Charlestown on the Silver Screen
- Lyndon Allen
- 1 day ago
- 22 min read
This is a story, a Cornish story, about a little Georgian port that would grace television and cinema screens worldwide, famed for its unspoilt character, and it became a go-to location for film companies
Early Film History in Charlestown
Filming in Charlestown began in 1936 with The Cornish Pyramids, a black-and-white film exploring the china clay industry. Its Charlestown scenes show dock workers manning the capstans to open the harbour gates and release the Dutch vessel Bergandal.
A year later, Charlestown featured in the remarkable colour film Farewell Topsails, made in Dufaycolor and directed by Humphrey Jennings. Filmed in the bright summer sunlight of 1937, it captures one of the last commercial sailing voyages carrying china clay (kaolin) from Cornwall. The film traces the journey of china clay from the pits around St Austell to Charlestown, where it is loaded onto the schooner Mary Barrow before continuing with its cargo of “white gold.”
In another scene, the schooner, Katie of Padstow, later passes through a lock on Dartford Creek, where she is unloaded at the paper mills and cleaned. A tug then tows her into the Thames Estuary, while a crewman climbs the rigging to unfurl the topsail and lower sails before the anchor is raised.
Several local people appeared in the film, including a young Charlie Walkey and port pilot Tommy Coates, who is shown rolling a cigarette.
The next major production was the wartime propaganda film Next of Kin, made by the world-famous Ealing Studios. Shot in black and white, it featured Marine Commandos attempting to blow up the dock gates. The troops arrive via Duporth Beach before assaulting Charlestown Harbour, with additional scenes filmed in Mevagissey and St Austell.
From Wartime Films to Television Drama
After Next of Kin, substantial footage continued to be shot locally during the 1940s and early 1950s. Two notable productions, Johnny Frenchman and Clark Gable’s Never Let Me Go, were filmed in Mevagissey. Charlestown itself did not host another major production until around 1959, when the BBC series Garry Halliday arrived.
Garry Halliday followed the adventures of the fictional Halliday Charters Co. and starred Terence Longdon and Terence Alexander. Between 1959 and 1962, fifty episodes were made, though most were filmed at Lydd Ferryfield airfield and in studio settings. In one episode, however, the villain known as “The Voice”, played by Elwyn Brook-Jones, makes his escape through Charlestown.
Estate carpenter Donald Littleton played an important behind-the-scenes role. He created a barrier to protect the actor during a scene in which “The Voice” slid down one of the china clay chutes, and he also piloted the Hobbler (a term for the pilot vessel) during the escape sequence. The director felt Donald looked too respectable to be aiding a criminal, so he was given dark glasses to wear throughout filming.
Later that same year, 1959, Merton Park Studios came to Charlestown to film for the Children's Film Foundation. The title of the film was Mystery in the Mine, and it starred Ingrid Cardon and Stewart Guidotti.
The storyline centred around two cousins who help to stop a dangerous gang of criminals who are searching an abandoned mine for a mysterious substance with which they hope to rule the world.
The Onedin Line and Poldark Myths
It is widely believed that series one, two and three of the hit television drama The Onedin Line were filmed in Charlestown in the early 1970s. In fact, no filming took place at Charlestown. The production did, however, use two local vessels: Marques and Pascal Flores in 1976.
The Onedin Line was primarily filmed at Dartmouth, with several scenes shot on the Exeter Canal. If anyone can prove otherwise, I would be happy to correct my records. Khachaturian’s haunting theme tune, Adagio from Spartacus, nevertheless became inseparable from the sound of creaking rigging, billowing sails and beautiful tall ships.
In 1975, Poldark, starring Robin Ellis and Angharad Rees, was filmed in St Austell Bay. Charlestown was used as a base, but contrary to popular belief, no harbour scenes were filmed there.
Charlestown Estate actively encouraged filming and quickly recognised the value of the village’s Georgian appearance. Very little had changed over time, aside from the ships in the harbour.
The Eagle Has Landed, 1976.
A Landmark Production
Charlestown’s real breakthrough came in 1976 with the Hollywood blockbuster The Eagle Has Landed, in which the village doubled for the Channel Island port of Alderney. Starring Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Donald Sutherland, the film brought Charlestown Harbour and St Austell Bay to an international audience.
I was saddened to hear of Donald Sutherland’s death in 2025. I still remember speaking to him as a boy in Charlestown during the two months he spent there filming.
Many years later, I became quite friendly with his son, Kiefer Sutherland, who was on set for The Three Musketeers in 1993. During filming, the village was closed to the public from the mini-roundabout down, although local fishermen were given passes so they could continue working. Because much of the filming took place at night, the Pier House bar was often full of cast and crew, and we would often end up sharing a pint with them. I once asked Kiefer whether he fancied recreating his father’s famous scene of being thrown through the bar window, which he found very amusing.
Many people assume Donald Sutherland was the one thrown through the window, but Eddie Stacey actually performed the stunt.
Behind the Scenes of The Eagle Has Landed
When Hollywood arrived in quiet Charlestown in 1976, Kelso Films took over the village for much of the summer. I vividly remember MTB 102 making several attempts to come through the harbour gaps. The dockside was strewn with blood-covered dummies, and long torpedoes sat on bomb trolleys. However, they were real, not props.
During one scene aboard the MTB, harbour master Bill Doe opened the gates to let a coaster out. The swell caused Michael Caine to fall between the dock wall and the quay, and he was taken to the local hospital with minor injuries.
The filmmakers also altered parts of the village for the shoot. They felt the foyer of the Pier House looked too modern, so Charlestown Estate was paid to strip it out and refit it to create an older, more open-plan appearance.
A set of wooden steps was built above the sluice winder on the dockside in front of the Pier House. To create a walkway from the road through the railings, one of the original granite posts was removed and never replaced. It can still be found today on Galloping Hill, beside the hedge between the arch and Charlestown School.
My memories from the Set
I also remember the day they filmed the wartime cars racing down the hill. At the time, the camera panned across the road and the surrounding view, including Clemo’s coal yard and its large black buildings, where the lower car park now stands. We village children watched from the ridge tiles of the Loverings’ dryer, almost level with the cameraman on his crane platform. I can also remember the swallows nesting beneath the roof tiles, dive-bombing us—there were hundreds of them.
The village was fully dressed for filming, with an 88 mm anti-aircraft gun, surrounded by sandbags, outside the Round House, and rolls of plastic barbed wire scattered about. When we returned to school in September, it seemed every pupil had managed to take home a piece of it.
My friends and I met many of the cast and collected their autographs. I also remember the scene in which Robert Duvall’s character is executed by firing squad against the breakwater on Big Beach. Scenes were also filmed in the killing house (slaughterhouse) on what was then Killing House Lane, now Barkhouse Lane, although they were later cut from the film. The German signs left behind after filming slowly rotted away over the years.
Another lesser-known detail from the production involves Donald Littleton, who was asked to make a breakable window for the café at the front of the Pier House Hotel. It was designed for a fight scene in which Donald Sutherland was thrown through it, allowing the stunt to be filmed safely.
The Story of MTB 102
MTB 102, the motor torpedo boat used during the making of The Eagle Has Landed at Charlestown, has a remarkable history. Built by Vosper in 1937, she was constructed from Honduras mahogany, double-diagonally planked on Canadian rock elm frames.
She measured 21 metres in length, with a draught of 1.2 metres, and was powered by two Italian Isotta Fraschini 57-litre engines. Together, they developed approximately 3,500 horsepower, giving her a top speed of 48 knots, or about 55 mph. She was reputedly the smallest ship ever to serve in the Royal Navy.
Wartime Service
During the Second World War, MTB 102 played a distinguished role. She took part in the Dunkirk evacuation, crossing the Channel no fewer than eight times. She also carried Sir Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower during an inspection of the assembled fleet before the D-Day landings.
After the War
After the war, she was sold by the Admiralty and renamed Vimmy. She later became a private yacht and, eventually, a houseboat. Her prized engines were removed, and over time, she fell into disrepair.
Shortly before filming began for The Eagle Has Landed, MTB 102 was being used as headquarters by a Norfolk Scout group. Kelso Films approached the Scouts and offered to recommission her in return for using her in the film.
The Voyage of Charles Darwin 1977
The BBC production, The Voyage of Charles Darwin, followed in 1977, with many Charlestown Estate staff appearing as extras in scenes filmed on the quaysides and in St Austell Bay. For the production, the tall ship Marques was transformed into HMS Beagle. A process that took many months. Local boatbuilders John Moor and Son installed engines for the trip to South America. The transformation was astounding. After a few weeks filming in the harbour and St Austell Bay, she sailed South to the Galapagos Islands. A year later, she returned to Charlestown to a warm welcome. Marques was a part of Charlestown's history from 1974 until 1982, and she was always in port during those 8 years. Tragically, Marques was lost in a violent squall during the Hamilton leg of the 1984 Tall Ships Race, with the loss of nineteen lives.
Dracula and the Tawe
In spring 1978, an ex-Grimsby trawler called Tawe arrived in Charlestown and soon became a familiar sight. She was stripped down and re-rigged as a sailing ship for the film Dracula, starring Frank Langella. Towed to Crinnis Beach, she was hauled out of the water by J. Morcom using a tractor, then dressed by the props department, ready for filming.
After filming, Tawe was left on location for eleven years. She finally broke up during a south-easterly gale on 16 December 1989, scattering wreckage along the beach.
Back at Charlestown, her steel wheelhouse remained on the dockside for some time before finding its way to the Shipwreck and Heritage Centre, where it became a children’s play feature. It was condemned in 1992 and replaced by the old Scarborough lifeboat.
The early 1980s also brought a run of significant productions, including the American mini-series Manions of America, starring Pierce Brosnan; the Handmade Films production The Missionary in 1983, with Michael Palin, Denholm Elliott, and Dame Maggie Smith; and the science-fiction series Tripods in 1984. In later years, the village also featured in programmes such as Songs of Praise and Highway. I vividly remember an argument with Highway presenter Sir Harry Secombe. A colleague and I were removing twists, or “turns”, from a coil of 12mm rope on the main road to the harbour. This is done by securing one end and walking the rest out until it lies straight. As I was pulling out a 220-metre coil, Harry Secombe drove down the road in his Range Rover, parked on top of the rope, got out, and walked off. I shouted for him to move his car. Let’s just say his reply did not quite match my expectations of a man of God.
Manions of America, 1981
Filming for the American TV series Manions of America took place in Charlestown over several weeks in spring 1981. Created by the American Broadcasting Company, the series featured an impressive cast, including Pierce Brosnan, Anthony Quayle, Linda Purl, David Soul, Peter Gilmore and Simon McCorkindale. Many local people were also cast as extras, adding to the sense of excitement around the village.
I have a large collection of photographs from the production, including several signed images. One particularly memorable moment came when George Lucas, best known for Star Wars, appeared on set. Much of the series was filmed on location in Dublin, but my strongest memories are of Charlestown during those weeks, long before the later publicity surrounding Poldark.
The Square Sail Years 1993-2018.
By 1993, when Disney filmed The Three Musketeers in Charlestown, the pace of film work in the village had begun to increase once again. The harbour was chosen for night filming, including scenes used at the start of the movie. For the production, Disney hired the tall ship Kaskelot from the Bristol-based Square Sail Shipyard.
At the time, Square Sail was involved in difficult discussions with Bristol City Council over its lease and rent arrears. Director Robin Davies was looking for new premises for his fleet, and when he arrived in Charlestown, he quickly saw the opportunity. The port was for sale, along with several prominent warehouses beside the dock. Many of those buildings are now restaurants, still owned by Robin.
A New Era for the Port
After filming finished, Charlestown had new port owners. Square Sail bought the harbour in 1993 for £125,000, a purchase that would shape the village’s future for the next quarter of a century.
Square Sail and Charlestown’s Filming Boom
Square Sail Shipyard brought Hollywood to Charlestown. The company provided set building, shipwrighting, prop construction and boat-building services for the film industry, helping to transform the once-sleepy Cornish village into a premier filming location.
For almost 25 years, Square Sail helped make Charlestown one of the most recognisable filming ports in the country, before the business was eventually sold following Robin Davies’s retirement.
As I was a commercial fisherman for nearly 40 years, requiring access to my boat, I had a filming pass at the time, so I could still reach my boat in the outer harbour, which meant I regularly walked onto and through the set, and I was introduced to members of the cast at various times. The pass also gave me access to the bar at the Pier House Hotel, where the cast relaxed when off set. Spending time there offered me a fascinating glimpse into the world of major film production.
Local fishermen were also drawn into the work, and I myself drove an inflatable RIB in several productions. Later, I spent a month working on Hornblower in Falmouth, where filming took place daily. I drove a camera platform boat at Falmouth as well. One of the first filming jobs I worked on was a TV advertisement for an Italian company, called Tombstone Pizzas.
Shaka Zulu: The Last Great Warrior.
I came in from fishing one Saturday morning, and I saw the Earl of Pembroke in full sail to the east of my location. She was filming Shaka Zulu, aerial shots taken with a helicopter, on hire from Castle Air. I approached Charlestown harbour and sneaked in before the tide ebbed away. The harbour master asked me if I could run a lens out to the ship. I had already moored up my boat, so Graham told me to take the little Hobbler (a pilot vessel), moored outside the gates, and carry both a passenger and the camera lens out to Earl of Pembroke. I was warned that the lens must not get wet under any circumstances.
As we cleared the harbour entrance, a huge wave rose against the outgoing tide and crashed over the wheelhouse. I stayed dry inside, but my passenger, who was outside holding the lens, was thoroughly soaked.
When we came alongside the ship, I could see the cast and crew leaning over the rails, many of them seasick. The nearest person to me I recognised but couldn’t place a name to the face. Only when I was on the way back to the harbour did I realise it was Omar Sharif. I had wished him a good morning, and he replied, “Is it?” They remained out in the bay filming for the rest of the day, poor souls. I had a similar experience out sailing on a day trip on a schooner. A lady I recognised by face, she had a woolly hat on, and dressed down, halfway through the day, I realised it was Francis Tophill from BBC Gardeners World!
Charlestown’s connection with the film industry became increasingly visible, both directly and behind the scenes. The landing craft used in the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan were brought to the cask banks and placed in front of the Pier House Hotel, where they were refitted with engines and restored to full working order.
The list of productions filmed at Charlestown is remarkable. Period dramas such as Frenchman’s Creek, Moll Flanders, and Mansfield Park, as well as Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, all made use of the port. Another film I worked on was Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto. Charlestown’s long association with film production has given me many happy memories. One of my colleagues even got a job as Charlie Sheen’s bodyguard!
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders 1996
The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders, directed by David Attwood, is a period drama loosely based on Daniel Defoe’s novel. Alex Kingston plays Moll, the daughter of a thief who is sent to a nunnery after her mother’s execution. After escaping to the streets of 18th-century London, she endures hardship and exploitation but remains determined to find love and redemption. The cast also included Daniel Craig and the divine Diana Rigg.
Building the Turnaware Jetty
During filming, Square Sail Shipyard was asked to build a wooden jetty on the River Fal at Turnaware Point so a ship could be tied up for the production. The shipwrights were already busy constructing triremes for The Odyssey, so three others and I were asked to take on the job.
When we surveyed the site, the task quickly became more complicated. A National Trust representative explained that part of a hedge had been removed to give us access, but the final quarter mile down to the river was steep. As the grass gave way to concrete, I began to realise the place's historic importance.
We brought in a JCB and began digging test pits for posts about the size of telegraph poles, but soon struck concrete barely a foot below the surface. Then it dawned on me: Turnaware had been an embarkation site for the D-Day landings. What had seemed a straightforward job suddenly became a major challenge.
Eventually, we broke through the concrete and built the jetty 100 feet along the riverbank and another 100 feet out towards the river, so a ship could tie up at high tide. Trelissick House, directly opposite, appeared in the series as a tobacco plantation in Virginia.
A Last-Minute Finish
In the end, we finished just 12 hours before the film crew arrived. Many scenes from Moll Flanders were later shot at the location.
Filming Tank: Amy Foster, 1997
One of the most extraordinary filming sequences at Charlestown was created for Amy Foster (Swept from the Sea), starring Rachel Weisz and Vincent Perez among a plethora of stars. For a dramatic opening storm scene, the dock was transformed into a giant filming tank, with the tall ship Kaskelot at the centre of the action.
To simulate heavy seas, special fittings were bolted to the ship’s keel while she lay moored in the middle of the dock. These were connected by wires and pulleys to two cranes on the quayside. As the cranes hauled in the wire, it pulled the keel towards the quay, creating a list. When the brake was released, the masts swayed from side to side, giving the impression of a ship rolling in a storm.
Meanwhile, scaffold towers around 40 feet high were built on the quaysides. At the top of them sat two four-ton water tanks. Wooden chutes carried the water down towards the quay, with a second chute set at a right angle to direct it across the deck. The tanks could swivel and were kept constantly filled by the local fire brigade throughout filming.
Once darkness fell, wind machines were switched on, and huge volumes of water were blasted over the ship. Every few seconds, four tons of water crashed across the rolling deck from the towers beside her. The effect was astonishingly convincing.
When I later saw the film at the cinema, it was hard to believe the scene had been created in Charlestown.
Frenchman’s Creek 1998
Above: a photo from the filming of Frenchman's Creek. The Earl of Pembroke is seen making her escape to the open sea. I was on a raft working huge spotlights a few hundred metres out to sea. Photo copyright Lyndon Allen Collection.
During the filming of Frenchman’s Creek, I was asked to help work on a floating pontoon.
The pontoon was made from interlocking Cubijetty sections, each about 2 ft square, forming a raft roughly 50 ft across. We lowered a six-ton generator and several large spotlights onto it, secured them with ratchet straps, and towed the pontoon into position off Half Tide Rock at the eastern end of Charlestown Beach. It was then anchored at all four corners.
Filming took place at night. The tall ship Earl of Pembroke was to escape through the quay heads while fight scenes unfolded along the beach. The spotlights illuminated the action, and the shoot was planned to last a week.
During the shoot, the wind swung easterly. Walking down past Holmbush Arch, I saw white horses across the bay and feared the generator set had been lost. Yet when I reached the harbour, the pontoon was still in place, riding the weather surprisingly well. Its flexible design allowed it to move with the sea, and filming resumed the next day.
What struck me most was the number of fish that gathered around the raft whenever the lights were switched on.
Hornblower 2002
I remember being hired for Hornblower in 2002. I was asked in the office whether I would mind doing some work with the old pilot boat, Hobbler 2, down off the Manacles Rocks. Robin also mentioned there would be some work driving RIBs, or rigid inflatable boats. In the end, we were hired for 30 consecutive days, driving up and down to Falmouth every day.
Most days, the wind came from the east, which made working in that corner very uncomfortable. It usually took me about an hour to travel from the Maritime Museum, where we were moored, to the Manacles. Even so, I clearly remember some remarkable shots of the ships sailing almost side by side, so close they were nearly touching, with all their canvas set.
Creating the flooded dungeon scene
One scene required a flooded dungeon. Below Pendennis Castle, just above the high-water mark, is a small, castellated building on the rocks known as Little Dennis. The decision was made to flood it with seawater to waist height. As the actors were moored upriver, I was asked to take a pump down by boat and send enough water ashore to create the scene.
With a fresh easterly wind blowing, it was difficult to get close enough for the hoses to reach the shore. Once I had anchored, however, the job became more manageable. The shore crew threw me a heaving line, I tied it to the hose, and they hauled it in. I started the pump and, sure enough, water began flowing into Little Dennis. It took about two hours to pump enough seawater ashore.
Working as a camera and a ferry boat
On other days, I worked as a camera boat alongside my old friend Alan, now sadly passed away, in his fishing boat. I also spent a lot of time ferrying celebrities like Paul McGann and Ioan Gruffudd between vessels. It is always surprising how different a scene can look on screen compared with the reality of being there during filming!
Apocalypto 2006
Apocalypto at Crinnis Beach
During the filming of Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto, the audience was led to believe the closing scene setting was South America. In reality, these scenes were filmed much closer to home, on Crinnis Beach.
Many local fishermen were involved in the production. One scene still stands out. The conquistadors were rowing towards the beach, with a preacher in the bow holding a cross above his head. Brian Reynolds, who was working as both an extra and a rower, refused to get into the boat with the man of the cloth because he was superstitious. I remember that particular day as the only quiet one weather-wise. The rest of the shoot was dominated by fresh easterly winds, which made conditions far more challenging. It caused great amusement on set and remains one of my favourite memories from the filming.
Saving Private Ryan props at Charlestown
One of Charlestown’s most notable contributions to film production came in 1997, when landing craft for Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan were prepared on the Cask Banks before filming in Ireland.
In preparation for the famous opening sequence on Ballinesker Beach at Curracloe, County Wexford, Square Sail Shipyard Ltd of Charlestown was asked to supply ten LCVPs (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel). Square Sail director Robin Davies also served as maritime coordinator for the award-winning landing scenes. The craft themselves had been sourced from a stockpile in Palm Springs, California, and shipped across by sea.
When the landing craft arrived in Charlestown, they were surveyed and found to be in poor condition: they had no engines, and their bow gates were seized solid.
A major overhaul followed. V8 Detroit Diesel engines were installed, the seized mechanisms were freed, and after extensive restoration, all ten craft were returned to full working order. They were then loaded onto low-loaders and transported onward to Ireland.
Spielberg wanted the Omaha Beach landings to feel as authentic as possible, reportedly spending around $12 million on the sequence. It involved 1,500 extras as well as the ten Charlestown-restored landing craft.
I have been fortunate to be personally involved in many filming projects at Charlestown and to have known Robin Davies very well indeed. More recently, Robin kindly allowed me to scan Square Sail’s entire filming photo archive, which was a real honour. It covered over 30 years and over 1,000 photos!
Last summer, I gave an illustrated talk on Charlestown’s filming history at the St Austell Arts Theatre. The evening was completely sold out. I was blown away when Robin and his wife Veronica walked into the theatre. It is a story that goes far beyond Poldark. Filming had taken place here since the end of the silent era. The harbour has featured in major productions such as The Eagle Has Landed, The Three Musketeers, Alice in Wonderland, and Apocalypto, as well as period dramas including Frenchman’s Creek, Moll Flanders, and Mansfield Park, and historical works such as The Voyage of Charles Darwin, Longitude, and Hornblower.
Holiday 2000
In the year 2000, I received a call from the producer of the BBC's Holiday programme. They were in St Austell filming at the Eden Project and asked if I would take a film crew out to haul lobster pots. I agreed, and the producer informed me that everything was set for Friday morning. A lady named Kate would meet me then.
On Friday, I slipped the mooring chains and brought the boat around to the steps. Soon, a very attractive young woman named Kate Thornton approached me and introduced herself. Three others accompanied her. We all set out for a morning of fishing, and Kate and her crew were delightful. I brought them ashore at lunchtime so they could visit the Eden Project.
In the end, my scenes didn’t make the cut and were replaced at the last minute with scenes filmed at Heligan. However, I still have fond memories of that morning.
The impact of Poldark
The port later featured in the acclaimed BBC series Poldark, starring Aidan Turner and Eleanor Tomlinson. Charlestown is portrayed as Truro. Number 4 Quay Road, Charlestown, is where Captain Blamey lives. In the series its supposed to be Falmouth. Also, scenes supposed to be the Isles of Scilly were in fact Charlestown west beach and slipway. Visitors from around the world came to see the location for themselves, giving a welcome boost to Cornish tourism. Since around 90 per cent of the series was filmed in Cornwall, location tours grew in popularity, including stops at Porthcurno, Bodmin Moor and Pemberth Cove. I regularly take American visitors by coach to the Wheal Change and Wheal Busy filming locations at Botallack, where the sweeping cliffs evoke the unspoilt vistas of the 18th century. I also show the guests around Charlestown on a regular Monday morning film location tour. I also starred in the BBC’s Villages by the Sea, where I gave an interview.
I have experienced location tours elsewhere, including visits to the Ohio State Reformatory, associated with The Shawshank Redemption, and a Stephen King tour in Bangor, Maine. My favourite, however, was the Jaws location tour in Marth’s Vineyard, which remains one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited.
Whatever lies ahead for Charlestown’s filming future, every production has drawn on the harbour’s history and character.
Unknown filming facts.
One lasting legacy from 1976 was the mock gas lamps seen in the village today, which were installed for the filming of The Eagle Has Landed and then left in place, later helping many more period productions make use of the setting.
One live legacy was left from the filming of Mansfield Park. In the closing scene, a flock of white doves are released. The next day, animal wranglers came to catch the remaining doves. They caught all but a few, which have today multiplied and even bred with racing pigeons
During filming a night scene in St Austell Bay for Rebecca 1997, actor Charles Dance accidentally fell overboard! However, he was quickly rescued by the stand-by diver who was on board.
During the filming of A Respectable Trade, the lead actor was Warren Clarke. he developed a love for the local village pasties!
During the filming of L for Lester. Brian Murphy played the part of a driving instructor. In one scene, a car comes past the Pier House at speed and goes straight down the harbour slipway into the outer basin.
During the filming of the sci-fi drama Tripods, live Camels were brought onto the dockside
FILM AND TV AT CHARLESTOWN
THE CORNISH PYRAMIDS 1936
FAREWELL TOPSAILS 1937
NEXT OF KIN 1942
GARRY HALLIDAY 1959
MYSTERY IN THE MINE 1959 TV
POLDARK 1975 ONLY IN BAY TV
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED 1976.
SONGS OF PRAISE 1976. YTV
THE VOYAGE OF CHARLES DARWIN 1978. TV
DRACULA 1979
THE MANIONS OF AMERICA 1981.
L FOR LESTER 1982. TV
THE MISSIONARY 1983
DIANA 1984 TV
HIGHWAY 1984 TV
TRIPODS- EPISODES 1,2 AND 3. 1984 TV
FLOYD ON FOOD-SERIES 2, EPISODE 2. 1986 TV
THE THREE MUSKETEERS 1993
RETURN TO TREASURE ISLAND 1995
MOLL FLANDERS 1996.
REBECCA 1997.
THE VOYAGE OF THE MATHEW 1997 BBC
AMY FOSTER SWEPT FROM THE SEA 1997
A RESPECTABLE TRADE 1997.
PROPS FOR SAVING PRIVATE RYAN 1998.
FRENCHMANS CREEK 1998
WIVES AND DAUGHTERS 1999.
DAVID COPPERFIELD 1999
MANSFIELD PARK 1999
BBC HOLIDAY 200O TV
PANDEMONIUM 2000.
LONGITUDE 2000.
SHAKA ZULU-THE LAST GREAT WARRIOR 2001
THE COUNT OF MONTE CHRISTO 2002
TWO MEN WENT TO WAR 2002.
HORNBLOWER 2002.
MAP MAN 2004.
WUTHERING HEIGHTS. 2004 (Italian)
CIME TEMPESTOSE 2004
HALF TERM 2005
MAN TO MAN 2005.
A NEW WORLD 2005
APOCALYPTO 2006.
TREASURE ISLAND KIDS-THE MONSTER OF CREATION 2009.
CREATION 2009.
VIC REAVES PIRATES. 2009. TV
ALICE IN WONDERLAND 2010
MARIAH MUNDI AND THE MIDAS BOX.
CAPTAIN SABRETOOTH 2013.
DR WHO 2011. THE CURSE OF THE BLACK SPOT. TV
POLDARK 2015 TV
FRONTIER. 2016
TABOO 2017.
BAIT 2017.
VILLAGES BY THE SEA. BBC 2022. TV.
BEYOND PARADISE BBC 2024.
PROPS.
COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO.2002
WHITE SQUALL.
ROBINSON CRUSOE.
FRANKLIN, DAYS THAT SHOOK THE WORLD
ROBIN HOOD.
CLASH OF THE TITANS.
ODYSSEY.
CLOUD ATLAS.
HORNBLOWER
OVERSEAS FILMING.
CUTHROAT ISLAND-MALTA
WHITE SQUALL-SOUTH AFRICA
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN-IRELAND
1492 CONQUEST OF PARADISE-COSTA RICA
ODYYSSEY.-TURKEY
JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS-TURKEY
SHACKLETON, LAST PLACE ON EARTH-GREENLAND
HORNBLOWER-SPAIN
ROBINSON CRUSOE-CUBA
CREATION 2009
PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF 2010
CRUSOE-SEYCHELLES
DOCUMENTARIES.
CAPTAIN BLIGH.
FRANKLIN.
ROBIN HOOD.
PRESSGANGED.
AFRICAN.
ANCESTORS.
BLACKBEARD.
ARMADA
Written By Lyndon Allen in 2026.
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