The Windermere Children first aired on BBC2 on 27th January 2020, Holocaust Memorial Day. 75 years after the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, this period drama told the tale of some of those who survived.
Based on the testimonies of those now elderly survivors, the story is poignant and emotional. They had come to Windermere in the Lake District, Cumbria in August 1945 after their liberation by Soviet Forces. Philanthropist Lord Montefiore requested the U.K. Home Office to place 1,000 child refugees in the United Kingdom. Around 300 settled by Lake Windermere, having landed at R.A.F. Crosby on Eden near Carlisle, England.
BBC Press Photo: Filming of the BBC2 drama The Windermere Children took place at locations across Northern Ireland.
The Windermere Children on BBC2 focuses on the story of 5 teenage Polish boys who survived their time in a camp at Theresienstadt. They made their way to England in 1945 and found a safe haven at a disused airplane factory on the Calgarth Estate, Cumbria. German-born child social worker Oscar Friedmann rook care of the young survivors.
Windermere and The Lake District are picturesque locations, however, much of the filming took place in Northern Ireland. Locations across Ulster have proven popular in wartime period dramas such as The Keeper, Mrs. Wilson, and My Mother And Other Strangers.
Glenarm, Co. Antrim
The village of Glenarm, Co. Antrim went back in time in 1945 for the filming of The Windermere Children. The old village has also played a part in Game of Thrones and wartime drama My Mother And Other Strangers. Glenarm Castle housed both the British Army and Royal Air Force during the Second World War.
Belvoir Forest Park, Belfast
Belvoir Forest Park provided a scenic filming location for some of the action in The Windermere Children. The picturesque parklands remain a quiet and tranquil place in modern times. During the Second World War, the estate was under command of the Admiralty. Around 130 buildings occupied what was an Armament Depot.
Finnebrogue Forest, Downpatrick, Co. Down
Finnebrogue Forest is home to a 30-acre lake making it an ideal filming location for scenes in 1940s Windermere. The area surrounding the old estate made for great training ground for the United States Army during the war. Nearby camps also housed evacuees from Gibraltar who came to Northern Ireland from 1944 onwards.
The Windermere Children comes from screenwriter Simon Block and director Michael Samuels. Among the cast are Thomas Kretschmann, Romola Garai, Tim McInnerny, and Iain Glen. Check BBC iPlayer for availability in your area and let us know if you spot any other Northern Irish locations on screen.
