Latest news with #Regency-style
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
When fan tourism goes wrong, from Paddington to Harry Potter
If you've ever been tempted to live in a house with pop culture connections, stories of overtourism from the owners of property featured in Paddington, Harry Potter, and Downton Abbey should serve as a cautionary tale. The thrill of seeing your street onscreen can quickly sour when faced with an onslaught of visitors — residents of Chalcot Crescent, which appears in Paddington, have had to contend with intrusive selfies, while the owners of the Dursley house in Harry Potter have reported fans knocking on the door asking to see the cupboard under the stairs that doubled as wizard Harry's bedroom. There are many filming locations that have become hampered, and even physically ruined, by visiting fans. Here is what can happen when fan tourism goes bad.... The Beatles | George Harrison's childhood home Liverpool, the birthplace of music legends The Beatles, has a thriving Fab Four tourism industry. The city in the North West of England boasts two museums dedicated to the band, multiple statues, and even an Airbnb where you can stay in the former house used by the Fab Four for early gigs. The city caters for moptop fans with many private tours that take in key destinations from the band's history including The Cavern nightclub, where they plied their trade as an upcoming band, Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane, as well as the childhood homes of the four members of the group. The National Trust owns the suburban childhood homes of Paul McCartney and John Lennon, and offers pre-booked private tours, but Harrison and Starr's homes remain privately owned, and tucked away in terraced side streets close to the city centre. A blue plaque celebrating the birthplace of guitarist Harrison was erected outside 12 Arnold Grove in 2024. And in July 2005, local residents began to prefer to say 'goodbye' rather than 'hello' to tourists, putting up a chain blocking off access to the cul-de-sac. Chris Bennett, a pub licensee in the local area, told BBC Radio Merseyside that "you get people looking through the window, and if you leave your front door open, they look through the door". He also complained that his family "don't get any peace" because of the traffic caused by private tours, saying that tourists begin arriving from 9am and are still visiting the street at 9:15pm at night, blocking access to the street. Paddington | The Brown family house Chalcot Crescent, a terrace of pastel-coloured Regency-style townhouses in North London's Primrose Hill, will be instantly familiar to fans of the Paddington movies as the Brown family's home. However, its popularity as a filming location has long been a problem for its residents, and it seems their woes are about to get much worse. Labour councillor for Primrose Hill Matt Cooper told the BBC: "I've seen people taking selfies right in front of someone's living room window, and you're thinking, you know, if that was me, I'd be a bit annoyed to have my living room put straight on Instagram." With Paddington in Peru set for release in November 2024, the living room selfies may soon seem like the good old days as there is reportedly now a row going on with Airbnb over a competition prize. The holiday lettings site is offering the chance for three families to stay in Chalcot Crescent to mark the film's release, spending two weeks carrying out noisy works to recreate the film set in a house for the competition winners. They are also having the house painted blue and are blocking out five parking spaces. Some of the street's residents have written to Airbnb with their complaints, saying that they have not disclosed the property's address and are making a donation to the Primrose Hill Community Association. Harry Potter | Privet Drive The house in a cul-de-sac in Bracknell, Berkshire, was used to film scenes for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as 4 Privet Drive, in the fictional town of Little Whinging in Surrey, where boy wizard Harry lives with his Uncle and Aunt, the Dursleys. The house went on the market in 2016 for £475k and the anonymous owner has told The Sun they experience a "constant" stream of visitors to the house, in the form of Harry Potter fans wanting to take a photo. They said: "We've had people in floods of tears. It's bizarre. The kids, you get it. But obviously the adults. They dress up sometimes in full gear and recreate scenes. "There was one time somebody tried to climb the fence. That was when we were like 'Oh my God, don't do that!'" The owner said they are accommodating to fans and have even moved their car so they can take a photo on the drive. They said: "It's quite mad... We knew what house we were buying, except they didn't really tell us. They didn't tell us they are here all day, every day. It's constant... Ten is the maximum we've had, but people come in groups. People come in cars, and it's all day and sometimes at night. The school holidays are the worst." Breaking Bad | Walter White's house Breaking Bad fans who visited the location of Walter White's house bore the brunt of the owner's frustration recently. The house was used as the family home of the science teacher who turned to drug dealing to leave a nest egg for his family when he was diagnosed with cancer in the hit show. A video shared on TikTok in January 2023 showed the real-life owner shouting "Get out, you Mexican trash!" at a visiting fan. She allowed Breaking Bad to film there in 2008, and described it as "six years of fun with the nicest people she has ever met." But she is now plagued by up to 200 visitors passing by the house per day, and has installed a fence and security cameras after some had attempted to trespass, or reenact a scene in which White threw a pizza onto to his garage roof. Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan has asked fans to leave her alone, saying: "There is nothing original, or funny, or cool, about throwing a pizza on this lady's roof." Harry Potter | Dobby's grave Harry Potter fans are leaving tributes to Dobby the house elf, 13 years after the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, in which he was buried on the beach. Dobby was buried outside Shell Cottage, which is meant to be in Cornwall, but the film was shot at Freshwater West beach in Pembrokshire, Wales. Fans still visit and leave socks - as Dobby was set free by Harry when he gave him a sock as an item of clothing - as well as piling painted pebbles on the sand dunes. A concerned local resident told Yahoo UK: "The litter and the piles of painted stones are damaging the ecosystem. "It has only got worse since the film was made - over the years, tonnes of rocks have been shifted. And people clog the roads looking for the spot. "A local volunteer comes and cleans up the rubbish sometimes, but they keep coming back." National Trust Wales has appealed to fans to stop leaving painted rocks as the paint chips could enter the marine environment and food chain and damage wildlife. Downton Abbey Residents of the picturesque village of Bampton in Oxfordshire may love their 200 year old cottages, but they are not quite so keen on the crowds of Downton Abbey fans that peer in their windows and take pictures. The site was used for the fictional village of Downton in the hit ITV period drama and spin-off movies. One resident said: "I get fed up with the Downton Abbey lot. They are a pain, walking around with their head-sets on and peeping into your windows. They make me feel like I am living in a zoo." And residents in Lacock, Wiltshire have a similar problem. Scenes from Downton Abbey were filmed outside the 300 year old cottages as well as several Harry Potter films, Pride and Prejudice, Wolf Hall and the Other Boleyn Girl. As a result it has become a tourist hotspot, crowded with traffic and people taking pictures. Abbey Road Since The Beatles posed on the zebra crossing on London's Abbey Road, the crossing has become a top tourist destination. Traffic is always congested as fans are standing in the middle of the road, trying to recreate the famous Abbey Road album cover. Cars are so fed up of waiting for tourists to cross the road, it seems, that Beatle Sir Paul McCartney was almost run over on the crossing while filming a documentary for Disney+. His daughter Mary McCartney said: "The bit where the car nearly ran him over on the zebra crossing, that was so funny. As we were leaving (the studio), I said, 'I'll film you (on the crossing),' and he went over and this car totally didn't stop for him." As a result, the crossing is constantly wearing away and having to be repainted. Love Actually These colourful mews houses in Notting Hill, West London, came to the attention of fans after they were used for the home of Keira Knightley's character in rom-com Love Actually, where Andrew Lincoln visits to tell her he loves her by holding up cue cards. Since being painted pink, the house has become such an Instagram sensation that tourists visit to have their photo taken in front of it, without even being aware of which film it featured in. The owner said in 2020: "I had no idea this house was in the film when I bought it before the Instagram craze and now I am living under a blanket of selfies, tour guides, and a queue of tourists lining up to take photos on weekends." The street has become so crowded the local council has started highlighting the nearby Portobello Road area, which featured in the Paddington movie, for tourists to visit instead. Joker Since Joaquin Phoenix famously danced down these steps in the Bronx, New York City to Gary Glitter's Rock and Roll Part 2 in Joker, they have become crowded with fans wanting to do the same. Frustrated local residents have found the steps congested with tourists wanting to take photos and videos, blocking the way while they try to go about their daily business. They even put up fliers saying: 'It is disrespectful to treat our community and residents as a photo opportunity." The Beach Danny Boyle's 2000 film The Beach, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, based on Alex Garland's novel, was about a deserted paradise. But after the location of Maya Bay in Thailand was used for the film, it became crowded and overpopulated - attracting 5,000 visitors a day. The damage to the local ecosystem and coral population was so bad that in 2018 Thailand's National Parks department temporarily shut down the beach, in a bid to protect the once unspoilt idyll.
ITV News
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- ITV News
Jane Austen fans dress up in Steventon to celebrate 250 years since author's birth
ITV reporter Derek Johnson spoke to Austen fans who'd travelled to Hampshire from across the world. People from all over the world have converged on the village of Steventon to celebrate the life of author Jane Austen. The Pride and Prejudice author was born and grew up in this picturesque part of Hampshire, later returning to live in nearby Chawton. Today saw a Regency-style country fair marking the 250th anniversary of her birth. Austen was born at Stevenage rectory in 1775. Her father, and later her brother, were rectors at 13th Century church of St Nicholas. And proceeds from the day will go towards renovations at the church. Although the rectory no longer remains, the fair was held on the exact location, and featured performances by the Hampshire Regency Dancers, Garston Gallopers and local schoolchildren. Many of those attending dressed in Regency-style clothes, some travelling from as far afield as the United States and Australia. Village residents were involved in planning and organising the event, from baking cakes, making costumes and providing a horse and trap, in which 'Jane' arrived to get the fair started. The event was part of a year of celebrations in mid Hampshire, which will conclude with a special service at the church on 16th December, Austen's actual birthday.
The Advertiser
23-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Advertiser
Discover Hobart's hidden gem where Matisse meets modern luxury
The history of the Islington and the land on which it stands crackles with characters, both dubious and upstanding. Its first European owner in 1806 was a "dangerous and troublesome" person; after the Regency-style house was built in 1847, its procession of residents included a distinguished parliamentarian who was Tasmania's premier for a time. Fast-forward to the early noughties and an enterprising, art-collecting couple transformed the house into a world-class luxury boutique hotel, its modern signature a soaring sandstone and glass atrium that today is as speccy as ever. La Vie Hotels & Resorts took over the property in 2022, unveiling a makeover late last year.
The Advertiser
22-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Advertiser
Discover Tasmania's hidden gem where Matisse meets modern luxury
The history of the Islington and the land on which it stands crackles with characters, both dubious and upstanding. Its first European owner in 1806 was a "dangerous and troublesome" person; after the Regency-style house was built in 1847, its procession of residents included a distinguished parliamentarian who was Tasmania's premier for a time. Fast-forward to the early noughties and an enterprising, art-collecting couple transformed the house into a world-class luxury boutique hotel, its modern signature a soaring sandstone and glass atrium that today is as speccy as ever. La Vie Hotels & Resorts took over the property in 2022, unveiling a makeover late last year.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mia Martin Palm Beach Resident Celebrates Sale of Edwardian Mansion to Embassy of Estonia
Mia Martin Palm Beach, a celebrated author and advocate for historical preservation, has Been feature for the successful sale of her 1905 neo-classical Edwardian mansion located on Embassy Row in Washington, D.C. Palm Beach, FL, May 21, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Well known for her deep appreciation of European architecture and decorative arts, Mia Martin Palm Beach has an impressive track record of restoring and stewarding historic properties. In addition to the recent Washington, D.C. transaction, her portfolio includes a historic Virginia farmhouse and a Regency-style residence in Palm Beach. Martin's lifelong passion for preserving architectural heritage stems from her upbringing in Virginia's hunt country, where she lived on a historic estate that sparked her love for classic design. She is an alumna of Foxcroft School and the Corcoran School of Art, and continued her education at Franklin College in Lugano, John Cabot University in Rome, Sotheby's in London, and American University in Washington, D.C., where she earned a degree in fine arts. Her commitment to cultural preservation is reflected in her affiliations with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where she has served on the Council and as co-chair of the 'Restore America Gala' at the Library of Congress, and as a trustee of Oatlands Plantation. She has also contributed to the U.S. Commission for America's Heritage Abroad. Driven by a profound respect for genealogy and ancestral legacy, Mia Martin Palm Beach has held leadership roles in several genealogical societies, including Recording Secretary and Heraldry Chair of the Colonial Dames XVI Century. She also holds membership in the DAR and the Pilgrim Society. Recently, she was elected to the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Martin is the author of Dog Heraldry: The Official Collection of Canine Coat of Arms, published by Simon & Schuster and launched at the Westminster Kennel Club. Her work reflects a distinctive blend of creativity, research, and reverence for tradition. Looking ahead, Mia Martin Palm Beach plans to continue acquiring, restoring, and thoughtfully transferring ownership of historic estates, ensuring their preservation for future generations. About Mia Martin Palm BeachMia Martin Palm Beach was raised in Virginia's historic countryside and educated in the U.S. and Europe. A Foxcroft alumna and trustee, she later co-chaired the school's Centennial celebration. With a fine arts degree and extensive training in architectural history, she has become a respected figure in literary and preservation circles. Her work continues to bridge art, history, and legacy. For more information, please visit: Or follow her in the press: CONTACT: Contact Data: Mia Martin Mia Martin Palm Beach mia@
