The dramatic setting of Bamburgh Castle and its sweeping coastline has been the backdrop for a whole series of historical movies.
And behind a beer mat from a nearby Northumberland pub is the story of one such film and the subplot of a romance between two of the greatest stars of their day.
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had met while making the film Cleopatra, which was released in 1963.
Later that year, Richard Burton was playing the lead role in the movie Becket, with scenes shot at Bamburgh. In what were the early stages of their relationship, Burton was joined by Elizabeth Taylor, with the couple – who would marry the following year – staying at the Tilmouth Park Hotel in Cornhill.
After filming on the beach at Bamburgh, the stars would stop at the Salmon Inn in Belford for a drink on their way back to the hotel.
Bob and Hilda Smith, who ran the pub, provided the stars with a measure of privacy in the pub’s snug, and in return Elizabeth signed a Vaux beer mat “To Hilda Best Wishes” on July 23, 1963.
Yesterday the beer mat, together with a picture of Bob and Hilda at the door of the 19th Century pub, sold at auction at Anderson and Garland’s saleroom in Newcastle for £40.
“It is a bit of Belford history,” said Bob and Hilda’s granddaughter Jane Clubley, who lives near Hexham. “It was quite a thing that Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton used the Salmon Inn. They told Bob, that with his fine speaking voice, he should have been an actor.
“Bob And Hilda thought the couple were lovely, although Bob said they looked rather untidy, but he probably forgot that they had been on set all day,” said Jane, whose son William Reay is a professional actor and has appeared in a number of productions of Shakespeare, playing Henry VIII in a performance staged at Hampton Court Palace.
Richard Burton played Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was killed in his cathedral in 1170 by knights of King Henry II after the two men fell into dispute.
The 101-year-old lifeboat returning to the Tyne after painstaking restoration
Becket was made a saint in 1173 and his shrine became an important centre of pilgrimage.
In the film, the king is played by Peter O’Toole, who on at least one occasion joined Taylor and Burton for a drink in the Salmon Inn. John Gielgud also appeared as King Louis VII in the film, which won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay, and was nominated for 11 other awards.
Among other historical films with scenes shot at Bamburgh are Hunting Tower (1927) starring Harry Lauder; El Cid (1961) featuring Charlton Heston with Bamburgh standing in for Valencia; The Devils (1971) with Oliver Reed; Macbeth (1971) directed by Roman Polanski; Mary Queen of Scots (1971), starring Glenda Jackson and Vanessa Redgrave; Elizabeth (1998) with Cate Blanchett in the title role, and Macbeth (2015).
The filming of Becket was, in turn, filmed by the Newcastle and District Amateur Cinematographers Association and is now preserved in the collections of the North East Film Archive which, with the Yorkshire Film Archive, contain a detailed visual record of life in Yorkshire and the North East over the past 120 years.
The amateur documentary, with commentary and music soundtrack, includes several close-up shots of Elizabeth Taylor, who arrives by Rolls Royce to watch scenes from Becket being filmed on the beach and in the dunes.
She is shown riding her horse on the beach while carrying her Yorkshire terrier pet dog, while many enthralled locals watch from the Bamburgh sand dunes, watching on.
The Newcastle film opens with general views of Bamburgh Castle and then armed knights and sentries on horseback appear on the high sand dunes at Bamburgh beach.
Richard Burton rides away from camera down a sandy track amongst the dunes towards the filming area on the beach. He is dressed in a monk’s habit, in character for his role as Becket. Peter O’Toole, dressed for his role as King Henry II, rides his horse past camera in the dunes.
Elizabeth Taylor is led to the film set on horseback, wearing an upturned straw hat. She rides casually across the sand and smiles broadly at the camera.
Vision of the grand entrance to the city which Newcastle is still waiting for
Meanwhile, Peter O’Toole signs autographs for fans.
To watch the full documentary Becket at Bamburgh, go to www.yorkshirefilmarchive.com/film/becket-bamburgh
