Merlin Locations
| Website | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Merlin Locations |
| Owner/Maintainer: | Julien |
| Dates: | September 2009-present |
| Type: | filming locations, meta, and more |
| Fandom: | BBC Merlin |
| URL: | https://merlinlocations.com/ |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Merlin Locations' full title and subtitle are: BBC Merlin Filming Locations Some of the most beautiful and intriguing places in Europe!
It was created by Julien in 2009, originally as a Live Journal community and then as an evolving website. Among other things, the site is an example of Fan Tourism.
The site's home page includes the following description of its mission:
The BBC television show Merlin was filmed in a variety of beautiful and intriguing locations. This site aims to share information about and images of those locations. We started visiting these sites simply because we’re fans of the show – but we soon became a fan of these places for their own sake. ... Perhaps inevitably, we’re not only interested in filming locations but in other behind-the-scenes aspects of filming, and also in places associated with the Arthurian legends, so you’ll find a variety of such entries on this site. [1]
Background
The TV series Merlin was screened from September 2008. It was filmed in various locations in England and Wales. Significantly, exteriors and many interiors for the castle of Camelot were filmed at the Chateau de Pierrefonds, in the Picardy region of France.
Fans began visiting filming locations in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire (e.g. Cannop Ponds) and Wales (e.g. Raglan Castle) in early-mid 2009. They also began visiting the Chateau de Pierrefonds to watch filming for the second season taking place.
Julien created the Merlin Locations Live Journal community in July 2009. This is no longer updated, with the latest entries occurring in 2015, though it is still watched by 430 LJ members (as at 16 February 2020).
Julien created a "companion website" in September 2009, which started off by featuring her locations-related photography.[2] In December 2009, this was completely revamped into a more thorough source of information. [3]
The idea is that it acts as a companion to this community, but also stands alone as a source of information for people who aren't on LJ. Therefore I have 'consolidated' the variety of information we have all made available via this community. [3]
In December 2009, Julien and fellow Locations Geek Bethan created a Merlin Locations group on Flickr, to which any Flickr member could share their Merlin-related photographs. It currently has 137 members and over 4,200 photos in the 'pool' (as at 16 February 2020). Julien posted her own photographs to a Flickr account also named Merlin Locations.
Content Covered
The website's main posts relate to the filming locations themselves. These posts include information about how the location was used in Merlin, and how to find / visit the location. The most popular locations are the Chateau de Pierrefonds and Puzzlewood.
Other posts provide broader information on visiting an area, e.g. Pierrefonds and Compiegne in France, and the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley in England and Wales.
Location posts include places featured in extras such as the Merlin: Secrets & Magic (2009) post-episode specials. A popular one was Abergavenny train station, where cast member Bradley James (Arthur) was mucking around with his video camera (given to him by the production for filming 'video diaries') while waiting for a train home.
Locations Geeks tend to also be interested in other behind-the-scenes matters, such as cinematography (Drawing with Light and The Rule of Thirds) and companies supplying horses (Dolbadarn Film Hoses), and so on.
A number of posts provide meta discussion about the show itself, e.g. The Episode Titles and Where BBC Merlin fits into the Arthurian legends.
A number of Arthurian locations are also covered, especially those relating to a half-hour documentary featuring Colin Morgan (Merlin) and Bradley James called The Real Merlin and Arthur (2009) in which they take a road trip through Wales.
An interest in the cast led to the News and Events page which endeavours to keep up with the main cast members' subsequent projects and event appearances.
Gallery
Sample images overlaying screenshots and publicity stills on Julien's location photos, and a Google Maps screenshot helping point fans at specific filming locations.
References
- ^ Merlin Locations, statement on home page.
- ^ Merlin Locations has a companion website!, Live Journal entry by Mrs Leary a.k.a. Julien.
- ^ a b new improved Merlin Locations website! , Live Journal entry by Mrs Leary.