Cannop Ponds | revisited
As we all know by now, the only constant is change! No, wait. The only two constants are change and our love for Merlin!
Our redoubtable Locations Detective Muriel recently revisited Cannop Ponds in the Forest of Dean, and was rather dismayed to find some serious earthworks had been undertaken - no doubt necessary for the management of the ponds and the brook, but significantly changing the contours of a few filming locations of which we are very fond. Well, there'll be no revisiting those same spots for Arthur, Merlin and their mates - but maybe once the changes have 'bedded in', we'll see the revamped location used for new settings in the Merlinverse.
I decided to go investigate during my recent Locations Trip.
The Queen of Hearts
The following photo was taken soon after I crossed the bridge and turned left to follow along the edge of the brook. (Most of the following images can be clicked to open a larger version in a new window.)
The brook was in full flow due to the very rainy weather. I am looking ahead towards the place where Arthur took Gwen on a picnic back in their courting days in episode 310 The Queen of Hearts. The immediate foreground is much the same, but you will start to glimpse that the 'path' along the highish ground has been extended, so as to form a dam wall; the brook no longer spreads out and comes back to the right, but is now all directed down towards the left of this shot.
This shot is taken from further along. The ground immediately before me is where Merlin and Gwen stood when they caught Arthur fussing with his hair. The tree immediately on the right is obvious from the screen cap. However, the picnic ground has been lost under the new earthworks. The tree below which Arthur and Gwen sat is the forked one the middle distance on the right.
I thought if I included a previous overlay, that would illustrate both the fictional setting and the earlier real setting. Things have changed! But the trees remain very recognisable.
This was taken from beyond the picnic ground, looking back towards where Uther and Morgana 'caught' the lovers.
Here's a screen cap I took for my earlier visit… showing the tree in which I found my prop flower! Which I still have by me in my study. ♥ I hope that tree survives the earth piled around its feet. I'm very fond of that tree! (What a shame we can no longer see its distinctive roots. I could have done my Master's Thesis in Tree Rootology on that one tree!)
I should add, though, that obviously my photo wasn't taken from the same angle as the screen cap.
This is looking downstream from pretty near to where I was standing for the last photo. No doubt the brook is running higher than usual, but it gives you an idea of the pretties. This Spring seems to have been rather fecund; hence so very much lovely greenery. Once some of that takes hold on the new earthworks, I think it will all be filmic again!
The Darkest Hour
There was a lovely sequence of scenes in episode 402 The Darkest Hour filmed at Cannop Ponds. Lancelot is taking a dying Merlin back to Gaius in Camelot, and stops to rest by a stream - where the Vilia heal Merlin and protect both men for the night.
Here's a screen cap from when they first arrive. It was set at night - as you can tell! - so I have lightened the image a bit for ease of reference.
Here's my photo. It's taken from the earthworks, a short distance back towards the car park from where I took the previous photo.
And here's me trying to be clever - and just scratching my head! It fits nicely horizontally, but not vertically. Probably because I'm now too high (on the earthworks) to get the right angle. Anyway! You get the idea.
Here's another screen cap, again lightened a bit. There's my favourite tree on the right!
Here's my photo. Unable to get the right composition, but again I'm sure you get the idea.
I love Lancelot (and wonderful Santiago) in those scenes, so that will always be a special patch of dirt for me! And maybe for you, too…?
The Castle of Fyrien
Revisiting another old location… As I'm sure we all remember, Merlin, Arthur, Gwen and Morgana camped for a night on their way to rescue Elyan from the Castle of Fyrien.
Here's a photo looking across the main brook towards where the camp site was filmed.
This branch of the brook heading away from the camera - and taking a sharp turn left from the main brook - is entirely new. And basically it cuts right through the former expanse of flat ground on which our heroes camped!
Here's an earlier overlay I made, to help orient you. Maybe! The twisty dark trunk lying along the ground in front of a legless Morgana, can be seen in my photo to the left of the new stream, below the tree that curves so prettily to the right. If in doubt, click to open the larger version of the photo, and I'm sure you'll be able to match it up.
And that's all for my latest revisit to Cannop Ponds! Thank you for accompanying me. I hope we'll see more filming happen here; it will be interesting to see how they adapt the new landscape to suit.
I will be uploading the better photos to the Merlin Locations Flickr account, along with some new ones of Speech House Lake - which remains its own good self.
Our redoubtable Locations Detective Muriel recently revisited Cannop Ponds in the Forest of Dean, and was rather dismayed to find some serious earthworks had been undertaken - no doubt necessary for the management of the ponds and the brook, but significantly changing the contours of a few filming locations of which we are very fond. Well, there'll be no revisiting those same spots for Arthur, Merlin and their mates - but maybe once the changes have 'bedded in', we'll see the revamped location used for new settings in the Merlinverse.
I decided to go investigate during my recent Locations Trip.
The Queen of Hearts
The following photo was taken soon after I crossed the bridge and turned left to follow along the edge of the brook. (Most of the following images can be clicked to open a larger version in a new window.)
The brook was in full flow due to the very rainy weather. I am looking ahead towards the place where Arthur took Gwen on a picnic back in their courting days in episode 310 The Queen of Hearts. The immediate foreground is much the same, but you will start to glimpse that the 'path' along the highish ground has been extended, so as to form a dam wall; the brook no longer spreads out and comes back to the right, but is now all directed down towards the left of this shot.
This shot is taken from further along. The ground immediately before me is where Merlin and Gwen stood when they caught Arthur fussing with his hair. The tree immediately on the right is obvious from the screen cap. However, the picnic ground has been lost under the new earthworks. The tree below which Arthur and Gwen sat is the forked one the middle distance on the right.
I thought if I included a previous overlay, that would illustrate both the fictional setting and the earlier real setting. Things have changed! But the trees remain very recognisable.
This was taken from beyond the picnic ground, looking back towards where Uther and Morgana 'caught' the lovers.
Here's a screen cap I took for my earlier visit… showing the tree in which I found my prop flower! Which I still have by me in my study. ♥ I hope that tree survives the earth piled around its feet. I'm very fond of that tree! (What a shame we can no longer see its distinctive roots. I could have done my Master's Thesis in Tree Rootology on that one tree!)
I should add, though, that obviously my photo wasn't taken from the same angle as the screen cap.
This is looking downstream from pretty near to where I was standing for the last photo. No doubt the brook is running higher than usual, but it gives you an idea of the pretties. This Spring seems to have been rather fecund; hence so very much lovely greenery. Once some of that takes hold on the new earthworks, I think it will all be filmic again!
The Darkest Hour
There was a lovely sequence of scenes in episode 402 The Darkest Hour filmed at Cannop Ponds. Lancelot is taking a dying Merlin back to Gaius in Camelot, and stops to rest by a stream - where the Vilia heal Merlin and protect both men for the night.
Here's a screen cap from when they first arrive. It was set at night - as you can tell! - so I have lightened the image a bit for ease of reference.
Here's my photo. It's taken from the earthworks, a short distance back towards the car park from where I took the previous photo.
And here's me trying to be clever - and just scratching my head! It fits nicely horizontally, but not vertically. Probably because I'm now too high (on the earthworks) to get the right angle. Anyway! You get the idea.
Here's another screen cap, again lightened a bit. There's my favourite tree on the right!
Here's my photo. Unable to get the right composition, but again I'm sure you get the idea.
I love Lancelot (and wonderful Santiago) in those scenes, so that will always be a special patch of dirt for me! And maybe for you, too…?
The Castle of Fyrien
Revisiting another old location… As I'm sure we all remember, Merlin, Arthur, Gwen and Morgana camped for a night on their way to rescue Elyan from the Castle of Fyrien.
Here's a photo looking across the main brook towards where the camp site was filmed.
This branch of the brook heading away from the camera - and taking a sharp turn left from the main brook - is entirely new. And basically it cuts right through the former expanse of flat ground on which our heroes camped!
Here's an earlier overlay I made, to help orient you. Maybe! The twisty dark trunk lying along the ground in front of a legless Morgana, can be seen in my photo to the left of the new stream, below the tree that curves so prettily to the right. If in doubt, click to open the larger version of the photo, and I'm sure you'll be able to match it up.
And that's all for my latest revisit to Cannop Ponds! Thank you for accompanying me. I hope we'll see more filming happen here; it will be interesting to see how they adapt the new landscape to suit.
I will be uploading the better photos to the Merlin Locations Flickr account, along with some new ones of Speech House Lake - which remains its own good self.