TV locations for the Famous Five series

[Anita Bensoussane]

I like seeing the photos, though it's a shame to hear that access to the coast is so restricted in that area.

[timv]

This is the photo which Adrian took of the location in Trafalgar Place, Lymington of the scene in 1978 Five Get Into Trouble where Mr Perton is chasing Richard across some gardens and he runs into and out of a house - the shot was taken of R running out of the house on the right, as identified by A's note. Luckily one of the TP residents who lived there in 1978 and remembered filming ran into him as he was doing shots of the series' Lymington locations and identified the house for him and invited him to take a pic; this is out of view of the road (it's on a higher level than the adjacent Mill Lane to the East, ie off shot to the right, so I've never been able to get a shot of this view of private gardens).
The pic is looking North along the E side of the TP houses, and the bay window in the distance was there in 1978 and enables us to identify which house was used; but the filmshot of Richard running into the 'same' house a little earlier was not done here but was of a house at the S side of TP, backing on Quay Hill , and was looking South (whereas the shot of Richard running out of the house is looking North and is replicated in this pic). The opposite side of the house in this pic into which R has supposedly just run, is in fact a blank wall onto the drop down to Mill Lane. The scene of Richard knocking over a baker's boy with his basket, him picking himself up, and then Mr Perton running up and knocking him over in turn was done at about where A was standing to take this pic, at the SE end of the Place, by a lamp-post which is still there - but looks South towards Quay Hill.

The New Forest Tour buses have now started up for the summer season, to 16 Sept; see website for timetables. One goes as usual from Lyndhurst via Brockenhurst, Lymington , Beaulieu, and Exbury to Hythe Pier, Beaulieu Rd Station (for Yew Tree Heath/ 'Mystery Moor'), and back to Lyndhurst; another one goes from Brock station to Burley and Milford. The Hurst Castle ferry is also running as usual for lighthouse fans. There doesn't appear to be a bus to Lepe this year, or if there is it hasn't been advertised yet; but Lepe seafront is about 20-25 mins walk along the main road from Exbury or a safer but longer walk along the quieter Inchmery Lane (past the site of the Five meeting Mr Gringle with his butterfly net in Billycock Hill and the gates to Lower Exbury farm/ gallery aka one of the Tremannon Farm barn 's 2 sites ).

[timv]

This is the view of Trafalgar Place looking downhill, East, from near the top corner with Gosport Street, ie at right angles to the previous photo which was taken near the lamp post at the bottom right (looking North). Richard runs out of the houses at the bottom of the hill and heads right (ie South) along the row to the corner, where he knocks the baker's boy over by the lamp post; Mr Perton follows and does the same. The chase uphill through the gardens is off shot to the right, in an area which you now can't see from the road; it's all been tidied up a lot since 1978 when the houses were new, and the gardens have been modernised (and extra houses added in some of the area). Adrian informs m from his visit, when he was kindly invited to take a look at the chase site, that most of the zig-zag path up which Richard runs has gone too.

The path from Mill Lane (which runs from left to right behind the houses at the bottom of the hill, at a lower level) up into the TP gardens , up which Richard runs at the start of the TP filming, is off camera to the bottom right, behind the lamp post. The 'police station' ie Britannia House is further up Mill Lane, off shot to the left , at the corner with Station Street by the station - which site was originally the town's mill pond in the C19th with a mill where the (soon to be redundant) Victorian station ticket office was later built.

[FiveFanDownunder]

Thank you so much Timv for these wonderful posts! Great to see the locations in 2023, and nice you got to share a day with other wonderful locations people.

Much appreciated.

[FiveFanDownunder]

Hello good locations people!

I have been working through the 70s series episode by episode listing locations, both as a way to check my own knowledge for gaps, and then to consolidate and share with others via YouTube. Takes a bit of time, but most enjoyable.

Without the forum and the minds on here, including Gary's kind recollections over the years, there would be much much less to share.

I am turning my attention to the gardens at Exbury; it is one of those spots where Google imagery has its limitations, and one of those places where I think being able to visit and check would be hard to beat.

I am especially interested in map pins and theories for the 'wooded dell' that we have discussed more than once - I see a few pictures and intel posted over the years, but am not 100% confident in matching what I see in the episodes with what I can glean from the forum.

I will post a few photos where I hope you can see my questions and then put me right or at least share what is thought. Do not be afraid to share the obvious with me; I sometimes miss obvious things and can't go and see for myself, worse luck, One day ...


From Billycock Hill. Not much to go on, but many of the scenes were filmed around the daffodil meadow, including those just before this shot. The trees seem a little reminiscent of those in the dell. Any ideas?


A shot of the dell from Trouble, which gives the most thorough look. There is strong evidence of an abrupt change from 'dell' to open field seen beyond the trees here, and a shot here suggests the dell might be just north of the daffodil meadow, where Richard runs to Julian and George for help, and they all run with their groceries, into the dell. There is a cut though, so it is not the same as one single shot to establish this beyond doubt. Includes a few extra views below.






A change of scene; from Trail, with the preceding shots filmed at the rockery and near the jubilee pool. Haven't quite been able to achieve this viewpoint with Google images.


Another spot with not much to go on, where Roland meets his buddies in Adventuring Again, and George sees it ...


Many thanks for any thoughts or intel ...

[jon81]

Hello I'm new to forum. Used to have all the 1970s series on video and have visited a lot of the filming locations including Exbury, Lepe, Rhinefield House and Burley. My grandparents lived in Bournemouth so would alway pass through the new forest en route. Also am re watching the episodes again on itvx. There is so much detailed information in here in regards to the different tv locations , one location I wanted to ask about is from 'Five get into a fix ' although supposed to be set in Wales, the cottage where the five stay . Does anyone know where the cottage is and were all the interiors to cottage , mine shaft and the house behind the big gates filmed at Exbury?

[FiveFanDownunder]

Hello Jon,

Good for you that you live close to these spots! You're in good company here, though I am quite a bit further away ... in Australia. Perhaps I can lay claim to being furthest away.

The filming of many 'Fix' exteriors was at Royden Manor ... here is a map pin at https://goo.gl/maps/3v9f8P6zP2sGEvvh8 including the house behind the gate. I *think* the shepherd's hut EXT is also at Roydon; I remember discussing it here but I think there was a bit of doubt surrounding it. The interiors are likely to be Exbury House.

The Farm kitchen interiors wee apparently at The Bothy, in Exbury ( a bit unusual as most interiors were Exbury ) - we talked about this once as being a bit different - and some of the farm scenes, with Anne feeding chooks and the dogs fighting all at Lower Exbury Farm, which featured in a few stories. The little bridge in the wood that the children are near ( when spying on Old Towers ) is over the Lymington RIver, right near Royden, and all of the mine scenes created in the basement of Exbury. The scenes in Old Towers where the children find the old lady were also Exbury House, shot on the first and second floors around the old stairs ( straight stairs ) that have been removed. I made a video about the staircase ( which featured a lot ) which I can't show here sadly, but you can view here https://youtu.be/brzCC1JYU_w if you fancy.

The opening car scenes were done near Brockenhurst on the road to Burley, and the corner with the Welsh sign is a corner on the Lepe Road ( Inchmery ) from Exbury. That must be about it I think!!!

[timv]

This is a view of Arromanches Point, ie the 'D Day' memorial site at Exbury Gardens - at the S end of the gardens, downhill and down a footpath from Exbury House - on maps, this is the part of the gardens directly S of Exbury House and closest to the Beaulieu River, which you can see across the marshes in the distance. We are looking across the river SW to the fields around Blackwater House, which is beyond the trees in the distance; St Leonards Farm and Barn are up to the right in the distance. This is a pic which I took on a visit to Exbury a few years ago, possibly at the time of the Enid Blyton Society meeting there.

The low and wind-blown trees here are scattered about the longish grass, so this fits the site where the series had George spying on Mr Roland and the 'artists' meeting in Run Away Together; I think this is the likeliest location for that scene. There are more trees like this off shot to the right - ie to the West, between here and the Daffodil Meadow. The trees by the NE, uphill end of the Daffodil Meadow are mostly larger oaks and beeches; the shorter trees in all of FFDU's stills are more common on the lower ground nearer the river, as far as I remember it from my visits to the Gardens, and there is certainly more thick undergrowth uphill. In all these locations near the Solent, the shorter and more stunted trees tend to be those in areas more exposed to the wind ; the uphill part of the Gardens is more sheltered. As a general rule, the shots with denser undergrowth or lots of bushes are likelier to be in the Gardens; the bits by the shore are more open.

[timv]

As for the shots with the bigger beeches etc, I would guess that these are around the Pond area where the bathing scenes were filmed, or else near the model railway line and the Rock Dell; the Northern parts of the garden fit these better than nearer the river. The fairly wild scenery with fewer neat paths would also suggest well away from Exbury House, the area around which has manicured lawns and gravelled/ tarmac paths now - though it may have been more unkempt in 1978, there are fewer beeches etc near the House.

[jon81]

Thank you FiveFanDownunder, Would love to visit Australia at some point, i'm in county of Kent which is about a 2 hr drive to NF. I think I did know about the Royden Manor location from looking at thread previously but really interesting to know about The Bothy/Lower Exbury farm locations for 'Fix' episode. Just watched your video r.e the staircases at EH, excellent so very detailed it makes it all very clear. Prior to reading the thread I knew EH was used a lot and was noticeable for Smugglers Top' and 'Trouble' episodes where it was obvious that Mr Lenior's study and Perton's hide out were the same.

[jon81]

As for the shots with the bigger beeches etc, I would guess that these are around the Pond area where the bathing scenes were filmed, or else near the model railway line and the Rock Dell; the Northern parts of the garden fit these better than nearer the river. The fairly wild scenery with fewer neat paths would also suggest well away from Exbury House, the area around which has manicured lawns and gravelled/ tarmac paths now - though it may have been more unkempt in 1978, there are fewer beeches etc near the House.

That's a nice photo looking across the Beaulieu river, I went to Exbury gardens twice in the last 3 years, its such a beautiful place. Some of the FF locations are easy to spot their like the open area just up from the Arromanches point where opening scene of Billycock hill is, the bit near the track towards the house where the villains green car goes under the small bridge and the greenhouses from BH which is now an art/craft shop. Shame you can't go round the actual house. Must have been great to film the series their back in 1977/78.

[FiveFanDownunder]

Tim,

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. Like the house last year, where we tried to get a sharper idea for some of the less immediately identifiable spots, perhaps it is time to do the same for the Gardens.

This one not so accessible for those so far away. I'll see what Google can show me of the places you recall and go from there. If anything new comes to light, of course I will post.

Jon, thanks! Kent is a little closer to the New Forest than I am. Glad you have been able to visit the Gardens; I hope to do so in a few years from now. Indeed Billycock Hill is an 'almost 100%' Exbury story, with lots of different views in and around.

Thank you both.

[jon81]

I have another couple of location queries ( sorry if they have already been discussed)

* From 'Billycock Hill' , where was Benny's house where him and Curly(pig) were dropped back to by the 5 and UQ is also there and tells them to go back to camp and pack.
* 'Finniston Farm' The farm house is at St Leonards (which I have also seen myself) but were the interiors done at Exbury or elsewhere? I'm guessing the castle ruin/tunnel scenes were done at EH.
NB: Would like to upload a few photo's from when I went FF location hunting back in Sept 2020, but seems like mission impossible, could someone point me in right direction.

[FiveFanDownunder]

Hi Jon,

Happy to discuss any location at any time. The experts here ( best of the best ) got me started a few years back!!

The scene in Billycock Hill you mention was shot at Gatewood House. Google Street View I think goes past on the 'wrong side' for trying to spy the exact spot, but here's a map pin at https://goo.gl/maps/SW4MmerZT3gwXDiu5 . This is where the young cast stayed for the production of series II!

Gary Russell has said 100% certain that all interiors were done at Exbury House in the first series of the show. The interior 'farm kitchen' scenes of FF are interesting; it looks like a set or a room that was modified and used in at least three stories: Kirren Island, Adventuring Again and Finniston Farm. I'll put some pictures below. The wall panels, recesses, angles, dimensions all look a very close match.

For image uploading, you need to use an image hosting service, upload images thereto and then link to the image in the body of any posts you make on the forum. I have used imgbb ever since joining the forum with no problems whatsoever. There used to be a fairly restrictive maximum width but lately the limit appears to have increased. In the early days I would resize to 640 px wide, a common preset in graphics utilities. I think this has been helpfully discussed in another thread on this forum, and I am very willing to help out too. When referencing the uploaded pictures in your posts, choosing the 'BBCode Full' option will display the pics in line with your post, rather than embedding a link to view separately. Hope that is a start.

Good luck uploading photos; love to see them here.

[jon81]