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A DICKIE AFFAIR

LAST YEAR REBECCA examined the ambitious but doomed plans to build a major Holywood-style studio in South Wales.

“A Dickie Affair” charted the failure of the scheme, headed by Sir Richard Attenborough and known as Valleywood.

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The Silent Stages at the Dragon Studios, near Bridgend: silent once again… Photo: Barry Davies
There was a brief flurry of activity at the site — the making of the film “Ironclad” in 2009 — but the Dragon Studios are once again deserted.

The administrators tried to keep the replica of Rochester Castle built for the “Ironclad” production with a £50,000 grant from the Welsh Asembly Government.

The administrators say the grant was given “with the aim that the continuing presence of the Castle might generate further expressions of interest in the acquisition of the site or the temporary use of the Silent Stages.”

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesman said, "In December 2009 a business case was approved to provide funding to retain the medieval castle structure left behind by the producers of the film “Ironclad” for a period of six months, in the hope that it would attract other film and television makers considering filming at the Dragon Studios site.

"BBC Wales used the Rochester castle structure when filming the third series of its succesful TV programme Merlin."

Once again, aside from the brief BBC use, the plan came to nothing and the castle has been razed to the ground. The original article is available in the Members Area.