Game of Thrones studio opens door to Westeros, in Northern Ireland
BELFAST: FEB. 4 – Game of Thrones fans are being invited to step into the world of Westeros at a £40m attraction housing sets, costumes and props from the epic TV drama.
The Game of Thrones Studio Tour opens later at Linen Mill, one of the show’s filming locations in Northern Ireland.
The Great Hall of Winterfell and Castle Black sets have remained in place there since filming ended in 2018.
Other sets have been reconstructed and iconic props like the Iron Throne added for the 110,000-sq-ft attraction.
Game of Thrones tourism was booming in Northern Ireland before the pandemic, with one in six leisure visitors saying the show influenced their decision to travel there in 2018.
That translated to around 350,000 people, who spent £50m in the local economy, according to Tourism NI.
“We expect to increase that,” the tour’s general manager Brad Kelly told BBC News. “This is a global TV phenomenon and we want to bring a global audience to Northern Ireland to get close to Game of Thrones.”
The venue on the outskirts of Banbridge in Co Down has been described by Stormont Economy Minister Gordon Lyons as “game-changing” for the region.
Fans can also see sets like Dragonstone and the destroyed throne room; original props including Jon Snow’s famous Longclaw sword and the wedding dress worn by Sansa at her marriage to Joffrey; as well as seeing how prosthetics and visual effects were created.
“These are the actual sets that we walked on. These are the actual costumes we wore, the swords we swung,” actor Ian Beattie, who played Meryn Trant, told Reuters.
“And unlike the show, where you don’t always see it, you will get to see the incredible detail that went into every aspect of the making of this show.”
Mr Kelly said about a third of the programme’s Northern Ireland-based filming took place at Linen Mill.
“There are a few sets, like Winterfell Hall, that were specifically here and haven’t moved,” he said.
“But in this huge collaboration between Linen Mill Studios, HBO and Warner Media, the challenge has been, what do we put in out of the vast array of props, sets and costumes that they have in store? That’s been a huge creative challenge.”
-BBC
