Diksha Sundriyal
Prime Video’s ‘Young Sherlock’ presents the origin story for the infamous Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The eight-episode first season takes him through a string of twisted mysteries that eventually turn out to have a personal connection. The search for truth includes uncovering a secret from years ago, digging into the events that transpired at his family home in Appleton Manor. The place becomes a crucial location, as all roads lead back to it, and what happened there all those years ago with his sister, Beatrice. The location presents a different look into the history of the Holmes family, making it an important piece of the grand puzzle. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Appleton Manor is Brought to Life by Real Locations
Appleton Manor is a fictional place in ‘Young Sherlock,’ serving as the Holmes family home and estate. Because a good chunk of the season, featuring several important scenes, takes place there, the show’s creators focused on finding locations that could reflect the sense of mystery and secrets that linger in its walls. The exterior scenes of the house were filmed at the Llanvihangel Court in Llanvihangel Crucorney in Monmouthshire, Wales. This Tudor country house has stood fast since its construction in the late 15th century and has been previously used in the 1988 BBC series, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,’ and the fantasy drama series, ‘A Discovery of Witches.’
The house, located at the edge of the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons, is not just used as a film location but is also popular for hosting weddings, art events like theatre, music, and storytelling shows, and Christmas fairs. Additional shots were filmed at Merthyr Mawr Country Estate, in Bridgend, Wales, whose picturesque, sprawling location adds to a sense of isolation that deepens the mystery of Appleton Manor. The inside of the Holmes house, however, hides even more secrets. For the interior scenes, the show’s creators turned towards the Georgian House Museum at 7 Great George Street, Bristol.
While custom sets were employed to film certain scenes of the show, the focus was on finding real locations because the creators wanted to present a more authentic look at the 19th century. They wanted to limit the use of studio-built sets, relying as much as possible on outdoor locations, which was also necessary since Sherlock and his surprising sidekick, James Moriarty, are often out and about on the streets of London in an effort to get to the bottom of the mystery. The house plays a key role in unravelling a several-year-old secret that eventually leads Sherlock and his family to unravel in the most unexpected way, forever changing the course of their lives.
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