Film locations.
Hi
Watched the series many times and would be grateful if anyone could tell me any film locations.
Thanks James
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MovieChat Forums > Piece of Cake (1988) Discussion > Film locations.
Thanks for that. I suspect the chatuea is in england due to the implications of taking spitfires to france for filming/insurance etc.
share[deleted]
I believe that the filming location for some of the shoots were at South Cerney airfield in Gloucestershire(Formerly RAF South Cerney, now JAMC South Cerney).
If I remember correctly you can see this from the control tower airfield ID on a concrete ground marker in the series.
The "French Chateau" scenes were filmed at Charlton Park, near Malmesbury in Wiltshire.
http://www.charltonpark.co.uk/main.php
Nick
And the funeral of "Dickie" Starr was filmed at St Michael's Church, Syde in Gloucestershire.
I'm working my way through the series and noting locations as I go.
Nick
Hi - The local Pub where they saw Rex's car parked outside after arriving back in England and subsequently visited by the squadron is 'The Tiger' by the village green at East Dean between Eastbourne and Seaford in East Sussex (its still there!). Many of the UK 'white Cliff' grass airstrip and flying locations are shot between Cuckmere Haven and Eastbourne, around 'Birling Gap' - at the end where the shot pans out from the airstrip they manage to miss both the towns at either end which would be a huge giveaway. Brilliant series!
shareThe Battle of Britain scenes were filmed at Friston, an actual RAF airfield now used for gliding
http://www.vic.org.uk/edu/subfs/histofss.htm
R.A.F. FRISTON
During 1940, Gayles Farm and a large portion of Exceat Farm were requisitioned as an R.A.F emergency landing ground. Facilities were later upgraded and operations recommenced during May 1942. the first real action involving Friston was when two squadrons of Hurricanes were temporarily stationed there for the DIEPPE RAID. As Friston was the nearest airfield this side of the Channel, it received a number of crippled aircraft on its two grass runways that fateful day. During Spring 1943, German fighter/bombers were becoming a serious threat to south coast towns. To counter them the new Mk XII Griffon-engines Spitfires first saw active service at Friston.
During the Autumn and Winter of 1943-44, many Allied aircraft such as Lancasters, Flying Fortresses and Liberators, which were damaged or low on fuel, made for Friston. In the words of the station‘s log, ”the airfield began to look like a Bomber Station". From October 1943, Friston was to have its own resident squadron of Spitfires, and became a fully operational airfield in its own right as from January 1944, having a compliment of 1,400 airmen and women. Many aircraft used the airfield in connection with the D-DAY landings and during the Summer of 1944 Friston‘s aircraft accounted for many dozens of V1 FLYING BOMBS. By November, Friston had seen its heyday and was finally derequisitioned in April 1946. Today, very little evidence survives, the area now forming a quiet backdrop to the Seven Sisters.
I can remember them filming this series at Friston during what must have been the summer of 1987. At the time, I lived in East Dean; part of the same Parish as Friston, and for two or three weeks of that summer I would get back from school to the amazing sound of the Spitfire chasing an Me109, closely followed by the camera helicopter!
I count myself so lucky to have witnessed what felt like a private dogfight display over my house, the likes of which hadn't happened there since the summer of 1940. There is nothing sweeter than the sound of that Merlin engine!
A little later on they opened the set at Friston for the public to view. All I really remember was huts with tape on the windows, sandbags and trenches, and two or three mock-up Spitfires which they were going to destroy in later scenes when the airfield was bombed.
I haven't seen the series since it was first aired on TV back in 1988, but now I know it's out on dvd I will definitely have to get it, for nostalgia's sake!