Arms offers some of the best pub food in the county. I'll definitely be heading back for a sequel. If it's good enough for Spielberg... ES

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The Wing at Sheldon Manor sleeps six and costs from £1,300 per week; short breaks also available
(sawdays.co.uk/self-catering)