Travelling to Swansea
to meet a few ‘Sherlock’ guest stars, I decided to go via Bristol
where a number of scenes for the Christmas Special
‘The Abominable Bride’ were filmed. Catching a coach from
Victoria Coach Station, I spent the journey listening to the Doctor
Who audio
“The
Behemoth”, featuring the Sixth Doctor and his
companions, Constance and Flip, which featured the slave trade in and
around Bristol and Bath. Exiting the coach in the city centre, I made
my way to the first location, Queens Square, passing a plaque that
reminded me of the audio that I had just finished.
The first location was
that of the ‘Ricoletti Home’, and the balcony from which the
Bride is seen to shoot two pistols.
Walking past the
Theatre Royal (home of the
Bristol
Old Vic) which was undergoing some works, I found
myself next at
‘The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer’ Public House, which
appeared as the ‘Criterion Bar’ in the Victorian version of
Holmes and Watson’s first meeting, as it was here that Watson
(Martin Freeman) met Stamford (played by David Nellist who also
played the modern-day version in ‘A Study in Pink’).
After around a ten
minute walk, I found myself at
Colston
Hall, Bristol’s Concert Hall, whose cellars were
used for the mortuary where they encountered Hooper (the lovely
Louise Brealey). Unfortunately only the cafe was open due to an event
being set up, and the cellars are not open to the public. I therefore
had to make do with a photograph of the outside.
Continuing along, I
made my way to
Bristol
Cathedral, and having wandered around the building
several times, finally found the statue of Queen Victoria, which
identified the part of the courtyard where the Bride’s second
attack was filmed.
Having wandered around
the cathedral itself, I made my way to a nearby bus stop, pleased to
find that Bristol buses take contactless payment. Catching an X9 bus,
I made my way to the outskirts of Bristol, namely Wraxhall, getting
off a stop too early for my destination,
Tyntesfield,
a National Trust property. This country house was used for the home
of the Carmichaels (Tim McInnery & Catherine McCormack), but the
scenes set in the maze were filmed somewhere very well-known to
myself and my closest friends –
Longleat
House, which used to have a permanent ‘Doctor Who’
exhibition, and ran annual signing events.
Walking up a very long
drive, I finally found myself at the house, but it then became clear
that I needed to have bought a ticket from the visitors centre, which
was by the entrance that I should have used. A twenty minute walk
there and back, and I was stowing my bag, and taking some photos of
the outside.
Entering the house, I
managed to find the dining room that appears in the story as Watson’s
dining room.
Many of the other rooms
in the house were closed due to the ongoing installation of a new
fire alarm system, and so I was soon making my way back to the bus
stop that I had alighted opposite, catching a bus back into central
Bristol.
Making my way to
Bristol Temple Meads station, I caught a train to first Newport and
then Swansea, making my way to my accommodation near to the prison.
The next day, I finally
found the location of the
Comic
Con (which seemed to be at the top of the world),
meeting Claire Gutteridge and Keith Bristow, who played the younger
versions of Sherlock’s parents in the flashbacks in
‘The Final Problem’.
Both chatted
enthusiastically about their time on the show, telling me that a
total of forty minutes of footage had been filmed. Claire also
described how she was hit in the face by a beach ball thrown by one
of the children.
“I’ve now got all
the Holmes family”, I boasted.
“Even Redbeard ?”,
asked Claire.
“Yes”, I said
meaning the dog, but it turned out that Claire was referring to
‘Victor Trevor’, whom I pointed out was not actually a
member of the family.
Another signing table
had a scribbled sign above it that indicated someone who had been in
‘The Abominable Bride’ (and DW spin-off ‘Class’), but there
was never anyone sitting there for the whole time that I was there,
so I could not get his signature also.
My straight-forward
journey home was scuppered by the lack of any trains running between
Cardiff and Newport, but I finally managed to make other arrangements
having failed to get on two replacement buses.
