room 237

Ok here is a question and a half i think and it is something which has bugged me for many years? I know the location refered to in the film was Cymbach in Wales but was some of the landscape scenes filmed in this location? and where to is that railway station where most of the guests arrived to start their journey to the Halfway house. I know the makers of this film would not have left the real name of this staition exposed, but i have tried to read the station name behind one of the porters but he seems to be purposely blocking the view so we cannot read the sign? Where is this station?
Secondly a real cottage was used that is obvious and two of the characters Meadows and Fortiscew are stood on a hill top and all of a sudden the Halfway house comes into view with its chimney smoking/Also when David Davies arrives in his car we are shown a much closer shot of the House and it looks obvious that this aint no set perfectly built to look like a real house, where is this house too? and was this in Wales or was Cymbach just chosen as a name for the fictional location?
third question did Mervyn Johns Move to the USA and die there? and where is he buried is his burial site in the UK?.
When i was a delivery driver many moons ago my routes were around these parts and i found one location which very nearly resembled the locations in the film although i never found this Cottage? the area was a beautifull place called Usk in Wales, and one part of this area had not been kept up with the times and was a very sleepy village and all the people their to whom most of which i met over a period of time were very warm and welcoming people, some of which talked very little english, and had a hard time to understand what i was saying, this place was stuck in a time warp and resembeled a village in the 1930's very strange but true. I would often park my wagon on a hillside overlooking some of the most beautifull scenic areas and just sat there with admiration of the beauty of this place, and it felt peacefull and tranquill and i felt as though i had left the 20th century long behind if Mervyn Johns had walked past my wagon and said are you looking for the Halfway House sir i would have died! So where was the location exactly of this film? One of you out their must know the answer or at least will know somebody that knows? I want to go their and find this place so please anybody if you know any answers or you have been wanting to know the answer to my question also please get in contact so that we may remember together and peice this jigsaw together!

Steve Crook

I don't think Mervyn ever moved to the US of A. He only did a couple of wholly American films. He died in Norwood, S. London but I don't know where he's buried.

Steve

benchcluttocks

hi, just discovered this question, and I hope I can solve it for you! I love this film and a lot of the locations are shot on Exmoor National Park in Devon/Somerset. The house with the chimneys they are in is BARLYNCH FARM, with 'remains of Augustian Priory' which is on the A396 near Dulverton, Somerset, some of the shots of beautiful countryside are across the road from here. Also the scenes on the bicycle with the 'squealing' tyres is around Dunkery Hill and at Webbers Post ( i think) near Horner. I know this because I had the privilege to work as an estate worker for exmoor National Park for three years, and I recognised it all straight away when seeing the film!!!!!!!!! One of my favourites, which alas, I have mislaid the video, during various house moves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope this helps you. Oh, I don't know where the station is, because I can't remeber it in the film, its a long time since I saw it.

Here's a picture of the house http://www.workingforwildlife.org/education/priory.htm

arty-dave

This is a film I would like to see - has anybody got a DVD they could do for me?

room 237

May i say thank you so much for the information. I did however find this location quite by accident on the Net on a site and wrote down all the descriptions and came accross Barlynch Farm while surfing for the location and any pictures. But never the less other details you have given are also important clues into nailing locations used. I am trying to piece together all the locations as i am intending on putting all these locations togther with uptodate pictures of the areas used. I am also reserching characters as well as locations. So any information would be helpfull. Please remember that i do not need information on the Dead Of Night at the present time but once this project is finnished i hope to research that film. WHAT IS VERY IMPORTANT IS THAT I STILL NEED INFORMATION AS TO WHERE THIS STATION WAS OR STILL IS.

room 237

Thankyou to all of you who have so far replied to my post. I would be interested for any information which can lead me to nailing all locations used. So far we have Barlynch Farm Exmoor National Park Devon England, Dunkery Hill near Horner, Somerset England. Now i need information as to the Garden scene where fortiscew as well as Meadows are sat and Glynis Johns is seen to walk along the grass casting no shadow. Is this also part of Barlynch Farm as well as the cottage that is near by.

I still need to find the station and why Cymbach was chosen as a place name but none of the area was used in the film. I do know there are two Cybach in Wales sorry for any mis spelling if i have spelt this wrong but you know what i am refering to.

I am intending visiting all areas and locations used in the film as all of these are within easy reaching distance to where i live.

This is a classic film and is in need of a lot more exposure than it has recieved so far! Ealing is a part of English heritage and is just as important as some of the Stately homes we have around the country.
Temple Meads is very easy to compare with footage as what it looks like today compared to the film.

So any information please would be gratefull but please keep any subjects to this film in particular. And yes i do have an immaculate version of this film. But i would advise most of you looking for it you will not find a genine copy of this film because it has never been released onto Video or DVD and Warner Home Video have no intention of releasing it either as part of their on going Ealing Studio Collection. The Halfway House was shown many moons ago one day in the afternoon on a weekday on Channel 4 this is where my footage has come from but it has no commercial breaks and there are no lost scenes. The only editing done was the commercials but there are no lost minutes and this is a perfect film from start to finnish. Most if not all the copies of this film that are available from the net in one form or another these have originated from Channel 4 (I Mean Shown On Channel 4) and Recorded by the viewer. purchased by customers abroad and resold there and most probably resold back to this country after being re edited. One channel 4 logo is left inside the film somewhere as this one was not spotted and no doubt if you have The Halfway House you will find this somewhere within the film.

The Dead Of Night is released onto Video as i have the original of that one but i have transfered it to DVD and so far as i am concerned my version is better than what i have seen so far from one other retail version which was released on DVD at one time. But for any of those who maybe reading this and thinking i am selling copies of these i do not do that! These are for my personal use only but if any body should want a duplication of what i have you are welcome. If the likes of Warner are not prepared to get their finger out and get the Halfway House on to DVD what do they expect there are many people out there who love and would cherish this film.
EALING STUDIO'S THE BEST FILM PRODUCTION IN THE WORLD!! NOT EVEN HOLLYWOOD CAN MATCH THESE FILMS. BE PROUD OF YOUR ENGLISH! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

4737carlin

You might be able to find out if you ask people more interested in trains than films, if you can provide any information, even just a photo of the station.
Try the lost railways discussion group on Yahoo perhaps

room 237

Everybody who is interested in THE HALFWAY HOUSE Ealing Studios click this link to a new site
http://www.carlcorway.cc you will find some interesting stuff there!

Steve Crook

They say that the Halfway House itself is on the St.Nicholas Priory Estate and then claim it's some sort of secret location owned by the League Against Cruel Sports.
But a quick Google for "St. Nicholas Priory Estate" finds a League Against Cruel Sports Ltd document that places it as part of the Baronsdown Complex near Dulverton on Exmoor.

Who had Exmoor in the sweepstake?

There's a picture of Carlito in front of the house at www.carlcorway.cc | My Beautiful Ealing - but it doesn't show all that much of the house

Steve

room 237

Steve Thankyou for taking the time to look at the website firstly there are lots of Pictures that are yet to be added. Obviously you are correct that this is indeed Exmoor. If you go to the link at the bottom of the page this will take you to more pictures which are compared to the original scenes from the film. There is also a clear picture there of a sign which states who actually owns this property. I am in the middle of a search of the original owners from the time this film was shot. I must be honest that i have had real problems trying to get the pictures that i have onto the website this is the reason for the time being i have had to put a link in so that any hungry people can view these pictures.
What i do need is as much help also concerning one other key location which is the train station that was used.
A detailed search has been made of all train stations past and present but this has failed to turn up the correct station. to which may now have been demolished. I beleive that this station was not far from the location that the majority of the shoots were done.
There seems to be a lot of people who know about this film in this area of which the house exists but seem reluctant to give any information. But this is only the beginning i dont want to reveal to much but i will be back with hopefully a lot more information. There is also more pictures still to be added and this website is stil in its infancy. The picture of where Carlito is actually stood is indeed the original House used in the film.

I do appreciate your interest and thankyou for promoting maybe others to visit, That is the reason i started this project because if you are like me you want to know every scrap of information connected to this Film.
What i would like is the BFI The British Film Institute to come forward and answer the questions i have raised to them on a number of long emails sent to them. It probably boils down to the fact that i am just another curious member of public asking a lot of questions which they dont seem to have the time in answering.
For them i would state that this is a serious subject and if they are not prepared to furnish me with details other than what the actors were or when they passed away then it is my intention to seek these answers on my own with my own financial support to sponser it.
I think it is cleary disgusting that out of Every film made by Ealing this gem is one which has had no real attention paid to it something which i intend to change.
Any problems viewing any of the pictures please come back to me and i will sort the situation as soon as i can.
Thank you
Editor Carlito Corway THE SEARCH FOR THE HALFWAY HOUSE.

room 237

"THE HALFWAY HOUSE 1943/1944"
I am asking anyone that lives near any of the locations used in the Halfway House if at all possible you could take any pictures and send them to me to add to the website. The only locations i need at the moment are the hotel Oakley had been doing his dirty wheeling and dealing, The site that David Davies is shown to have given one of his conductive performences.

The Railway Station is a very important one! Does anybody have any original Photographs of this station or know of someone who will. As for copy write on these particular pictures i can always get permission from the owners if i were to use them.

Please do not send to me anything which is protected or has copy write these must be your own Pictures.
It does not matter if these buildings no longer exist you can send to me what is there now.
Once the pictures have been checked and verified i will add them to the website giving the persons name who sent them to me.

I am at the moment conducting my own searches and will bring news if and when it happens which i will share with everyone who has a keen interest in this film.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thankyou.

Wee Sonny MacGregor

An excellent site, if I might say so. Well done. You're quite right - this film is a real gem. I recommend it to all who will listen. It's so strange that its memory stays with you for a very long time.

Basil Dearden used to live some two miles away from me, in a house once owned by Dirk Bogarde and now the home of a failed politico. I've always thought Dearden should have got a lot more recognition. He made some excellent films.

theuofc

Fascinating, WeeSM!

Yes, that was Beel House. Very nice that you live close to it. Beel was a beautiful home and grounds. After Dirk bought it, a girls grammar school was built next door; to escape the multitude of peering, longing schoolgirl eyes, Dirk had to have a 20 ft. dirt mound,grassed over, built as a shield separating the two. It did and didn't work as girls would just perch on the mound with binoculars. Dirk sold to good friends Basil Dearden and wife Melissa Stribling, who were tragically killed in an auto accident in 1971. In the 80s, Beel House was bought by rocker Ozzy Osbourne (no offense, Ozzy, but it's quite a leap), and later found itself in the ownership of Robert Kilroy-Silk.

I very much agree that Basil Dearden was a fine director. Dirk's first truly edgy role was in Dearden's "The Blue Lamp" (1950) as well as the then groundbreaking "Victim" (1961) and "The Mind Benders" (1963). And, of course, Dearden directed many other fine films that Dirk was not in.

Best,

Barbara

David Brent

Great website Room 237.
I wish there were more sites like your's on the web.
I heartily agree that it is about time that 'The Halfway House' and many more wonderful but hard to get Brit films are made available to the public.
I await with interest for further photos/information on your site.
Good luck in your research.

Cheers

Dave.

benchcluttocks

Hi, I answered a location question about the halfway house a while ago, I must have put it on the wrong topic. But check out my picture to the left, that is the Halfway House. I worked for Exmoor National Park and we often used to drive past here, and I instantly recognised it. A lot of filming has been done on Exmoor. A few Thomas Hardys and the best one, Maid Marion, the kids version! Anyone need the exact grid ref. for the Halfway House email me!

Actually maybe are ought not to give the grid ref! but its not really hard to find, its on a main road and there is a public footpath across the river from it! so its not exactly private
Some of the other locations are nearby. When the men are speeding along on the bicycle that is the road to Webbers Post from Dunkery. When they look and the Halfway House appears, I believe that that is the veiw from the carp park at Webbers Post looking west across the valley to Horner Wood . I don't know the railway station though, could it be Minehead?????