Flying across the pond in summer 1949, Walt Disney set out on a very personal mission. Rumour long had it that his family originated from Norton Disney, an obscure village tucked in a corner of Lincolnshire. Whether or not the great film-pioneer established his lineage is unclear; but – the story goes – his sightseeing included Belvoir Castle, some 20 miles distant. As he laid eyes on its towers and turrets, corkscrewing up over the Vale of Belvoir in fairytale splendour, it took his breath away; so much so, apparently that he instructed his animators to trace its lines to house his future princesses.
Just like a Disney film, Belvoir Castle is drawn from imagination. As much as it resembles an ancient fortification, its Gothic Revival design was dreamed up in the early 1800s, thanks to thebut Elizabeth,who was only 19 years old at the time, totally refused. She was undoubtedly breaking boundaries.’
