AFTER HIS EARLIER successes in tracing the whereabouts of several key filming locations from first series' Survivors' episode Genesis, Steve Clutterbuck has unearthed several additional locations from the classic series one story.
The car showroom from which Tom Price takes the Rolls Royce is located on the A48 in Minsterworth, adjacent to Minsterworth Water Ski Club.
In an effort to track down the location, Steve enlisted the expertise of some online motor experts. "A few days after Xmas 2012, I had some time to resume location hunting. I studied the screengrab of the garage Tom Price takes the Rolls Royce from, and I thought that the wall-sign in the background could be a clue", Steve explains. "So I uploaded the picture to the Overclockers Forum and one of the contributors recognised that it was a Mazda badge, which narrowed the search considerably."
"On returning to work, my boss put me on a delivery run that takes me to Lydney and Cinderford, so I set off to work travelling along the A48 towards Minsterworth - with Tom's garage on my mind. I spotted a garage which seemed to fit the bill, but I wasn't sure. That night I powered up my computer and studied the location on Google Maps' Street View, concentrating on the nearby house seen in the background: the windows, roof and chimney all seemed to match, so things looked promising."
"I printed off a screencapture, and as I was heading back on the same delivery run the next day, I called in at the garage. The man working in the welding shop on site confirmed to me that this was the right location. Fantastic! He explained that the previous owner's son (who ran the business back in 1975) still lived in the nearby house."
"I arranged to call in to speak with him on the following Saturday, and he and his wife clearly recalled the filming. They very kindly invited me in for a chat, and showed me pictures of the garage from as early as 1953. The showroom that Tom peers in through was an extension added to the original garage buildings."
As has so often been the case in the past, one location find leads to another. "After thanking them for their time, I set off to check on another possible location in the nearby village of Huntley", Steve recalls. "That took me down the nearby Oakle Street. As I drove along this road I spotted a large tree which had a distinctive and familiar shape. Adrian H had mentioned that the road Tom drives the Rolls Royce along could be in the area, so my senses were tingling. Parking was a bit tight, but I managed to get a spot next to that big overhanging tree."
"As soon as I got out and started walking along the road to take some photos, I was able to confirm beyond doubt that this was the place."
"Two separate locations discovered within a single week. Brilliant!"
A few weeks later, Steve was able to confirm the long-sought-after whereabouts of Arthur Wormley's headquarters. "I tracked it down to Parkfields Country House, Pontshill, Ross-on-Wye", Steve reveals. Parkfields is now a thriving conference centre and wedding venue, and although the front courtyard is not openly accessible to the public, a striking image of the front of the building can be seen in the Gallery section of the Parkfields web site.
Cite this web page
Cross, R. (2021). 'New Genesis locations traced,' [online] Survivors: A World Away, 07 February. Available at: https://www.survivors-mad-dog.org.uk/a-world-away/Genesis_new_finds_2013.php. Accessed on: 12 September 2024.
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