Hollywood Superstar Shows Off Bath
Keira Knightley who stars in the new film, The Duchess, shows Bath off to the world with some of the locations used to film the blockbuster, including the Assembly Rooms and the Royal Crescent in the heart of the World Heritage City.
The Duchess, due to be released on the 5th September, is a story about the life of 18th Century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, who was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life. With its world-renowned grand Georgian architecture, Bath has provided the perfect backdrop for some of the film’s scenes.
A major ball scene was filmed at the Assembly Rooms where more than 200 extras played guests over two days of filming at the venue’s Tea Room and Octagon Room. The Assembly Rooms first opened its doors in 1771 and was used as a venue for dancing, music, card playing and tea drinking. Today, it is still used for entertainment and social events and also houses the Fashion Museum which displays a collection of contemporary and historical dress from the late 16th century to the present day; a fitting location for the movie as Georgiana was a leading fashionista of her day.
Filming also took place at the stunning Royal Crescent, which is one of the city’s main architectural masterpieces built between 1767 and 1775. The unique semi-circular row of townhouses can be spotted when The Duchess travels along the Crescent in her carriage marking her arrival in Bath. Another Georgian masterpiece, the Holburne Museum of Art, was used to portray Georgiana’s residence during her stay in the city.
One of the reasons for Georgiana’s visit to Bath was to drink the hot spa water which was popular for medicinal purposes at the time. It was believed that the water, which contains 43 minerals, had healing properties and could help with a number of illnesses. It is still possible to taste the water today, which is drawn in the Pump Room for drinking.
Inspired by The Duchess and other productions filmed in and around Bath, Bath Tourism Plus and the Bath Film Office have developed a Movie Map for visitors who want to discover more about filming in the area. The map features almost 40 TV and film productions since 1931 and includes locations such as Great Pulteney Street, which was used in the 2003 film Vanity Fair featuring Reese Witherspoon, and the nearby village of Lacock, which can be seen in two of the Harry Potter movies.
www.visitbath.co.uk/
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