EuroTravel Top 10
Royal Naval College Greenwich( Les Miserables) Originally London’ s riverside palace where Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth 1 st were born, this largely 18 th century complex of lavish buildings known as the Royal Naval College designed by Sir Christopher Wren, has been
the backdrop for countless films and TV productions. Recently the Naval College was used for the Parisian street scenes in musical extravaganza Les Miserables, albeit with a little CGI tinkering for good measure. The same buildings have also stood in for Buckingham Palace in Patriot Games( 1992) or any time a royal looking residence is needed. A favourite with film makers is the opulent‘ Painted Room’ described as the‘ finest dining hall in Europe’ adorned with a breathtaking ceiling painted by James Thornhill. The room and buildings have been used for The Golden Compass, The Mummy Returns, Shanghai Knights and Lara Croft Tomb Raider to period productions Quills and The King’ s Speech among others.
A diverse and culturally rich destination due to popular venues such as the nearby Royal Observatory, Greenwich’ s maritime museum and the historical waterfront dock housing the famous Cutty Sark ship.
Holmfirth( Last of the Summer Wine) Last of the Summer Wine still the longest running TV comedy in the world at thirty seven years and 250 episodes has been watched in 25 countries including PBS in America. The BBC comedy show first aired in 1973 and put Holmfirth, a small unassuming West Yorkshire village on the national and international map making it one of the most popular destinations on the TV tours trail. Set in the beautiful Peak District countryside the surrounding area has also been the setting for a number of famous films such as The Railway Children, Yanks and various versions of Jane Eyre. Yorkshire’ s diverse countryside with its sweeping hills and desolate moorland, pretty villages and industrial mill towns makes it one of the most sought after regions for filming and visitors from around the world. Try staying in nearby Bradford for a night at the Hilton, you’ ll be surprised what the once industrial textile city can offer, such as the National Film & Photography Museum complete with Imax screen and nearby Saltaire Village- a former mill complex which is now a UNESCO Heritage site and offers salubrious accommodation.
Castle Howard( Brideshead Revisited) Few stately homes can match the splendour and monumentalism of Castle Howard set in the a thousand acres of stunning landscape in the Howardian hills in north Yorkshire. It has played host to some of the biggest film and TV productions including the classic Granada TV production of Brideshead Revisited and decades later the movie version in 2008. The 18 th century residence still occupied by descendents of the Howard family offers epic vistas, particularly from its ornate lake which has been captured in films such as The Buccaneers( 1995). Other productions include Stanley Kubrick’ s period epic Barry Lyndon( 1975) and the stately home even stood in for the Kremlin in the 1966 film The Spy with a Cold Nose. With rose gardens, a mini Pyramid, Mausoleum, Obelisk and a plethora of architectural follies, Castle Howard is a dream to visit for both its history and enjoying English landscaping at its most palatial. The Castle’ s short distance to York and its medieval wonders make it a must visit while staying in north Yorkshire’ s most famous city.
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