Walmington-on-Sea

2022-07-20T00:13:35Z

2A00:23C5:ED83:2301:F08D:A4B7:5C4C:D2C7: /* Residents */

{{short description|Fictional seaside town in England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
[[Image:walmington-on-sea.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Map of the fictional 'Walmington-on-Sea]]
'''Walmington-on-Sea''' is a [[fictional]] [[seaside resort]] that is the setting of ''[[Dad's Army]]'', including the [[BBC Television]] [[sitcom]] (1968-1977), the [[BBC Radio 4]] [[serial (radio and television)|series]] and two [[feature films]] ([[Dad's Army (1971 film)|1971]] and [[Dad's Army (2016 film)|2016]]).

Walmington-on-Sea is on the south coast of England which, following the fall of France and the evacuation of the [[British Expeditionary Force (World War II)|British Expeditionary Force]] from [[Dunkirk]] during the [[Second World War]], found itself on the [[front line]] against Hitler. It is situated in Sussex <ref>''Dad's Army: The Defence of a Front Line English Village'', BBC Books, 1989, p. 5</ref> and the nearest large town is Eastbourne, where Captain Mainwaring was educated in the local grammar school.

The series followed the adventures and misadventures of members of a fictional [[platoon]] of the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]]: Captain George Mainwaring ([[Arthur Lowe]]), Sergeant Arthur Wilson ([[John Le Mesurier]]), Lance Corporal Jack Jones ([[Clive Dunn]]), Private James Frazer ([[John Laurie]]), Private Charles Godfrey ([[Arnold Ridley]]), Private Frank Pike ([[Ian Lavender]]) and Private Joe Walker ([[James Beck]] who died suddenly during production of Series 6 in 1973). The Home Guard was a volunteer army formed from those ineligible for [[conscription]] by age, minor physical inability or occupation, to defend the United Kingdom from German invasion following the fall of France.

==Amenities and filming locations==
[[File:Brandon station - geograph.org.uk - 1212351.jpg|thumb|[[Brandon railway station]] stood in for the station at Walmington-on-Sea]]
[[File:Guildhall Thetford.jpg|thumb|right|The Guildhall at [[Thetford]] became Walmington-on Sea's Town Hall]]
[[File:Nether Row Thetford.jpg|thumb|right|Several episodes were filmed at Nether Row in Thetford]]
[[File:Mill Lane Thetford.jpg|thumb|right|Filming of [[The Deadly Attachment]] took place on Mill Lane in Thetford]]
[[File:The Palace Cinema Thetford.jpg|thumb|right|Thetford's Palace Cinema (now a bingo hall) doubled as Walmington's Empire Cinema]]
Over the nine [[television]] series, the action is set in various places in Walmington-on-Sea, the [[sound stage|interiors]] of which were built in the television [[studios]], while the [[Filming location|exterior scenes]] were filmed at various [[Norfolk]] locations.<ref name=Lit>[http://www.literarynorfolk.co.uk/Norfolk%20Film%20Locations.htm ''[[Dad's Army]]'' locations on Literary Norfolk]</ref> Those included a pleasure [[pier]] (filmed in [[Great Yarmouth]]<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/content/articles/2004/11/18/film_dads_army_gy_festival_feature.shtml "Dad's Army invade Great Yarmouth"], [[BBC Norfolk]] website</ref>) with a 20-foot (6m) wide gap blown in the middle to prevent it from being used as a landing stage by invading [[armed forces]]. The [[beach]] is protected with [[barbed wire]] and other defences including [[land mine|mines]], [[Pillbox (military)|pillboxes]] and [[tank trap]]s.

Other locations, typical of a [[seaside town]] during the Second World War, included a [[sweet shop]], The Novelty [[Rock (confectionery)|Rock]] Emporium, at least two [[bank]]s (the fictional Swallows Bank, which appeared in early [[episode]]s, and the real [[Martins Bank]]), the Marigold [[tea room]], Anne's Pantry, the Dutch Oven, [[Lance-Corporal Jack Jones|Corporal Jones's]] [[butcher's shop]], [[ARP Warden William Hodges#ARP Warden William Hodges|Hodges']] [[greengrocers]], [[Private James Frazer|Frazer's]] [[undertakers]], a [[Movie theater|cinema]] and numerous [[pubs]] including the Red Lion, which all suggest it was a reasonably sized place. There is also a Free Polish Club for [[Polish Armed Forces in the West|Polish servicemen]]. In common with most real [[Great Britain|British]] [[town]]s, Walmington-on-Sea has a [[church (building)|church]], [[Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne|Saint Aldhelm's]], with a hall next door which is the setting for various [[community]] events in the episodes such as the Christmas [[pantomime]] and a place for the [[Sea Scout]]s to parade. It is also where the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard [[platoon]] [[Muster (military)|muster]] on parade nights.

Many outdoor scenes were filmed at [[Thetford]], an inland town in [[Norfolk]].<ref name=Lit/> The 1971 film, ''[[Dad's Army (1971 film)|Dad's Army]]'', moved location to [[Chalfont St Giles]], even further from the coast. The 2016 film, ''[[Dad's Army (2016 film)|Dad's Army]]'', was filmed even more distantly, in [[Yorkshire]].

Thetford's [[wikt:guildhall|Guildhall]] (today the home of the [[Dad's Army Museum]]) became Walmington-on-Sea's [[Town Hall]]. The Guildhall featured in the 1972 episode ''[[Time on My Hands (Dad's Army)|Time on My Hands]]'', in which a German [[Luftwaffe]] pilot dangled from the clock tower when his parachute became caught in the clock's hands. The Guildhall was also used in the 1974 episode "[[The Captain's Car]]". The distinctive flint cottages in Thetford's Nether Row appeared in four episodes: "[[Man Hunt (Dad's Army)|Man Hunt]]", "[[The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones]]", "[[The Big Parade (Dad's Army)|The Big Parade]]" and "[[Time on My Hands (Dad's Army)|Time on My Hands]]". Mill Lane was used in "[[The Deadly Attachment]]", while Thetford's real-life Palace Cinema (now a [[Bingo (United Kingdom)|bingo]] hall) doubled as Walmington-on-Sea's Empire Cinema in two episodes – "The Big Parade" (1970) and "[[A Soldier's Farewell]]" (1972).<ref name=Lit/>

[[Brandon railway station]] was used for exterior shots of Walmington-on-Sea railway station, while the platforms of [[Weybourne railway station|Weybourne Station]] on the preserved [[North Norfolk Railway]] (a heritage steam railway) stood in for the platforms at Walmington-on-Sea station in the episode "[[The Royal Train]]".

==Residents==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Character !! Job
|-
| [[Captain George Mainwaring|George Mainwaring]] || Bank manager
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Elizabeth Mainwaring|Elizabeth Mainwaring]] ||
|-
| [[Sergeant Arthur Wilson|Arthur Wilson]] || Bank chief clerk
|-
| [[Lance Corporal Jack Jones|Jack Jones]] || [[Butcher]]
|-
| [[Mrs Fox|Mildred Fox]] ||
|-
| [[Private Frank Pike|Frank Pike]] || Bank clerk
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Mavis Pike|Mavis Pike]] ||
|-
| [[Private Joe Walker|Joe Walker]] || [[Spiv]]
|-
| [[Private James Frazer|James Frazer]] || [[Funeral director|Undertaker]]
|-
| [[Private Charles Godfrey|Charles Godfrey]] || [[Retirement|Retired]]
|-
| Dolly Godfrey ||
|-
| Cissy Godfrey ||
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Private Sponge|Mr Sponge]] || [[Sheep farming|Sheep farmer]]
|-
| [[Chief ARP Warden Hodges|William Hodges]] || [[Greengrocer]]
|-
| [[Reverend Timothy Farthing]] || [[Vicar]]
|-
| [[Maurice Yeatman]] || [[Verger]]
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Mrs Yeatman|Beryl Yeatman]] ||
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Mr Gordon|Mr Gordon]] || Town clerk
|-
| Miss Fortescue || Proprietor of the Marigold Tearooms
|-
| Doreen || [[movie theatre|Cinema Worker]]/[[Restaurant|Restaurant worker]]
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Recurring characters|Edith Parish]] || [[movie theatre|Cinema usherette]]
|-
| Mr Cheesewright || Cinema manager
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Recurring characters|Janet King]] || Bank clerk
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Recurring characters|Sidney Blewitt]] || [[Retirement|Retired]]
|-
| George Jones || Museum caretaker
|-
| Mr Billings ||
|-
| Bracewell || Businessman
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Recurring characters|Raymond]] || [[Butcher]]'s assistant
|-
| Miss Doris Mortimer || Butcher's assistant
|-
| Desmond ||
|-
| [[List of Dad's Army characters#Recurring characters|Cheeseman]] || [[Journalist]]
|-
| Elgood ||
|-
| Hastings ||
|-
| Miss Meadows ||
|-
| Forkus ||
|-
| Day ||
|-
| Eccles ||
|-
| Woods ||
|-
| Taylor ||
|-
| Mrs Peters ||
|-
| Violet Gibbons ||
|}

==Pubs==
*The Red Lion
*The Six Bells
*The Anchor
*The Black Lion
*The Dog & Partridge
*The King's Head
*The Feathers
*The Fox
*The Hare & Hounds
*The Horse & Groom
*The Horse & Hounds
*The Fox & Pheasant
*The Goat & Compasses
*The Marquis of Granby

==Tea shops==
*The Marigold Tea Rooms
*Anne's Pantry
*The Dutch Oven

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.walmington-on-line.co.uk/home/visit-walmington-on-sea/ Description of Walmington-on-Sea]
*[http://keithbriggs.info/Bayes_placenames-2.html#Walmington-on-Sea Location of Walmington-on-Sea]

{{Dad's Army}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walmington-On-Sea}}
[[Category:Dad's Army]]
[[Category:Fictional populated places in England]]

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Walmington-on-Sea