insideKENT Magazine Issue 87 - June 2019 | Page 119

SPECIALFEATURE
FAMOUS I N K E N T
CONT.
Famous Plots
More films and TV shows than you can possibly
imagine are filmed at some of Kent’s most picturesque
locations. Scenes for action animation, Pokémon
Detective Pikachu, were shot on Anchor Wharf at The
Historic Dockyard Chatham; crime thriller, The
Corrupted, features Dartford Marshes by the QEII
Crossing as the setting of a crime scene; BBC 3
comedy drama, Back to Life , shot scenes along
the seafront of the small seaside town
of Hythe at Fisherman’s beach, as well as filming in
Abbot’s Cliff, Dover; and hotly anticipated six-part
drama, Baptiste, used various locations for filming
action sequences including Discovery Park in
Sandwich and the Ramsgate Harbour Approach.
All of these were released in 2019 alone…
An interesting and active way to delve into
Kent’s most famous plots is to follow one of the Kent
Film Office’s themed movie trails, which include
the following:
GROOMBRIDGE PLACE, FILMING LOCATION FOR THE 2005 ADAPTATION OF JANE AUSTEN'S PRIDE & PREJUDICE
The Austen Trail Dickens Trail
Jane Austen was an English novelist who wrote many works of romantic fiction
including Emma, Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility . The Austen Trail
contains a number of a filming locations for the BBC adaptation of Emma, starring
Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller, and the feature film Pride and Prejudice ,
starring Kiera Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen, as well as a number of sites
of historical interest. Charles Dickens left behind a
nationally important literary legacy.
To this day, many of his works are
adapted into much loved film and TV
adaptations. Many of his novels and
the characters in them were inspired
by the county of Kent and its
people. The Dickens Trail follows in
Dickens’ footsteps and visit the many
varied and beautiful places in the
county that inspired him and the
filmmakers who subsequently strove
to bring his great works to life including
Rochester, Chatham, Sheerness, Deal
and Folkestone.
https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/kent-movie-map/austens-in-kent
The James Bond Trail
Ian Fleming loved Kent. You only have to read one of his books to experience
the great adoration he had for his home county. He made his home in a beautiful
house on the beach of St Margaret’s and wrote many of his novels looking out
over the English Channel.
His most famous creation, James Bond, known to all the world as 007, inspired
12 novels and two books of short stories, which, in turn have been adapted into
22 films so far including Casino Royale, which features Mereworth Castle as Sir
James’s home; The World is Not Enough where The Historic Dockyard was used
as the location for the action-packed boat chase scene; and Die Another Day in
which the Antonov cargo plane scenes were filmed at the Kent International
Airport – Manston.
https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/kent-movie-map/james-bond-ian-fleming
https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/kent-movie-
map/dickens-movie-trail
The Darling Buds of May Trail
– Garden of England Trail
The Darling Buds of May was a classic
90’s show idolising the life of the
Larkins, a family living on a small
holding in rural Kent. Set in the 1950s,
the village of Pluckley in Kent and the
surrounding countryside provided the
main backdrop for the series.
The Darling Buds of May – Garden
of England Trail will transport you
back to the 1950s as you walk in the
footsteps of the Larkins visiting some
of the award-winning local food and
drinks producers, rural attractions and
rolling countryside that keep Kent
crowned The Garden of England.
In the village of Pluckley, you’ll take
a look at the church where Mariette
and Charley got married, and where
Primrose flirted with the young vicar.
Stop off for a drink at Pop and Ma
Larkin’s local, The Black Horse, before
setting off on the circular Pluckley
walk, which will take you through
Kent’s famous fields and orchards.
Out of the village, you’ll find the home
of the Larkins – Buss Farm – and if
you fancy the beach, a trip to
Folkestone will reveal the location of
the Larkin’s day at the seaside and the
cable car lift that was used for Pop a
nd Charley’s heart to heart.
https://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/kent-movie-
map/darlingbuds-thetrail/
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