Ian McKellen and Robert Downey Jr. became friends during the shoot and McKellen was struck by Downey's talent and attitude compared to some of the British cast members. McKellen offered Downey a part in Richard III (1995), stating that casting an American actor would help fund the film. When the release of Restoration was delayed by 18 months owing to story concerns and re-shoots, Richard III was actually released in theaters before Restoration.
Its two Oscar nominations and wins (Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design) were up against, among other nominees, Richard III (1995) - which also featured Ian McKellen and Robert Downey Jr. in its cast.
As Robert Merivel and Will Gates are talking in the garden, sitting together on a bench, someone (shadowy) is moving from right to left behind the bushes behind Merivel's back.
When Merivel leaves the Fire of London, he is floating down the River Thames. He is, apparently, discovered 15 miles from Bidnold, which is in Suffolk (unreachable from the Thames)
When the King shows Robert Merivel his building plans to improve London soon after the plague has started, one of the models clearly shows Sir Christopher Wren's St. Paul's Cathedral, designed and built after the great fire of 1666.
Katharine: Every man on earth has his leaving step. If my husband had been a small man, he would not have been able to leave me. But he was a large man, and stepped over me as I slept, one great stride.