Latest news with #Corsham
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why you should visit Corsham if you love Rivals and want a 'tranquil' escape
Corsham is the quintessential English market town that has turned into a Rivals TV set in recent weeks – so what is it about the area that people love? The historic market town is on the southern edge of the Cotswolds and boasts honey-coloured buildings, stunning countryside views and a rich military heritage. The quaint high street has a range of independent shops, quaint tearooms and boutique galleries. Discover Corsham states: 'Popular with visitors seeking a tranquil Cotswold experience without the crowds, Corsham combines elegance, authenticity, and culture in equal measure. 'Whether you're here for Georgian architecture, woodland walks, or a quiet cream tea in a pretty courtyard, Corsham promises a delightful and memorable escape.' Historically, Corsham was a centre for agriculture and later, the wool industry, and remains a focus for quarrying Bath Stone. The town is referred to in the Domesday Book as Cosseham. Rivals returned to Corsham town centre on June 16, after filming for the popular show's second season kicked off this summer. David Tennant, who plays Lord Tony Baddingham in the adaptation of Dame Jilly Cooper's best-selling novel, was among the stars seen on the High Street. During the filming, the town was transformed into the 1980s version of Dame Jilly Cooper's fictional county Rutshire, with classic cars lining the streets and shop signs replaced. Corsham's small town centre includes the historic High Street and the Martingate Centre. Corsham Court, a stately home, became a major administrative and manufacturing centre for the Ministry of Defence during the Second World War. It is described as the 'jewel of the town'. It is now open to the public, and the formal gardens have plenty of 'aristocratic grandeur'. 'Don't miss the peacocks, which wander freely around the grounds and often through the town centre,' Visit Wiltshire writes. There's also the Pound Arts Centre, which is housed in a converted Victorian school and offers a packed programme of theatre, film, live music, exhibitions, and workshops. Corsham is just off the A4, about 20 minutes from Bath and Chippenham by car. The nearest train station is Chippenham, from which regular buses and taxis run to Corsham (around 10–15 minutes). 'From traditional pubs to cosy cafes, there are lots of places to eat and drink in the quintessentially English market town of Corsham,' Visit Wiltshire says. One of Corsham's most celebrated pubs is The Methuen Arms, and this Georgian coaching inn offers food and drink in a stylish, historic setting, attracting plenty of tourists. Although a highlight for many has been the recent Rivals filming, it's not the first time that Corsham has had a starring role. Recommended reading: Disney's Rivals shot in Wiltshire back filming for season 2 Disney's Rivals: Wiltshire filming locations featured When 'poshest village' Biddestone played host to Hollywood The town has a history of being on screen, with Rivals star Aidan Turner previously filming there for BBC drama Poldark. Corsham has also provided the backdrop in numerous films and TV dramas, including The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Larkrise to Candleford and The Remains of the Day. Corsham also featured in the first season of Rivals during the summer of 2023.
BBC News
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Music events give Wiltshire grassroots sports clubs a boost
A growing number of grassroots sports clubs claim that staging a large music festival can be a vital source of extra Rugby Club is hosting a family music festival, CorFest, on 21 June, to raise funds. And the first Wiltshire Throwback Festival is being hosted by Melksham Town Football Club and Melksham Rugby Club at Oakfield Stadium from 20-21 June."From a football club perspective, we're probably talking about the festival making 15 to 20% of our (annual) income," said Melksham Town FC chairman, Adam Young. "It will be a major bonus to get this in the summer when we don't have as many people coming through the gates."Mr Young said they relied heavily on sponsorship for most of their income and "every penny" counted when running a small club."It's something that we've wanted to do, we've had a couple of smaller events here in the past, but to have 3,000-5,000 people at the site is incredible," he told BBC Wiltshire. Melksham Rugby Club chairman, Aaron Brailey, said: "It's for the community, for the rugby club, for the football club, so we're genuinely really excited for it."It's incredibly difficult as, historically, volunteers have always run the club, but we have aspirations to grow and we've got to take advantage of opportunities like this." Corsham Rugby Club is hosting CorFest for the third year running on 21 June. The family event raises money for the club, but also local charities, including Dorothy House Hospice and Corsham Food Bank. Chairman, Jim Williams, said: "Being a volunteer-led club, we like to help various local charities and it furthers our engagement with the local community, which is a priority for us."It also brings in much-needed funds, without events like this, the club would struggle to fund things like kit, coaching, maintenance and pitch repairs." The Wiltshire Throwback Festival is expected to attract up to 3,000 people per day, with the line-up including Boney M's Liz Mitchell, So Solid Crew, and Tinchy Menghini, co-director of festival organisers Jarboom, said after the licensing application was approved: "We're ecstatic, especially considering the amount of work we've put in to satisfy the authorities."We're already in the early planning stages for year two," he added.
The Sun
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Small English market town on the edge of the Cotswolds that tourists forget about – despite being in two huge TV shows
TUCKED away in Wiltshire is a historic market town used as a backdrop for famous TV series starring Aidan Turner and David Tennant. Corsham in Wiltshire has once again been turned into a TV backdrop, but it still isn't the most popular spot in the Cotswolds. 5 5 The Cotswolds town has cobbled stone cottages, grand country manors and a quaint high street full of independent shops. Its old-fashioned look makes it the perfect backdrop for period dramas - which is why it's been used by two separate productions. The cast of Rivals have most recently returned to Corsham according to the BBC with stars like David Tennant, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer returning to the town. In the high street, the shop fronts have been tweaked to appear in the time period of the late 1980s. The local Boots has been turned into an old-fashioned Waitrose and the town hall has been transformed into a polling station. Classic cars have also been seen lining the streets to give the impression of the 1980s. This isn't the first time that Corsham has seen A-list actors in its streets, it was where half of Poldark was filmed. Corsham was transformed into 18th century Truro when Aidan Turner, dressed as Captain Ross Poldark, came to the town. During this time, there were horses in the streets, cattle and even sheep. The Flemish Weaves pub was the base for the leading actors, while the extras ended up staying at the Town Hall. Poldark: Series 4 trailer starring Aidan Turner 5 5 While Corsham may appear to be a classic Wiltshire town, there is one big difference - the peacocks. Around the town there are peacocks that roam the streets freely. Their actual home is in Corsham Court, but they do sometimes head into the town too. There are plenty of extravagant places too including Corsham Court. The privately owned stately home has a huge art collection, there are also huge gardens - which you can explore for a fee of £12.50. Another is 23 Pickwick which is a Grade II listed country home in Corsham - and you can even book it out. It has a sweeping staircase, an open fire and sash windows. The cottage is a short drive away from the Georgian Spa town of Bath, which features in many of the outdoor scenes in Bridgerton. The city of Bath is just a 30-minute drive, which is where parts of the Bridgerton series were filmed, and it's the only UNESCO site in the country. In Corsham is also home to The Pound Arts theatre where locals regularly put on performances. There are also comedy shows, busking and showings of films. Here's a Bridgerton-like manor that you can stay in with all your mates in the UK - with its own lake and cinema room. And Sun Travel visited the tiny English village you can only visit once a year. 5
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Disney's Rivals star David Tennant films in small town
Filming for a TV adaptation of one of Dame Jilly Cooper's novels has returned to a Wiltshire was used as a location for the first series of Rivals, which stars actors David Tennant, Emily Atack and Danny Dyer, among others.A number of shops have had their fronts tweaked as the series is set in the1980s, with Boots being turned into an old-fashioned Waitrose and the town hall being transformed into a polling station."It's really exciting to see the town so vibrant," said shopkeeper Daisy Coppin. Jewellers Coppins has been transformed into Cotchester Jewellers for the Coppin said she had been notified about the filming a few weeks ago and the shop was able to stay open."I think it's really good for the town in general. It raises the profile, it gets us some notification everywhere," she the shop was in the background of shots for the first series, she hopes it will feature more prominently this time. Matt Booker runs The Corsham Toy Shop and said it was a "bonus" when something was filmed in the remembered once having an actor in full Victorian costume buying Lego sets for another production."People love it. It brings trade to the town. Tourists come and find where things were filmed and take photos," Mr Booker added that filming for BBC series Poldark had been a "massive boon" in the past. Not only have many businesses on High Street had sign changes, but the streets of Corsham have also been lined with classic Disney Plus adaption of Rivals is based on Jilly Cooper's best-selling Rutshire Chronicles author previously said she had "adored seeing the world fall in love with her beloved characters".
BBC News
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Garden event at Pink Floyd drummer's house ends in 'chaos'
A charity event at the home of Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason ended in "chaos", with people stuck in traffic for hours as they tried to than 15,000 people went to Middlewick House near Corsham on Saturday and Sunday to view its extensive gardens and Mason's collection of supercars and classic some drivers said it took people hours to leave the event, which raised money for Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance Charity and The Wiltshire Bobby Van have since apologised for the travel issues but described the event as a success. Donna Fielder attended the fundraiser and described it as "chaos"."We were heading back to our car at about one o'clock and, as we walked through the top field, we could see rows of stationary traffic," she told the BBC."I barely moved 50m [164ft] in the space of an hour." Ms Fielder said there was a "huddle" of marshals by the exit gate but claimed they "didn't have a clue"."There were still cars being brought in - classic cars for viewing - and I think that's what caused a lot of it," she added."You had people jamming into lanes to create lanes to get out and then you've got six or seven cars diverging from different directions." Organisers put new traffic measures in place for this year's event after similar issues in previous years. This included a separate entrance for cars arriving from Chippenham and diversions for non-event traffic.A spokesperson for the Wiltshire Bobby Van Trust said: "This year's Middlewick House Open Garden event drew a record crowd of more than 15,000 people across the weekend, including an unprecedented number of people turning up on the Sunday to buy tickets on the door."We had people visit from across the UK - we apologise to those affected by the traffic build up around Corsham and those impacted by the delay exiting the car parks. "We will be collating all feedback and adding it into our review process ahead of the 2026 event."The trust works with Wiltshire Police to help elderly and vulnerable people with home security. 'Two hours to exit' BBC Wiltshire's Jeremy Stern went to the fundraiser and said there were "hundreds" of cars trying to use one "narrow" exit."By the time the traffic started moving it was chaos, as frustrated drivers looked for any which way to get out of the car park," he said."The car park attendants did their best but there weren't enough of them to marshal so many lines of traffic."It took two hours for us to get out. Some people I spoke to said they had been waiting even longer."
