Tamara Drewe + Travel

 
The subject of the new film Tamara Drewe by director Stephen Frears (The Queen, High Fidelity) might not be familiar to most people outside of the UK, but to those fans who have anxiously kept up to date with the affairs of the temptress of Dorset in the Guardian newspaper or read the graphic novels based on the comics by Posy Simmonds, this film is sure to be a hit.
 
Filmed in idyllic Dorset, England, where the comic is set, Tamara Drewe revolves around the love life of its heroine after she returns to the town where she grew-up to refurbish and sell her deceased parent’s home. In doing so, Tamara stirs up old romances with the aging novelist next door and the local handyman as well as a new romance with a troubled rock star. The principle filming locations revolve around Tamara’s home and the writer’s retreat of Stonefield, which plays such a pivotal role in the film that it is almost a character.

The location of Stonefield was of particular importance to the production designers for the film, as that is not only where the film opens-up but where much of the most dramatic scenes were shot. Being true to the look of the comic, Limbury house in the town of Salwayash in Dorset was chosen for the outside filming location and embellished upon by adding sheds, planting roses and burying a few plastic flowers to add color. For the inside, the grand Blackdown house stood in because of it’s larger proportions.
 
For those looking to capture the lush feel of the Dorset countryside the film evokes, the towns around Lewesdon Hill, which can be seen in the wide shots of the movie, are the perfect place to start, particularly in the towns where snippets of the film were made: Yetminster, Salway Ash and Blackdown.
 
Dorset, England

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