It was good to see BBC Midlands Today this week recalling when A Christmas Carol was filmed Shrewsbury.
The 100-minute film, which starred George C Scott, Frank Finlay, Susannah York and Edward Woodward, plus six-year-old Tony Walters, of Plaish Park Farm, near Church Stretton, as Tiny Tim, and 450 people from the town as extras, is considered by many to be the best version of Dickens’ ghost classic.
This month 27 years ago it had a world premiere before the Queen at London’s Classic Haymarket and a gala charity premiere in Shrewsbury followed by a week-long run at the town’s Empire Cinema in December 1984.
On the TV programme this week Alf Horton, Robert Elliott, Heather Game and Martin Wood talked about their part in the film and their memories of the six weeks when the town’s Market Square was turned into Victorian London, pictured below, with the help of 60 tons of snow, 75 tons of salt and 400 gallons of foam.
Many of the other 18 town centre locations are easily recognisable, including the Parade Shopping Centre and Tanners wine shop.
This weekend there are special walking tours round the town, organised by Shrewsbury Tourism, to remember the film, see the various locations and visit the ‘gravestone’ of Ebenezer Scrooge, one of the props left in St Chad’s Churchyard.
Also The Lion Hotel is putting on a special Christmas Carol day on Sunday, February 5 as part of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens.
At 10.30am local historian David Trumper is giving an illustrated talk on The Making of A Christmas Carol, while at 11.30 there is A Guided Town Walk around the local film locations, followed at 3pm by a large screen showing of the famous film by Flicks in the Sticks.
For more details contact The Lion Hotel on 01743 353197 or email info@thelionhotelshrewsbury.com
There’s more about the filming in Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, signed copies are available at the special Christmas price of £6 including postage anywhere within the UK. Email me at John@jbutterworth.plus.com
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