FOR more than 500 years Arley Hall has been home to the same Cheshire family.

But for two months in 2015 it was taken over by Birmingham gangster Tommy Shelby as filming took place for the third series of the award-winning BBC drama Peaky Blinders.

The crime drama, based on true events, is set after the First World War and is about a ruthless gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps.

Producers are thought to have chosen the stately home to the south of Lymm as they were looking for somewhere with a sense of grandeur to show how Tommy had gone up in the world since the last series.

Arley was transformed into Shelby’s home complete with bespoke portraits, 1920s furniture and an interior repaint to give the hall a more masculine feel.

“It’s been incredible to see the effort and attention to detail that goes into a production such as Peaky Blinders,” said Arley Hall's general manager Steve Hamilton.

“There was a real buzz around Arley during the filming and it was great to work with the BBC on such a popular and critically acclaimed drama.”

Hollywood stars Cillian Murphy, known for The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and 28 Days Later, and Helen McCrory, from Skyfall and Harry Potter, were among those who became ‘regulars’ at Arley during five weeks of filming in November and December.

Tom Hardy, star of Mad Max: Fury Road and the Kray twins movie Legend, completed one day of filming at Arley as he reprised his role as Tommy’s nemesis Alfie Solomons.

Arley Hall’s library will double as Tommy’s study while the Gallery became the Shelby family’s dining hall.

Steve added “People to Arley will be able to walk around these rooms when they visit Arley Hall this summer.

“We had an agreement that after the filming was done that everything had to be put back the way it was so an incredible amount of care was taken by everyone in the production team to preserve Arley’s heritage and character."

- The third series of Peaky Blinders starts tonight, Thursday, at 9pm on BBC Two.