Charming Chorley

DID you hear the one about the three comedians from Chorley? Dave Spikey, Steve Pemberton and Phil Cool all have connections with the South Lancashire town.

But these days, Chorley is becoming more famous for its stunning landscapes than its satirical sons. Boasting preserved cotton mill chimneys and stately homes, as well as nearby reservoirs and woodland trails, it’s no wonder that Chorley has been seen in a wide variety of television productions.

And this month, Chorley is being heralded as Location of the Month by Northwest Vision and Media, which works on behalf of the TV, film, radio and digital content industries to grow a world-class media economy in England’s Northwest.

"Chorley offers everything a television or film production could want,” says Lynda Banister, Film Liaison Officer for Lancashire. “It has a whole host of really different locations, a great community and fantastic transport links. We’ve seen a number of productions set crucial scenes here, but Chorley is full of areas of untapped beauty just asking to be filmed!”

Nestled at the foot of the West Pennine Moors, Chorley town centre is compact, featuring traditional market areas, Lancashire red brick housing and preserved Georgian streets. Visitors to Chorley will also find a wealth of local villages, each with a different feel. Nearby Rivington has been hailed as a ‘mini lake district’ for its reservoirs, moors and wooded hills.

Productions previously filmed in and around Chorley have been varied to say the least. Hoghton Tower has doubled as part of Venice in David Tennant series Casanova (BBC), and as an army barracks in Cold Blood, starring John Hannah for ITV. Neighbouring Anglezarke Woodland Trail has seen filming action with BBC police drama Blue Blood, and was the setting for a tense series finale of Cutting It.

But Film Liaison Officer Lynda believes there are even more locations waiting to be put to use.

“Astley Hall has been praised by Chorley Council as the jewel in the town’s crown,” says Lynda, who believes the 400-year-old museum and art gallery makes a great filming location. “The hall was used a while ago in racy series The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders for ITV, and it’s time we had another period drama filmed here. Astley Hall is full of history and has a lot of original features that would look great on camera.”

Chris Bryan, Arts Development Officer at Chorley Borough Council agrees that the town is a well-situated filming location. He explains: “Chorley is the unspoilt true heart of Lancashire. We have outstanding rural locations to match any others in the UK, picturesque historic buildings, a traditional market town at our centre and we also easily have some of the best transport links in the Northwest.”

The M61 motorway runs through the heart of Chorley district, with the M6 also connecting the town with the rest of the region. Chorley district borders with Manchester, so the big city is only a stone’s throw away.

“Chorley is well within traveling distance for Manchester production companies,” confirms Lynda. “It’s not far from the new mediacity:uk site in Salford, and Liverpool is also only 35 miles away!

“With such a lot to offer, Chorley is a prime location for all sorts of film and television production,” Lynda smiles. “The town and its surrounding areas are so unexploited and varied, I’m confident that more and more location managers will soon be discovering the charm that Chorley possesses.”