Filming Castles

Movies with a period setting have been and will always be popular. They are atmospheric and can lend a great 'background' to a dramatic story. Special effects of course make it easy to recreate 'historical' settings for movies these days but filming the REAL THING will never be bettered when it comes to castles!

No less than 4 real castles in Ireland were used in the filming of 'Braveheart'.

Ireland was also chosen by John Boorman for his 1981 epic 'Excalibur' - a much acclaimed and highly individual take on the legend of King Arthur.

NOTE: Any budding horror movie makers out there might like to read our page about haunted castles in Ireland.

Many scenes for the Harry Potter movie series were filmed at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. You can see a photograph I took whilst visiting Alnwick Castle which features the Hogwarts lawn from which Harry took his first broomstick flight!

Alnwick is a good example of English medieval castle construction. However, I would dare to suggest to any filmmaker looking for somewhere equally, if not more, atmospheric yet not as over-used as perhaps Alnwick Castle is, that Carlisle Castle is worthy of consideration.

When you walk under its massive, imposing portcullis and enter within its walls, history comes to life! If you don't believe me just read this about Carlisle Castle.

Weddings In Castles - How Romantic!

Castles are synonomous with romance ... which perhaps explains why castles are becoming increasingly popular when looking for a romantic wedding venue.

Ideas for castle wedding venues abound on the worldwide web and it can be a quagmire of reading to have to wade through in order to get some perspective on the options that might best suit your needs for a romantic wedding. However, we have a page dedicated to castle wedding venues which explains relatively succinctly how to choose a suitable castle for your wedding. We list some of the most important factors to bear in mind - from location to venue size right through to accessibility issues.

Some castles have very good websites of their own where they offer really good and, above all, relevant information. Take Eastnor Castle for example, a mock medieval castle in the Malvern Hills. They have a wedding video you can download that shows a couple getting married in the Eastnor estate church followed by the wedding breakfast inside the castle. So you can get a very good idea of the setting and atmosphere before you even visit the place! You can also request a specially printed wedding brochure which they will post out to you and there are even wedding late availability deals from time to time. To access this information visit their romantic wedding page.