Written by The Location Guide on Jul 29, 2020. Posted in General Interest

Advertorial: The Royal Forest of Dean is open for filming

Forest Film Locations is an introduction service, provided without cost, for all parties wanting to film in the Royal Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire, England. The forest provides filmmakers with six very different filming locations all within six miles of each other. They were previously unavailable for exclusive filming in their summer season and are large enough to respond to COVID-19 film industry working regulations.

Extraordinarily diverse in character yet geographically close: the locations are unique with authentic histories, landscapes, buildings, machinery, engines, structures and settings, accessible above and below ground. No wonder Tolkien and JK Rowling got their inspiration from here.

Forest Film Locations works on behalf of this unique and characterful group of film locations. We are flexible and willing to work to the changing requirements of the British film industry during the COVID-19 crisis. All our sites have ample space for distancing, safe working practices and long-term sole occupancy. We also have substantial spaces suitable for parking set vehicles and for build areas and back lots.

We are open for film, commercials, music videos and TV for all genres such as feature films, drama series and serials, telenovelas, soaps and sitcoms, creative documentaries, TV single dramas, factual TV, natural history, historical dramas, adventure series, sci-fi and fantasy, contemporary lifestyle and magazine programmes with plenty of local stories to develop further.

Our locations include the Secret Forest with natural karst beauty, rugged landscapes and amazing tree root structures and the stockade Roundhouse Village which is ideal for fantasy epics, adventure, historical and period dramas and natural history documentaries.

An innovative and useful grouping of Forest of Dean locations for post COVID-19 production

Bill Darby, Location Manager

For below ground filming we have the Clearwell Caves with their separate entrance and exit with large, easily accessible, interiors and the Hopewell Colliery, a working coal mine.

We can evoke the romance of bygone eras with the Dean Forest Railway, the attractive period Lambsquay House, with its luxury self-contained suites and garden and St Briavels Castle with its imposing gatehouse, walls and banquet hall.

Delve into local resources for props such as the unpublished private collection of Wartime Forest of Dean and related memorabilia, and birds of prey for hire.

More information visit our website or contact Clare Wright on 07855 350864 or by email for an initial introduction to the area and the film locations, props, and accommodations showcased here.

We have extensive local knowledge and contacts of people, resources and places that may wish to be engaged in assisting your production. We are committed to providing exceptional experience and infrastructure and a quality service to productions of any size and magnitude: to such an extent that members of our group also include local larger scale, budget and boutique luxury accommodations and the few locations that are new to filming will be able to seek advice locally from Rob Champion (supervising location manager with BBC drama) who is also the Filming and Press Officer at Dean Forest Railway & Dean Forest Railway Society.

The Royal Forest of Dean is easily accessible and less than an hour from Cardiff and Bristol and under three hours from London.