TV locations for the Famous Five series

[number 6]

No probs, Eddie!

[Moonraker]

I'm wondering if you're up for a couple of nights camping in the New Forest, Eddie and Chick?

[number 6]

Two pics of the Heathland from beside the B3056 Beaulieu road looking towards Yew tree Heath. This is part of Mystery Moor.




Same stretch of heathland as the pic above, but seen from across the B3056 road near the Drift Inn looking East towards Yew tree Heath in the distance. On the left is the pine trees that surround Beaulieu road car park, with the perimeter ditch following the tree line. The entrance to Decoy Pond farm drive cuts through this copse. It is from these pines trees that we first assumed the end credits were filmed. It does look remarkably similar when compared to 40 years ago! However, it is now my belief that the end credits were filmed on the Heath on the opposite side of the road...the Drift inn side(West).

[number 6]

I recently contacted Jane, who owns Decoy Pond Farm, & asked her if she would be willing to write an article for the Enid Blyton Society Journal about her recollections/memories of the filming of the Mystery Moor episode in & around her farm. She quickly agreed to my request & was more than happy to help. All I need to do now is find out what format is preferred for the article to be submitted to the journal, then Jane can get cracking!

If this goes down well with the journal readers, then I'll contact Margaret Travers for a similar article. Mrs Travers was the lady who provided the horse drawn carriages seen in the MM episode.

[Onkel Quentin]

Jane is wonderful, i have got many informations from her. I am sure she will be a great help, because she can remember the time, when the filmcrew was there. If you show her a picture, she can tell you where it is, or which area you can see. And she is very friendly. Please, number 6, send her greetings from me.

[number 6]

Please, number 6, send her greetings from me.

I certainly will, O.Q.!

[number 6]

A little video of the F5 TV locations, which I've not seen before. There's a nice shot of the inside of the boathouse at Sowley Pond. The chap who made it, has made several similar mini vid's of other TV locations.

https://youtu.be/9WtUKROEJ_4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Gary Russell]

Adie, when are you next heading down to the NF? Specifically the B3056?

[number 6]

Hi Gary. I'll next be in the New Forest anytime between Sunday 22nd July & Friday 3rd August. The Beaulieu Rd (B3056) area is one of the places I'll be re-visiting at some stage during my visit. Just let me know if you want anything checking out. That won't be a problem.

I'm just waiting for the Stranglers to come on stage in Cardiff at the mo. Thought I'd kill a bit of time & check the EBS web before the gig starts!

[Chrissie777]

A little video of the F5 TV locations, which I've not seen before. There's a nice shot of the inside of the boathouse at Sowley Pond. The chap who made it, has made several similar mini vid's of other TV locations.

I just watched it. It's really very well done.
We never went to the New Forest, but we visited all movie locations of the first 1957 FF movie in Corfe Castle Village and along the Jurassic Coast in Dorset...such a beautiful area and nothing has changed since the 1950's:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytTQStpxems" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[number 6]

Thanks for posting the vid, Chrissie! I've never watched the film all the way through, so I'll give it a bash this evening!

[Chrissie777]

Number 6, it was my very first encounter with EB, a few years before I discovered her FF books.
"Five on a Treasure Island" was one of the many excellent British CFF films that were aired on German TV in the 1960's and it has a special place in my heart ever since.

[number 6]

I must admit, the parts of the film that I've actually seen are very good, so I'm looking forward to settling down in a quiet place & watching it all the way through. However, it'll now have to be Sunday evening, rather than this evening, as I'm at another Stranglers concert later!

[number 6]

View from the perimeter ditch at Beaulieu road Forestry Commission Car Park, looking across the heathland towards Yew Tree Heath. Decoy Pond Farm is situated a few hundred yards to the left, the B3056 50 yards to the right (where the last two pics I posted recently were taken from) & Beaulieu road train station a couple of hundred yards behind. A lot of the treeline on the horizon has disappeared over the years. According to Jane (DPF) most of the filming for the Mystery Moor episode took place in a small area between DPF, Partridge copse & Pig bush copse. I think Gary once said that the end credits were done at the same time, or same area, as the MM episode. If this is the case, then I think it's highly likely the place where the end credits were shot were within this triangle. Saying that, I'm quietly confident that the view across Yew tree Heath from Beaulieu Rd hotel, IS NOT where the end credits were filmed! My eye keeps wandering to the Heath on the opposite side of the road, where I think the end credits were actually filmed. It looks right!! Apologises for the quality of the pic.


photo hosting service


View from the B3056 (Drift Inn behind) looking towards the Beaulieu road car park. The Decoy Pond Farm drive cuts through the CP & the farm is situated a few hundred yards away (out of sight). The heathland seen in the above pic lies to the right of the pine trees. The perimeter ditch can just be seen snaking around the trees (also on right), encircling them on this side of the CP. The trees weren't so big 40 odd years ago, & probably not as dense, so the view across the heathland would've been quite open when filming took place around this area...BUT the Heath looks too flat compared to that seen in the end credits!!

[Chrissie777]

View from the perimeter ditch at Beaulieu road Forestry Commission Car Park, looking across the heathland towards Yew Tree Heath.

If Beaulieu Abbey is located in or near the New Forest, then I've been there in 1981 on my very first trip to the UK.
We went to visit the old cars museum.