How to visit key Rivals locations from new series
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Filming locations that feature in the popular TV series Rivals are once again putting the West of England “on the map” as the second season of the Disney+ drama hits our screens.
The series, based on one of the late Dame Jilly Cooper’s so-called bonkbusters, features an all-star cast including Aidan Turner, David Tennant and Danny Dyer.
Filming for series two happened in places such as Bristol Harbourside, Corsham in Wiltshire, Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire and Ammerdown House in Somerset, with towns across the region standing in for the Cotswolds and London.
Matt Booker runs The Corsham Toy Shop and said it was a “bonus” to have Rivals filmed there and brought in trade.
Bristol
Bristol provided the backdrop for several key scenes in the hit drama, with locations across the city transformed to recreate the fictional county of Rutshire.
The private Bottle Yard Studios’ TBY2 facility in Hengrove was used for a number of interior sets, including the offices of Corinium TV, interiors of The Priory and an authentic-looking 1980s television control room.
You can visit Aerospace Bristol in Filton which provided the setting for scenes involving supersonic jets and Concorde, while the Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel featured as a location for character stays and social gatherings.
The show also utilised Corn Street, Queen Square and Denmark Street as the backdrop of 1980s London, with period vehicles, including Sinclair C5s, helping to recreate the look and feel of the decade.
Plus, you can wander along the city’s harbourside, where Canon’s Wharf and Harbour Hotel were used for TV awards scenes and those set at Sansovino Hall.
Other familiar locations include the Cosy Club Bristol restaurant and Bristol Hippodrome.
Wiltshire
In Wiltshire, you can amble along the historic high street of Corsham, used extensively as the primary filming location for the fictional town of Cotchester.
Imagine the streets lined with classic cars and shops having had their fronts tweaked to take the market town back to the 1980s.
Boots was turned into an old-fashioned Waitrose, the town hall was transformed into a polling station and the Royal Oak pub was transformed into Bar Sinister.
Booker said: “Tourists come and find where things were filmed and take photos.”
Jeweller Daisy Coppin said it had been “really exciting” to see the town so vibrant.
Two miles south is the Grade II* Listed Neston Park, used as Tony Baddingham’s estate, The Falconry.
The historic 18th-Century country house is not open to the public, however you can walk around the village of Neston and its Recreation Ground.
Just a stone’s throw away in Chippenham, Georgian listed manor house Langley Park was used to portray various pool parties in the series. Although it is a luxury hotel and events venue, its grounds connect to popular hiking trails.
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Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire has been a filming spot for Rivals since its first season, with Chavenage House in Tetbury being used as the set for the O’Hara family home, The Priory.
Guided tours and visits of the 16th-Century Elizabethan manor are by reservation only.
Owner Caroline Lowsley-Williams said: “You obviously don’t sit and watch the filming the whole time, so it’s amazing when you watch it back and see just how much was filmed in your house.”
She said the show had contributed to the rise of “TV tourism”, which was a benefit to not only her family but to the area.
Chavenage House was not the only part of Tetbury used when filming the show. Locations such as Market House, Long Street and St Mary’s Church were used to portray Cotchester, the fictional town in which the series is set.
One of the most recognisable locations used for the show, Berkeley Castle, provided the backdrop for the iconic Rutshire Cup polo matches.
Jess Lamb, a spokesperson for the castle, said it created a “real buzz” throughout the venue, adding it had given them a “unique insight” into film and TV production.
The medieval fortress is currently closed to visitors for Winter but reopens in the Spring.
Beaufort Polo Club in Westonbirt was also used to film the show’s polo matches.
Somerset
Over in Somerset, a sprawling country estate, various pubs and a railway all saw the crews roll in for Rivals.
Ammerdown House, used as the home of Rupert Campbell-Black, and the former Battleaxes tudor-style pub is not available to the public.
However, the historic East Somerset Railway – built in 1856 – is well worth a visit.
The preserved railway was approached by producers who touted the project as a “period drama”.
But the railway’s business manager, Simon Bending, said it had meant bringing its Cranmore station up into the 1980s rather than de-aging it.
“Everything was brought forward to the 1980s with the signage, the platform – even the train was very specific,” he said.
“We had odd things like a cigarette machine on the platform and 1980s bikes and that kind of thing.”
Bending added: “Jilly Cooper was quite a fan of the railways herself anyway, so what we’re hoping is future books get commissioned and we see them again.”
Last month, it was announced more of Dame Jilly Cooper’s books are set to be adapted for television.
The production company behind Rivals has secured the rights to the entire Rutshire Chronicles series.
The late author previously said she had “adored seeing the world fall in love with her beloved characters”.
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