Fears House Of The Dragon fans will mean influx to Cornwall

Cornish locals complain they could face an ‘unsustainable’ influx of House Of The Dragon fans looking for filming locations of new Game of Thrones prequel

• The George RR Martin adaption has used Mounts Bay, St Michael’s Mount to film
• As well as Kynance Cove, Holywell Beach which will likely drawn an influx of fans
• But residents say that they are also facing a huge burden from holiday lets 
• And staycation economy ‘can’t keep gorging’ themselves on ‘communities’
• House Of The Dragon airs from August 22 on Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK

Cornish locals fear an influx of House Of The Dragon fans after the popular tourism spot was chosen as a place for filming. 

The Game of Thrones prequel, which airs on Sky Atlantic on Monday at 2am, is expected to draw visitors to Mounts Bay, St Michael’s Mount, Kynance Cove and Holywell Beach who are looking to recreate the magic of the latest George RR Martin adaption.  

But residents are concerned the new series starring Matt Smith, 39, and Emma D’Arcy, 30, who both play members of the royal family, the House of Targaryen, will increase the burden on local infrastructure and the already strained housing market which sees millions of visitors a year descending on the staycation hotspot.  

One local business told the Guardian that holiday lets ‘can’t keep gorging’ themselves on Cornwall’s ‘communities and the environment’ and tourists should instead go to less popular sites to protect the local area. 

This is not the first time locals have criticised the production as owners of a holiday park hit out House Of The Dragon filming in September 2021, saying the noise drove its visitors away. 

Cornish locals fear an influx of House Of The Dragon fans after the popular tourism spot was chosen as a place for filming. Pictured: Matt Smith transformed into the character of Prince Daemon Targaryen and Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen

View of St Michael’s Mount in Cornwall at sunset, another filming location 

It is true that Game of Thrones did create a huge spike in visitors to its filming locations. In the 10 years since GOT came out in 2011, Iceland has seen visitors numbers grown from 500,000 visitors to more than 2.5 million. 

While the location of King’s Landing, Dubrovnik in Croatia, where much of the political action takes place in the HBO series, has seen double the tourists while Northern Ireland, where much of the North is filmed, has got £250m in extra tourist revenue. 

And this has prompted fears from Mike Bevens, managing director at accommodation firm Sawday’s, which owns the glamping specialist Canopy and Stars, who said: ‘The constant desire for insatiable growth by some holiday operators is unsustainable. 

‘The industry can’t keep gorging itself on the generosity of local infrastructure, communities and the environment without considering the longer-term effects.’

He urges people not to go the filming locations but instead to ‘Restormel Castle, Botelet, or the Lizard and Roseland peninsulas’. 

Looking the part: Matt transformed into the character of Prince Daemon Targaryen, donning a long black jacket and knee-high boots and Emma wore a red gown, both of the colours represent House Targaryen

Fire will reign this Sunday August 21 on HBO Max and on Monday August 22 on Sky Atlantic as House Of The Dragon premiere’s 

It’s happening! Dozens of crew members were seen working on the set in April 2021 while Matt and Emma walked through the middle of what looked like pieces of wood

His view corresponds to a 2021 report from Mark Duddridge, of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, who said: ‘Simply adding more visitors to our existing pattern of peak-to-trough seasonality is not what we want in terms of jobs, steady income, our environment or our experience of living in Cornwall.’

And it’s true that two million people visited the area during the Covid pandemic in 2021 prompting huge concerns over Cornwall being overrun by tourists. 

Reacting to the news, Ethel Winslow also wrote on Facebook: ‘I am super pumped about House of the Dragons, and to see my beloved Cornwall, even as a stand-in for a fictional place is exciting. 

‘I understand their concerns about tourism, though. After Doc Martin came out, Port Isaac was overrun with fans who want to see Mrs. Tischell’s pharmacy, the Doc’s house, and the Crab pub.’

While Nicola Power said: ‘Cornwall needs more work in the local areas. My daughter and grandchildren live there and when she first moved in she couldn’t find a job for a long time. The unemployment in Cornwall is very high.’

Getting ready: Crew were seen testing out wooden rowboats that is believed to have been prepared for the shoot

Great spot: The castle at St Michaels Mount in Marazion Bay appears to be a key spot for the production

Dragons flying and ships seen in the trailer for the upcoming series, House Of The Dragon

Intriguing: The wreckage of a ship was seen being built by crew on set

Location: The Cornish castle has a breathtaking view of the North Sea with much of the filming said to be taking place in the lower reaches of the mount

St Michael’s Mount, where production is said to have happened, baring a resemblance to Queen Cersei’s castle in the HBO series

Other locals are also not doom and gloom about the Hollywood blockbuster-style series’ scenes being recognised by fantasy fans.  

‘I’ve seen the trailers and recognised several spots,’ Visit Cornwall’s chief executive, Malcolm Bell said: ‘Including Mounts Bay, St Michael’s Mount and Holywell Beach.’ 

Cornwall also has had long tradition of being enjoyed by film and TV viewers with the old Poldark series filmed there in 1975, along with the new version and Doc Martin. 

Kynance Cove and Holywell Bay, were also chosen as the filming locations like the  House of the Dragon.

Star-studded event: Olivia Cooke, Milly Alcock and Matt Smith led the stars attending the Sky Group Premiere of House Of The Dragon in Leicester Square, London on Monday

‘That was big among the 50-plus age group,’ says Bell. ‘But we’re hoping that House of the Dragon might give us exposure to a younger audience worldwide.’

Meanwhile, Dave and Krys Humphrey, owners of The Meadow Holiday Park at Holywell Bay, Cornwall, said filming of The Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon has been a nightmare for their business last September. 

The couple, whose park is next to the National Trust site where the show is being filmed, said guests have left this week because of the noise which lasts from 5am to 10pm.

They say the noise levels could be improved if generators were moved to the opposite side of the car park but claimed they were told this was not possible.

Other filming locations in the UK included Warner Bros Leavesden Studios in Watford and the Peak District’s village of Castleton and at Mam Tor. 

Jo Dilley, the managing director of Marketing Peak District and Derbyshire, said: ‘We have over 500 sq km of open access land to explore – plenty of places to escape the crowds.’ 

House Of The Dragon airs from August 22 on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW in the UK and on HBO and HBO Max in the US.  

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