A STATELY home used in the latest BBC period blockbluster is among a number of historical sites set to lose out should Gatwick get the go ahead for a second runway, a conservation group has claimed.

The National Trust has listed 13 attractions that could be affected by an expanded Gatwick including Wakehurst Place near Haywards Heath and Penshurst Place in Kent which was used as a location for current BBC hit drama Wolf Hall.

The body said it was “highly sceptical” about proposed expansions to either Gatwick or Heathrow in its submission to the Airports Commission which is currently evaluating the best option to expand the UK’s airport capacity.

The National Trust said any airport expansion at either Heathrow or Gatwick would increase noise impact to residents and affect how people spend their leisure time, according to claims reported in The Sunday Times.

It also said it could affect filming possibilities at the venues because of increased aircraft noise.

A Gatwick spokesman said a new runway would not necessarily increase noise at historic venues such as Hever House in Kent which is on the airport’s flight path and that studies were being carried out at ways of reducing the number of flights going over the former castle of Anne Boleyn.