Posted: Thu 07 Dec 2006 15:51 pm Post subject: Actual locations used in the series.
I have often wondered which small town was used for the filming of the series. Also when the men were out on manouvres where was the open space with the road, and possibly an airfield, that was frequently filmed? No doubt most of the inside sequences were filmed in a studio but where?
Also how did the small town get the name Walmington on Sea? Never any sign of the sea in the series!
Ron.
Posted: Thu 07 Dec 2006 16:17 pm Post subject: Re: Actual locations used in the series.
fluff75 wrote:
I have often wondered which small town was used for the filming of the series. Also when the men were out on manoeuvres where was the open space with the road, and possibly an airfield, that was frequently filmed? No doubt most of the inside sequences were filmed in a studio but where?
Also how did the small town get the name Walmington on Sea? Never any sign of the sea in the series!
Ron.
Hi Ron,
It was filmed in many places.
I have a locations page on my Whispers From Walmington web site, here which shows a lot of the real-life locations used in the series.
For example, here is a picture of the outside of the Church Hall (Honington School, Suffolk in real-life).
Here is Walmington-on-Sea Town Hall (really the Guildhall, Thetford, Norfolk).
This is the flour mill seen in "Wake Up Walmington". It is private property in Ixworth, Suffolk but we were allowed onto the grounds to take some photos.
One location I do not have a picture of is Godfrey's cottage from "Is There Honey Still For Tea?". This is on private property in East Wretham, Thetford, Norfolk and inaccesible.
I also have a map showing that Walmington-on-Sea is by the sea, here. Dont you remember the floating mine in "Menace From The Deep", or when Pike got stuck in the barbed wire in "Sgt Save My Boy", or the lighthouse in ""Put That Light Out", or the platoon marching along the sand in bare feet in "Boots, Boots, Boots".
The large open spaces were the army training area in Norfolk called Stanford Training Area (STANTA). It is a MOD area and not open to the public. I went on a locations tour there a few years ago - with Will and member's of Dad's Army Appreciation Society.
This is one of the STANTA locations - the bridge used in "Brain Versus Brawn" when the fire engine approaches the ammo dump.
The film version of "Walmington-On-Sea" was actually Chalfont St Giles in Buckinghamshire.
If you are interested in the locations, you should think about buying the 'Dad's Army Companion' which, along with other info, contains lists of them all along with photos then and now.
A couple of outside locations used for filming were Sheringham on the North Norfolk Railway for 'The Royal Train' episode and Brandon, Suffolk for one brief river scene in an episode that escapes me right now, but they were in a dingy. Sorry I can't be any clearer. My father lives 6 miles from Brandon, 12 miles from Thetford and knew nothing of the filming. _________________ Stand by your beds.
I've seen two episodes where I've actually been to the locations on screen! I've taken a train on the Norfolk railway line in 'The Royal Train', and in 'Museum Piece', the exterior shots for Peabody Museum iare actually of the lovely Oxburgh Hall, also in Norfolk, which I've visited twice.
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