A small medieval village around Bourdeille
It's just like walking right into the middle ages!
The owner was present at the shooting
This beautiful medieval village belongs to two families and the have two businesses in this farm. When we visited this unique place, we met the lady who used to be there as a child
at the Crossbow shooting. Her father had the farm and made the arrangements. It is an unique place! Almost a whole town.
I decided not to mention the name because it's a private place and I respect that. This town was very hard to find. C. Petit, a fan of Crossbow, studied all the camera angles and these buildings and draw a map.
That wasn't that easy because Crossbow is switched many locations and merged them together. Long we thought this town was next to the rock, but it wasn't. They cameraman shot with close angles and zoom.
On the set they used fake sets, but Christophe succeeded. I told him I would look at aerial photos and that worked! I had such good map delivered. Without C. Petit I would never have found it.
The farm was in 3 episodes
This beautiful farm village is a Crossbow town for: episode 31, The taking of castle Tanner
Shots: * soldiers are after the son of lord Tanner, * shots of the the tavern at night.
* This village was the main setting in double episode 29 'The Pit' and episode 30 'The Rock').
Below a number of other locations that also appear in the episodes.
Lavoir and bridge at Faucher
Note: As often, this episode has multiple other locations! They make you believe this is in front of the main town and the rock. But the * lavoir and the * bridge are next to * Faucher castle.
The field
The field, on which they were attacked, is next to the rock. The rock and fields are in *Paussac et Vivien. This episode is devided into two links. For this site you can click here
This link is about the main village. Here are some small pictures to refresh the whole scene and to get the picture of the whole episode..
Field and rock in Paussac et Vivien Faucher Bridge and lavoir
West side of the village
The balcony stairs house
Comparison:
The Rock and the Pit 1987 2017 Number 3 on the map
Architecture of the building
The square with the 'balcony stairs.' For stairs with an open concept upper floor or landing, the upper floor is in fact a kind of balcony. While looking hard for this ancient balcony stairs, I found out
that this building has a unique look. There are also other balcony stairs but not almost the same as this one. This is the main village in the Pit and the Rock but not attached to the river, the meadow, the Rock
and the Pit. That's why it took us very long to find it. There are no pictures on the internet (See below: numbers 1,2 and 3).
Comparison
While the light is burning inside (photo below), I doubt the tavern is really in this building. I think it's shot in Faucher castle. See the right photo below.
But the meetings between Bolgar and the landlord (Edwins Apps, in episodes the Pit and the Rock) were here in this village.
In The Taking of castle Tanner 1987, Tell goes to the 'tavern' and meets Gothar (Interior Faucher castle, exterior this balcony stairs house Bolgar in episodes The Pit and The Rock
1987 In front of the doorpost 2017
The fight on the west square. (Looking from nr 4 to nr. 3)
Tricks of the camerman
The cameraman makes you believe you look from the rock right into the village. In fact the rock is not at the village, but in Paussac et Vivien.
More shots of this rock and Paussac et Vivien on the other link of my side of 'The Pit' and 'The Rock.'
2017 1987
Scene left is on top the rock of Paussac and see the shot below, as if Bolgar and sons are looking down from the rock on the village, during the fight.
They are not looking down on this town Only the cameraman is Shot taken from the roof.
Double location
Above scenes from episodes 'The Pit' and 'The Rock.' Unfortunately the pit is still untraceable.
Building 1
This is the inn (building 2 in episode The taking of Castle Tanner).
There is a porch in front of this building Shot is made from number 1 to 2. The licht blue door on the left is where the porch used to be.
Building 1: Probably this buiding had already this blue 'modern' doors. They probably needed to cover them with unpainted wood and a porch.
1987 Amazing this place is still the same after so many years! 2017
1987 2017
Shot from nr. 3 to nr. 1 Scene: The messenger is warning Tell, riders are heading this town. This is the same location
At 2 is also the place where the riders enter and leave the village.
1987 2017
Behind the right building, there is another shed in the back. In Crossbow it's hidden.
The rider's alley
1987 located: west of nr. 2 The shed covered with wood 2015
Here you can see a close up of the material of the wall of building 1.
Behind Bolgar we see the shed was already made of stone and only the front was covered with unpainted wood. (Photo'sa bove and below, right side).
From nr. 4 to nr. 3
Inside
I assume the rest of this indoor scenes (with Edwin Apps) are shot in this village. While the fireplaces and stones looking differently.
The fireplaces can be fake. Below (in the 4 rows pictures, you see the indoor scenes.
It stroke me the maps and drawings in Crossbow are always real. This drawn map (above) looks like Brantome or the cave.
The middle of the town
Number 4
1987 2017
The alley in the middle is an important location where Tell and Bolgar meet and fight. This is at spot 4, a little field on the north of this alley to let small
cattle graze and an old building with a hayloft. It has a low stone wall border. Nowadays there is an iron fence placed. You can see below.
1987 2017 The property still has the same owner
You look straight into the alley (eastward)
The next place is south of nr. 3 and 4
1987 2017
1987 2017 1987
The alley in the middle of the village nr. 5
1987 The alley in the middle of the town (from nr. 4 to nr. 6) And in opposite to the west (from nr. 5 to nr. 2 ) 2017
\
1987 From nr. 4 to 6 covered the some roodsheets with straw. 2017
1987 zoomed 2017
1987 2017
1987 Bolgar and his sons were standing here and they had this view. (East, from nr 3 to 5. made in May 2017)
Scene: Tell talked to the villagers to plan a resistance against Bolgar and his sons. This small field and little wall is in front of it (On the map just above nr. 5)
1987 The girls were standing in front of the wall. The field behind them is not visible because of the camerapoint. They're standing in front of the right window.
The small field 2017
East side of the town
(Here the other side of the town at number 6,7 and 8)
1987 2017
1987 2017 1987 And a night shot as well
1987 Still the same shutters and wood after 30 years 1987
Compare
A short shot of this location is also in episode 'The Taking of Castle Tanner'
1987 The intro 'The Taking of Castle Tanner' 1987 2017
1987 2017
Eastside, number 8
The house with the bended wall
A unique location
1987 Scene: Bolgard hears Tell speaking about rebellion. Therefore he runs a high risk. Tell gets shelter after he is beaten up by Bolgar. Nr: 8 is the building. 2017
A unique house. We looked a long time for this village and this recognizable building. The shots seem an inner garden or a rocky house, but It's just a farmhouse with a bended wall.
Camera point: Nr. 8 to nr. 6 2017
Scene: Little Marian is missing
1987 2017 2017
Number 7
Above and below, The Bolgar brothers making trouble in the evening. In the back this stairs, seen from the house with the bended wall (at the right)
1987 2017 The building in the middle has a nice new roof.
Above: 'The rock:' and below 'The taking of castle Tanner.' A soldier looks for Lord Tanner's son. And rides in from this direction, the west lane.
To Compare:
1987 Here a short shot of The taking of Castle Tanner. Soldiers are looking for Tanner's son. 2017 Episode The rock
2017 2017
The building south of nr. 6
1987 The intro 'The Taking of Castle Tanner' 2017
It seems deserted, most buildings are, but one house on this terrain is not. The sun had been down for half an hour. That explains the grey glow on the picture.
2017 2017 1987
To compare:
1987 The Rock: first she took the stairs down, in a later shot she is more in the back. You can easily recognize the white blocks above the door.
The caves of the Rock and The Pit
From above the rock!
The pit in the rock is still a mistery...
Here you can see the mine. It's a kind of magic.. It was very hard to the picture, because four locations merged to one. We haven't found the cave yet.
'Grotte Cheyroux' Dordogne, not exact the same, but you never know they changed the set, it's nearby Paussac.
Then there is a ridge with caves hidden called 'Balou,' but there are hardly photos of it. Coincidently I've driven by a lot of caves nearby, same style but not one was the same.
They created a small water about 20 yards... I don't think it's real... I think it's digged out to make it look more like a real mine...the hills of sand and the waterstream...
is it fake or real or is it damaged by mining? The small waterfall on top seems fake. Marian and Tell are burried in the mine.
One year ago, I found this cave. This could be the cave, but I haven't been there and I don't think I go there again in the future. This is an ancient 'Carriere' in Crossbow area.
The picture is taken from inside a former stone quarry. The Chancelade stone is white, of better quality than the quarries of Périgueux, which is bluish gray. It has been used for the construction of several religious
buildings in the region. With the arrival of the railroad in the middle of the 19th century, the Chancelade stone was exported throughout the south-west of France to build works of art: small houses, bridges,
viaducts, public buildings, railway stations. The Pont de Pierre in Bordeaux has Chancelade stone pilasters. In 1885, the exploitation of the stone is at its peak: the quarries are exploited by the companies Himbert
and Chaigneau. Mushroom farms have been installed in part of the old quarries, now abandoned. The stone is still extracted on rare occasions. Nowadays, it is especially the sculptors who covet it. From the inside
of the stone quarry, I'm right at the edge of the wall of size that must be 30 or 40 meters high. From this point of view, we can see the landscape of hills in the distance. Below, at the bottom of the quarry, we see the
remains of size that have not been removed, blocks of rock of several tons. From this lateral position one can see the waist wall along its entire length.
Photos of the cave area. The location is not found yet.
The rocks of the quarry doesn't seem high. Episode The Emperor 2 is also shot here.
What is there to hide behind the sandy rocks and the straw roofs? There is a side we can't see. We spotted a short shot of an antenna. Perhaps a television tower, electricty pole or building?
For the field and the rock in Paussac et Vivien, please click here
Dordogne farm, The Emperor part 1
Both sides of the double arcade farm.
2017 1987
Above: taken from the inside (square) and below photo taken from the outside. Beautiful!
1987 2017 Seen from the gate behind the horse.
The building left of William is still a mystery, perhaps the low camera angle made the building look a lot bigger, I guess it's just the farm, but look below how low this farm is.
There could be another option, a different location merged into this one or there used to stand a timbered building, that's no longer there.
1987 2017 1987
To compare
Below: same arcade. Shot is taken from the other side of the arcade. Middle: right of the emperor you see part of the broke arcade Georgia used to walked under. Gone nowadays or it was fake.
The building below is made in timber wood style and could have been attached. You can see on the picture with the emperor (right) a part of a wall attached that is disappeaed now.. (see the photo left above).
Timberwood building and arcade
The timberwood building, you can see below, is gone. and the pillar Georgia walks through with the emperor by the hand is fallen or disappeared or a fake one. The arcade on the left
pictures still excists but the one of the right picture is no longer there or fake (Fake arcades are not unusual in Crossbow, they use many fake wells, statues of stone and made once a huge arcade;
the porch to the wasteland). Those impressive high arcades are from a low camerashot and are in fact a bit smaller. That's why It took us a a lot of time to find them!
This wall left is no longer there. I guess it was timber house, we see it in a split second of a crossbow shot. The pillar with the half of the arcade seems no longer there.
The northern porch with the broken arcade
Was there a timbered house attached? Or was this elsewehere?
1987 Yes there was 2017 On the right wall is
1987 The other farm is about 200 yards further away (the way they are riding to) In opposite 2017
The inner garden with beautiful old tree.
It seems Horst set the straw roof (attached to the farm) on fire but I believe they changed it directly into an isolated straw tent in front of it. Like this one right below
1987 1987
1987 2017
Georgia Lyman and the emperor
This bow isn't there anymore...I assume It's fallen or fake.
1987 Below the door changed into green and shape 2017
The emperor and the girl went inside. This is not the same farm, in fact it's a (nearby) farm. (The farm where the sister died-same episode). More about this farm below.
Conclusion and text by C. Petit.
Above (2017) and below (1987) the same place The chimney on the right is gone nowadays or was fake.
Farm 1 was a wealthy one because of the double arcades. Nowadays it is more a farmers storage. Farm 2 (of Emperor too) perhaps was an empty farm and nowadays well restored!
2017 1987
East South
Dordogne farm 2
Emperor part 2, the photos are made around 2017
2017 2017
This is how we searched in the first place.Very hard to find this. Finally C. Petit draw a map on the computer and I found it on google earth from above..
There is a cross, but it doesn't seem to be a church, but another angle of this farm (30 years ago before restoration).
Perhaps there has been a second (fake) pillar I don't know... But a fact is that the shed of this farm was in a bad state.
1987 Absolutely the same spot but the pillar seems bigger and there is something on top, perhaps they changed it. They were great in transformations! 2017
Behind Horst there must have been another pillar..which was standing more free from the farm and a bigger one. It's a little bit strange to see only one of the pillars nowadays.
The top is off the pillar and It's almost callapsing.
1987 Above behind Horst, same spot but other pillar. Right from the sister you see the pillar 2017
1987 2017
The roof is perfectly restored. So is the whole building! It's always nice to see people care for the old buildings and restored it subtile.
1987 2017
1987 2017
1987 2017
1987 2017
Below the same place.
1987 (even the trees (on the right) are still the same. 2017
The change is the balcony (right below) and the plastered parts. Well done, they kept the elements of this building. The walls and the roof were in very bad state, during Crossbow.
The door with the little glass on top, is still the same. The door of the shed is renovated.
1987 2017
We always believed the farm was situated high up, like a riverside or valley behind. But in fact it seemed a tiny country hill with some dew in the back between the farm and the forest.
1987 see the background, almost looks like a ridge And one row below 2017
1987 2017
The same house, to compare
Lost crusader The Emperor part 2 2017 This door
And more to compare
Episode 34 The Emperor part 2 Episode 35 The Lost crusader 2017
1987 and in episode The Lost Crusader 2017
This part of the farm is hardly visible, it's almost overgrown with Hedera and roses.
2017 1987
This part of the wall is nowadays covered with hedera 3 screenshots of the Lost crusader in this same farm. Is this the shed of episode the Nightmare as well?
Lost Cruisader is definitely shot in this farm, but about the nightmare I'm not 100 % sure. It could be Les Ages as well.
The Nightmare 1987 Episode 25 The Nightmare The Lost Crusader
All these scenes you see below, are shot in farm 1. (Not in the shed of this building like you see above, but in the living).
Episode 33 Emperor part 1. This part is filmed here, the rest of it (200 yards further) in another farm Emperor part 2 (34). Lost Crusader starring Steve Buscemi.
The emperor and the girl went inside. Once inside they are elsewhere. (next to this farmhouse in farm 1. The farm where the sister died).
Comment below C. Petit.
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This farmhouse is also in Lost Crusader and Exit the Dragon 36. I think this also the shed of episode 'Nightmare.'
The Lost Crusader was in and around this farmhouse.
No idea about this place. A fake wall? Exterior of wood and the interior seems a fake wall. (Episode: The taking of Castle Tanner) Interior of Faucher castle in the same episode.
