When I say I’ve been searching for YEARS to find this location – I really mean it! Since at least 2017, in fact.
It is one of the main locations used in the The Worm That Turned; the famous ‘big white house’ that features in the penultimate episode (Episode 7). I’ve spent hours sat on Google maps going up and down various roads in the Thornbury / Dursley / Berkeley area of Bristol, even a few hours in the car driving around random country roads. All to no avail.
This is the house. A large white house, with adjoining garage, a huge front lawn and a lane along the side. Plus, the above famous photograph was taken in the grounds. No documents, books or online sources seemed to mention where it might be.
But, around eighteen months ago I decided to just start asking around. I put articles in local magazines, and joined local Facebook groups for the areas I suspected it was in. Within an hour of posting in one group, someone came forward and said they recognised the ‘big house’. A quick dive on Google maps, and… I found it! I jumped for joy.
Welcome to Elmtree House, in Breadstone, a small village just outside Berkeley, in Gloucestershire.
It’s changed a little bit: the front door has been moved to the other end, and the garage now converted into some extra rooms. But the overall shape and large gardens are still pretty similar. At the time of writing, it’s currently up To Let, so I was able to jump online and find some all important pictures of the interior (some scenes were filmed inside, see below!)
Naturally, it is a private residence, so all of my street images were taken from the public road just outside.
Let’s see some Then/Now:
Above: The lane at the side of the house where the female Police surround the house (now a bit over-grown!)
Above: The most likely interior room, used for this scene (in the left-hand corner). Ronnie B and Wanda Ventham tuck in to some breakfast. The house appears to have been remodelled a few times since filming, so I suspect some walls have been built and knocked down internally. The bathroom scene in the show is clearly filmed on the ground floor, but the bathroom now appears to be on the top floor.
Above: Ronnie C rides his bicycle towards the location. The house with the white gabled end is still visible through the trees – spot the chimney.
Above: a slightly different angle, but the telephone pole remains. The postbox also looks like it’s roughly in the same place, but has perhaps jumped to the other side. The barn visible in the right-hand corner has been upgraded!
So there we go! Another Worm That Turned location off the tick list! If anyone knows of any others, please do get in touch. There are plenty of others I’ve still yet to uncover…
The Two Ronnies Appreciation Society 