It has long been described as a castle worthy of myth and legends, but last Saturday (14 November), viewers of the BBC1 drama Merlin will have seen part of Goodrich Castle, near Ross-on-Wye being used as a setting for Prince Arthur meeting his dearly-departed mother!
The cast of the worldwide hit fantasy drama descended on Goodrich Castle earlier this year, spending a day filming in the moat and the solar room for one of the pivotal scenes of the series! Walking through a waterfall, Arthur and Merlin arrived in a magical castle, where a the sorceress, Morgause, gave him the chance to meet his mother, who died when he was born. Arthur discovered that his father had used magic to help bring him into the world, and was told that his father knew that the price he would have to pay would be his wife’s life!
“This was a great scene, and the solar room at Goodrich provided a fantastically atmospheric background,” says Head of Visitor Operations for Goodrich Castle, Mark Badger. “Visitors always comment that Goodrich is a ‘proper’ castle, where they can imagine knights and princesses wandering around – I guess we can now add warlocks to that list!”
Around 45 crew descended on the site for a day in July, and the shoot lasted from 7.00am until 8.00pm. The actors who feature in the scene were Colin Morgan (Merlin), Bradley James (Arthur), Emilia Fox as Morgause and Alice Patten as Ygraine, Arthur’s mother.
Viewers wanting to see where the filming took place can visit Goodrich Castle for themselves. The castle is open throughout the winter from Wednesday to Sunday, 10.00am to 4.00pm. Admission prices are £5.20 for adults, £4.40 for concessions and £2.60 for children, with a family ticket (two adults and up to three children) available for £13.00. For more information, please call 01600 890538 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/goodrich
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