<strong>Boyton and Hollesley Marshes, Suffolk:</strong> Today these wide open skies give us so much – not least a spoonbill – but there are also great rewards closer to ground
Published:
1:48 PM February 9, 2021
Updated:
12:20 PM March 9, 2021
Snape Maltings and the surrounding landscape was a key filming location for the recent Netflix film The Dig
- Credit: Screen Suffolk
Suffolk has found itself as a key filming location for several productions over the years. With a variety of natural landscapes and charming historical buildings scattered all over the county, it s easy to see why Suffolk is popular within the industry.
Here are five films which were shot in the county
The Dig
Filming for The Dig at Snape Marshes along the River Alde
- Credit: Screen Suffolk
The Dig charts the excavation of the Sutton Hoo burial ship in 1939, which is arguably the greatest Anglo-Saxon archaeological discovery ever made. The film stars Ipswich-born Ralph Fiennes as Suffolk archaeologist Basil Brown and features locations such as the Deben estuary, Snape Marshes, Boyton Marshes and the costal hamlet of Shingle Street.
It certainly captured the essence of what the filmmakers were looking for.
Director Simon Stone said: “You go to Suffolk once and visit the estuary lands and you see such a unique landscape, like a world that you just don t recognise as quintessentially English, and so I thought to myself this is a real opportunity to show a side of England that you don t usually see.
“As you see, it s constantly through the film. We keep cutting back to shots that were shot in the environment where it took place.”
The old brick structure on Boyton Marshes is used in The Dig. Picture: SCREEN SUFFOLK
Behind the scenes of filming for The Dig in 2019. Picture: SCREEN SUFFOLK
- Credit: Screen Suffolk
While The Dig did not exclusively film in Suffolk, the county’s countryside does feature heavily in the film.
One of the most notable locations is Butley Ferry - “As soon as Simon [Stone, director] saw the Butley Ferry he was absolutely set that was where he had to be,” Screen Suffolk’s Rachel Aldridge said.
The old brick structure on Boyton Marshes is used in The Dig. Picture: SCREEN SUFFOLK
- Credit: Screen Suffolk
Elsewhere, the landscapes at RSPB’s Boyton Marshes featured – including the prominent brick structure there which also featured in Ed Sheeran’s Castle on the Hill music video, as well as shooting landscapes around Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh beach and Suffolk Wildlife Trust land.
It certainly captured the essence of what the filmmakers were looking for.
Director Simon Stone said: “You go to Suffolk once and visit the estuary lands and you see such a unique landscape, like a world that you just don t recognise as quintessentially English, and so I thought to myself this is a real opportunity to show a side of England that you don t usually see.
“As you see, it s constantly through the film. We keep cutting back to shots that were shot in the environment where it took place.”
The old brick structure on Boyton Marshes is used in The Dig. Picture: SCREEN SUFFOLK