Tag: movie location

movie or tv show location

  • Rosslyn Chapel

    This morning I decided to board one of the Scottish Borders buses in a different direction, towards Edinburgh. After about a one hour journey I got out near Roslin and walked towards the famous Rosslyn Chapel.

    Visiting the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in Scotland, featured in Dan Browns thriller Da Vinci Code

    Founded in the mid-15th century on a little hill by William Sinclair, 1st Earl of Caithness Rosslyn Chapel became even more famous after playing an important part in Dan Brown’s thriller “The DaVinci Code” and the movie with the same name. Is the Holy Grail really hidden at Rosslyn Chapel?

    Rosslyn Chapel is privately owned by Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn.

    Rosslyn Chapel 1

    After the Scottish Reformation (1560), Catholic worship in the chapel was brought to an end. The Sinclair family continued to be Catholics until the early 18th century. From that time, the chapel was closed to public worship until 1861. It was re-opened as a place of worship according to the rites of the Scottish Episcopal Church, a member church of the Anglican Communion. (Wikipedia)

    Visiting the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in Scotland, featured in Dan Browns thriller Da Vinci Code

    Architecture

    The original plan was to built a cruciform but it was never completed, today we only see the “head” of the cross.

    Only the choir was constructed, with the retro-chapel, otherwise called the Lady chapel, built on the much earlier crypt (Lower Chapel) believed to form part of an earlier castle. The foundations of the unbuilt nave and transepts stretching to a distance of 90 feet were recorded in the 19th century. The decorative carving was executed over a forty-year period. After the founder’s death, construction of the planned nave and transepts was abandoned – either from lack of funds, lack of interest or a change in liturgical fashion. (Wikipedia)

    Rosslyn Chapel stands on fourteen pillars with the “Apprentice Pillar” as the most famous one. The stonework in the chapel is masterfully carved and the master mason had planned to carve this pillar himself. But when he arrived at Roslin his apprentice had already finished the pillar. The legend says that the mason was so jealous of the work that he killed the apprentice.

    The chapel and the crypt have been a burial place for generations of the Sinclairs, but the crypt had been sealed off for many years and the entrance to the crypt isn´t known any more.

    Visiting the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in Scotland, featured in Dan Browns thriller Da Vinci Code

    In 1842 the chapel, then in a ruined and overgrown state, was visited by Queen Victoria, who expressed a desire that it should be preserved. Restoration work was carried out in 1862 by David Bryce on behalf of James Alexander, 3rd Earl of Rosslyn. The chapel was re-dedicated on 22 April 1862, and from this time, Sunday services were once again held, now under the jurisdiction of the Scottish Episcopal Church, for the first time in 270 years. (Wikipedia)

    In 1995 the Rossyln Chapel Trust was established to oversee its conservation and its opening as a sightseeing destination. Between 1997 and 2013 the chapel was extensively renovated and restored including works on the roof, the windows, heating, the carvings and the organ.

    Visiting the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in Scotland, featured in Dan Browns thriller Da Vinci CodeVisiting the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in Scotland, featured in Dan Browns thriller Da Vinci Code

    The Holy Grail at Rosslyn Chapel

    Speculations of a connection between Rosslyn Chapel and the Knights Templar started in the 1980s and went a little bit wild after Dan Brown’s thriller “The DaVinci Code” & the film of the same name with Tom Hanks in the leading role. Numerous books were published to prove Brown’s fictional theories that the Holy Grail might be stored at the chapel or that the chapel is an important part of the legend.

    Many Templar symbols are said to be found in the carvings and members of the Sinclair family were members of the Freemasons.

    Whatever the truth may be the legends helped to bring many visitors to Rosslyn Chapel.

    Visiting the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in Scotland, featured in Dan Browns thriller Da Vinci Code

    Rosslyn Chapel is a wonderful place to visit but also a quite busy one – don´t get fooled by the empty pictures, I was just very patient. I didn´t spend a lot of time inside the chapel, it was just too crowded! It is also forbidden to take pictures inside the chapel.

    Visiting the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in Scotland, featured in Dan Browns thriller Da Vinci Code

    After my visit, I walked through Roslin back to my bus stop.

    Visiting the beautiful Rosslyn Chapel near Edinburgh in Scotland, featured in Dan Browns thriller Da Vinci Code

     

     

  • Castle Howard

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    It´s just a one-hour bus ride from York to the stunning Castle Howard in the Howardian Hills and you´ll enjoy the ride looking at the beautiful scenery. And it will save you some money, with showing your bus tickets you´ll save 2£ on the entrance to Castle Howard.

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    It was the day of the Castle Howard Triathlon and sometimes (or quite often) I met some runners along the way around the Castle grounds. Very politely they said “Thank you” for every cheering them on.

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    I started in the walled garden and could have stayed there the whole day – such a whimsical place!

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    Castle Howard, which was designed by Sir John Vanbrugh and building started in 1699 and it took about 100 years until the house was finished. More than 145 rooms house a magnificent art collection includes ancient sculptures, old masters and works by Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. Castle Howard still is a private residence of the Howard family. But open to the public since 1952.

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    Vanbrugh’s design evolved into a Baroque structure with two symmetrical wings projecting to either side of a north-south axis. The crowning central dome was added to the design at a late stage, after building had begun. (Wikipedia)

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    A large part of the house was destroyed by a fire which broke out on 9 November 1940. The dome, the central hall, the dining room and the state rooms on the east side were entirely destroyed. Antonio Pellegrini’s ceiling decoration the Fall of Phaeton was lost when the dome collapsed. In total, twenty pictures (including two Tintorettos and several valuable mirrors) were lost. The fire took the Malton and York Fire Brigades eight hours to bring under control. (Wikipedia)

    Some of the rooms were rebuilt and restored, Pellegrini’s Fall of Phaeton was recreated in the dome. Some rooms in the first floor were superficially restored in 2008 for the filming of “Brideshead Revisited” and now house an exhibition about the house before the big fire.

    The blaze began as a chimney fire in the south-east corner of the South Front, and swept westerly through the building.

    Fanned by strong winds, the fire destroyed rooms in the basement, principal and upper levels, as well as the dome, which collapsed into the Great Hall.

    That the damage was not more extensive was thanks to the fire service, who eventually brought the blaze under control, and to the girls of Queen Margaret’s School, Scarborough, who had been evacuated to Castle Howard and were able to salvage some of the contents. (Castle Howard)

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    The South-East Wing has only been restored externally and remains a shell inside.

    Castle Howard was actually considered to become “Downton Abbey” but then seemed to be too known for “Brideshead Revisited”, a TV show from 1981 and then the film remake in 2008.

    But even so, Highclere Castle became the real “Downton Abbey” Castle Howard starred in numerous movies and TV shows: “Lady L”, “The Buccaneers”, “Barry Lindon”, “Death comes to Pemberly”, “The spy with the cold nose” and many more!

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    Castle Howard Gardens

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    Castle Howard is set within 13.000 acres of landscape within the Howardian Hills.

    There is a large formal garden immediately behind the house. The house is prominently situated on a ridge and this was exploited to create an English landscape park, which opens out from the formal garden and merges with the park. (Wikipedia)

    Crossing the routes of the runners I took an extensive walk through the garden up to the Temple of the Four Winds and back though the forrest towards the lake. There are great views of the house from all directions. And it was nice to get away from the crowds a bit.

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    The most recognisable piece of sculpture at Castle Howard, the Atlas Fountain sits at the centre of the South Parterre and is visible from much of the house. The fountain was commissioned by the 7th Earl in 1850 from the landscape gardener William Andrews Nesfield; the sea gods that surround Atlas were carved by the sculptor John Thomas and transported from London by railway. In 2010 it underwent major restoration work. (Castle Howard)

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    The Temple of four winds

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    Designed by Vanbrugh but remained unfinished until 1738 when Francesco Vassalli decorated the temple inside.

    There is a cellar underneath the temple, used by the servants to prepare food. Originally the temple was used for reading and refreshments.

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    Back at the house, it was also time to catch the bus back to York and enjoy another drive through the scenery.

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  • Sunday morning in York

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    The next day, Sunday, I set my alarm for half past 5 and made my way into the still sleeping city around 6 – what a difference to the day before!

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    It felt like I was the only person in York and I made the most of this!

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    The Shambles

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    The Shambles really felt like a movie set, no wonder they were the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books and movies.

    “Shambles” is an old word for an open-air slaughterhouse and meat market. And the Shambles in York used to be filled with butchers. Some of the houses, dating back to the 14th century, still have the meat-hooks hanging outside and the outside shelves to display the meat.

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    I walked without having a real idea on where to go and rediscovered a few of the Snickelways I had explored on Saturday. Like the Coffee Yard, the longest of the Snickelways.

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    York Minster

    York started to wake up slowly, there was a group of bicyclists waiting to go on a biking trip and music coming out of the Mister, people going to church.

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    The Roman Column vis a vis from the Minster.

    This Column came from the north-east colonnade of the Roman headquarters building. It was originally built in c100 AD by the soldiers of Legion IX. It was re-assembled and re-used by Legion VI in the 4th century. (Historic England)

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    York Minster – the Cathedral of York and one of the biggest in Northern England, founded in the 7th century.

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    York Assembly Rooms

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    It was time for breakfast and I started to look around for an open café and actually found some that already were opened at 8 – the city started to wake up!

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    After breakfast, I made my way to the train station to catch the bus to Castle Howard. Walking towards Micklegate.

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