Torchwood House’s website had a lot of people fooled into thinking that it is real. The site is really just promotional material for Doctor Who.
There are a lot of aspects of Doctor Who that borrow from actual, real world history. For example, as far fetched as the episode ‘Tooth and Claw‘ is, we at least know that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert are real historical figures.
Torchwood House‘s website had some people convinced, however, that much of the location and its history were real, as well. To be clear, ‘Tooth and Claw’ was not filmed at a place called Torchwood House, but at the locations listed here.
According to the website, they are not only a historical landmark, but a tourist attraction and wedding venue, as well. Here is a screencap from the main page:
credit: visittorchwood.co.uk
"“Welcome to Torchwood HouseTorchwood House is one of Scotland’s architectural treasures. Owned by the MacLeish family since the 1500s, it was purchased by the Crown in 1893.Famed for its beautiful grounds and stunning Observatory, the house was opened to the public in 1981. A real jewel of the Highlands, it has received over a million visitors since opening.Welcome to Torchwood House. We hope you enjoy your visit.”"
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Under the welcome message, there is a scroll bar of “Memorable MacLeishes.” Sir Robert and Lady Isobel are included, as was Robert’s father, Sir George, who contributed the observatory to the house. The following is how the site describes him:
"“An eccentric man, Sir George was fascinated by both the sciences and local folklore. He was good friends with the Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert. Many a servant was kept awake waiting on Sir George and the Prince as they whiled away nights discussing the mysteries of the heavens!It was Sir George who built the famous Torchwood Observatory. A magnificent and beautiful piece of workmanship, the original is now in private hands, but a fully-functioning replica stands in its place today.”"
The site continues with even more information about Torchwood House:
"“The House has a number of unique features. Its name comes from the wood used in the construction of the Great Staircase. Local legend said it was made from a gallows struck down by lightning (the Torched Wood), but recent studies have shown it to be Amyris Elemifera, which grows as a large tree in tropical areas such as Florida.”"
According to Wikipedia, the common names for Amyris Elemifera “include sea torchwood, smooth torchwood, candlewood, sea amyris, tea, cuabilla, and bois chandelle.”
Even the mistletoe varnish, used to trap the werewolf in the episode, is mentioned:
"“Visitors are often struck by the unusual air of the library – curiously, Sir George had the walls and doors varnished with viscum album – oil of mistletoe.”"
Next: Page 2: Torchwood House's Website Is Quite Convincing, but Fictional
Torchwood House’s Observatory in ‘Tooth and Claw’ – credit: slantmagazine.com
For those of you wondering how a “scholar and scientist” could be so superstitious, it was not uncommon for such people of Sir George’s time to blur the lines between science and folklore. Such topics were considered by many to not be mutually exclusive. It is quite sad that this still remains the case today, if only to a lesser degree. The nature of the alien may have been a stretch (as are many things on Doctor Who), but at least the writers attempted to make it sciency wiency.
The site claims that Queen Victoria stayed at Torchwood House after her husband, Prince Albert’s death, and that Sir Robert died during that stay. There is also a reference to some local folklore:
"“Like much of the local area, the Torchwood Estate is haunted by stories of the supernatural going back to the sixteenth century. There are tales of deformed ghosts, sinister monks and even werewolves, said to have inspired authors such as James Hogg, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott.”"
A link is provided to an extract from It’s A Mystery! by T. Wilcox, published by Alec Tom Publishing, 1997. (Through a basic internet search, the book, author, and publishing house all appear to be fictional.) It involves monks, a falling star, and The Howling:
"“[T]ales abounded of a strange and unearthly cry echoing out across the valley. The following morning, livestock would be found torn open and devoured! But that wasn’t the worst! Once every generation, a young boy would go missing! Snatched from the loving embrace of their family, they would be spirited away, never to be seen again! . . . There is little talk of The Howling after the visit of Queen Victoria. Perhaps her civilising heart ended the curse?”"
A visit to Torchwood House’s website should most definitely include the small, unassuming “Disclaimer” link on the bottom left. The following is an excerpt from that page:
"“This is not the real Torchwood House website. In fact, there is no Torchwood House. This is a fictional website created for the new series of Doctor Who by BBC.We apologise for any inconvenience caused if you thought this was a real website.”"
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Next: Tom Baker is Very Amusing on QVC UK in 2001
Were you fooled by Torchwood House’s website? Don’t feel bad about it if you were. It is very convincing. Feel free to discuss in the comments.