SEVERAL streets in Clifton were given makeovers as film and television cameras rolled into the area.
Specially made porches with balconies supported by large pillars were added to the front of two houses in Vyvyan Terrace for scenes in The Forsyte Saga which will be screened next year on ITV.
Makeshift stables were also set up on grassland opposite nearby Christ Church so that horses pulling their passengers along Vyvyan Terrace in Hanson cabs could be fed.
Vyvyan Terrace was closed to traffic in the first week of July.
Earlier one of Bristol’s best known churches, St. Mary Redcliffe was closed to visitors for two days in June as scenes for the Forsyte Saga were being filmed there. It was the first time the church had been completely closed for filming.
A spokesperson for the production company said: “This is a bold reimagining of John Galsworthy’s epic saga.”
Kings Road in the heart of Clifton Village was closed and turned into a street market while Studio Lambert were filming scenes for Boarders, the BBC-3 series that follows five black teenagers at a private school
Meanwhile, the private members only Clifton Club in The Mall, which is more than 200 years old, was closed to members as film crews took over the premises for filming.
A member of the production crew said: “I can’t tell you anything about what were filming. Everything is being kept under wraps at the moment”.
A Bristol Film Office spokesperson said: “Film and TV production levels in Bristol have been rising in recent years, and Clifton remains a consistently popular location. With its beautifully preserved Georgian, Regency and Victorian architecture arranged in crescents, squares and terraces, it offers unique options that are attractive to film makers shooting both period and modern storylines.
“Our research shows that filming activity of this type generates more than £20 million annually towards Bristol’s economy. As well as generating work for local freelance crew, it also creates knock-on benefits for other sectors including hospitality, transport and tourism. For example, a production may have over 100 cast and crew working on it per day, all of whom need local accommodation, transport, catering and other day-to-day requirements.
“Money is spent in the local economy, increasing custom for local hotels, guest -houses, B&B’s, restaurants and cafes, taxis and transport companies. When that production is released on screen, we often see an increase in footfall to filming locations in the city, driven by the growing trend of screen tourism.”