Mr Bates vs The Post Office, the ITV drama, has shocked the spectators after exposing the true story of the Post Office Scandal.
It focuses on one man, Alan Bates, portrayed by Toby Jones, who sets up the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance in line with other postmistresses and postmasters in the UK after he was accused of financial tension at his post office.
In 1998 Suzanne Sercombe, Alan’s partner, and himself used their hard-earned money to buy a Post Office branch in Llandudno.
After the arrival of new Horizon computers in the year 2000, unexplained losses started to appear in his accounts. In this article, we’re going to take a look at the filming locations of Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Where is Mr Bates vs The Post Office set?
In Mr. Bates v. The Post Office, several locations in the United Kingdom are included, such as London, Llandudno in north Wales, the subpostmaster’s home, and, most famously, Fenny Compton.
In 2009, Bates convened the first conference of postmasters in the Warwickshire village of Fenny Compton to launch a legal battle over the Post Office crisis.
Among the many other places mentioned are South Warnborough, Hampshire, where Jo Hamilton worked as a sub-postmistress, and Bridlington, Yorkshire, where Lee Castleton was the sub-postmaster.
Nant Ffrancon
Alan and Suzanne’s home, which they relocate to after losing the Post Office, serves as a crucial backdrop for the series. Nestled between the Glyderau and the Carneddau, in the dramatic Nant Ffrancon valley of Eryri National Park, this exquisite, secluded home overlooks a steep-sided glacier valley that descends to Bethesda.
The dramatic view of the breathtaking valley rising higher, with the home snuggled in and appearing like a picture-perfect postcard, highlights the breathtaking beauty of the Nant Ffrancon Pass.
It is unclear if the striking white mansion is accessible to the public and is owned by the National Trust.
In one scene of the play, Suzanne paints the breathtaking view from the couple’s front lawn, while Alan is shown strolling around the expansive scenery.
Llandudno
The play is set in the beach resort of Llandudno, in north Wales, where Alan operated his post office. The film is shot on the famous pier, with gorgeous aerial images of the beach, and the Great Orme Tramway.
Llandudno is situated on the Creuddyn peninsula, which juts out into the Irish Sea, in the Welsh county of Conwy. With a population of over 20,000, the town is a well-liked vacation spot for many travelers.
As Alan and Suzanne (Julie Hesmondhalgh) drive to their new house after losing the Post Office, sweeping vistas of Llandudno are presented.
There are very few cable-operated street tramways left in the world, and the Great Orme Tramway is the only one in the UK.
Seasonally operating from late March to late October, it transports more than 200,000 people annually from Llandudno Victoria Station to a point slightly below the Great Orme headland’s top.
When Alan and Suzanne decide to start over after being pushed to leave the Post Office behind and establish new lives, they utilize Llandudno Pier. They are seen strolling and relaxing on the pier, which is a very identifiable aspect of Llandudno.
Craig-y-Don
Alan’s real-life Post Office was located in Craig-y-Don, a suburb of Llandudno. For filming, the Queens Road location of St. David’s Hospice in Craig-y-Don was transformed into a post office.
The area consists of the eastern portion of Llandudno Bay and its promenade, which begins at the Parade roundabout and runs down East Parade, Bedford Crescent, Craig-y-Don Parade, and Colwyn Road to Penrhyn Bay’s Little Orme.
Non-Welsh locations
Additional filming was done in Kent at the BT headquarters in Sevenoaks, Allens Farm, and Pilgrim’s Way in Westerham. Filming also took place at Tatsfield, which lies near the boundary of Surrey and Kent.
In 2009, Alan Bates picked Fenny Compton, Warwickshire, as the meeting place for all the postmasters and mistresses. This location was also visited by the play.
Post Office Horizon scandal
Between 2000 and 2015, the Post Office held many of its sub-postmasters and postmistresses accountable for financial disparities brought up by Horizon, its extremely costly but unreliable computerized accounting system. Alan was not the only postmaster or postmistress to face accusations of theft from the Post Office.
The Post Office persisted in pursuing the sub-postmasters and postmistresses, telling a lot of them were the only ones experiencing issues with Horizon, despite warnings that the system was defective.
