Trespasses on Channel 4: All the 'exceptional' filming locations and if The Anchor Bar is a real pub
Cushla and Michael's forbidden romance causes devastation against a hostile backdrop
Trespasses on Channel 4 follows the tragic story of a forbidden romance against the tumultuous backdrop of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. But while the gripping four-part series has an impressive cast, the Trespasses filming locations are a main character in their own right.
Starring Gillian Anderson, Tom Cullen and Lola Petticrew, Trespasses is based on the bestselling novel by Louise Kennedy. Set in 1975 Belfast, danger lurks on every corner.
The series sees Cushla, a young Catholic teacher who is struggling through life amidst the Troubles. She’s navigating her way through bombings, curfews and working nights in her family pub. But, as she serves drinks, Cushla’s life changes forever when she meets Michael, an older, married, Protestant barrister.
Soon the forbidden pair embark on an intoxicating romance that is more dangerous than either of them can ever imagine. Trespasses is set in 70s Northern Ireland, but was the series actually filmed in Belfast? And where are the other locations that feature in the show?
Read on to find out more about the Trespasses filming locations.
Trespasses filming locations: Where was the series filmed?
Cast and crew filmed the show exclusively in Belfast and the surrounding areas of the city.
Trespasses producer, Maris Mulhall, explains why filming in the city made sense: “Belfast is an exceptional place to film. It offers an extraordinary variety of locations within easy reach.
“You can land at the airport and be on a beach, in a forest, a quarry, a train station or a studio in under twenty minutes.”
For Lola Petticrew, who plays Cushla, filming in their home town made joining the Trespasses cast even more appealing… She told us: “Getting to work at home and shoot here is my favourite thing in the world. It’s great to be able to go home to my dog in the evening!”
What filming locations were used in Trespasses?
The production team filmed in the city centre of Belfast and also used the surrounding areas, including Holywood, Finaghy, and Ballymena.
Salisbury Avenue, Chichester Park, and Shankill Leisure Centre also feature in the show. As well as The Ladysmith pub in Ballymena, County Antrim.
Trespasses filming locations: Where is Cushla’s house?
The crew set up camp in Finaghy for three weeks, where they filmed the scenes at Cushla’s house.
Speaking of why they loved that part of filming, Lola joked: “There was an incredible bakery down the road – shout-out to Coyle’s Bakery!
“The women in the bakery kept us fed with lovely bowls of stew and tuna sandwiches. The people here… there’s nowhere like it in the world!”
Producer, Maria Mulhall, said Cushla’s house was her favourite Trespasses filming location: “The standout location for me was undoubtedly the Lavery home.
“This location had to make sense for our characters, but also serve as a fluid, dynamic environment for the actors and crew to move within.
“When we found it, our Production Designer made a few architectural adjustments and worked absolute magic with the set dressing. Suddenly, Cushla and Gina were home.”
Where is The Anchor Bar featured in Trespasses?
In the series, Cushla works at a pub called The Anchor Bar. Although the pub has a different name in real life, you can actually visit it.
Producers chose The Ladysmith Arms on Waring Street for the Trespasses filming location. The real-life pub is in the Harryville area of Ballymena, which is about 40 kilometres northwest of Belfast.
Louise Kennedy, who wrote the Trespasses novel as well as working as executive producer on the TV adaptation, said the pub in the book was based on her own family’s pub in the 70s.
Speaking of how the pub set in the show compared, she said: “While it didn’t look exactly like ours, it looked like a bar from 1975. I wasn’t prepared for the level of detail the art department had gone to replicate things that were in the book.
“There was a Babycham fawn behind the counter and black-and-white whiskey dogs. The cigarette smoke, the men hunched at the bar, the kids in the corner — it all felt incredibly authentic.”
Also speaking of the Trespasses filming locations, producer Maria Mulhall adds: “The pub was a key location. It needed to do a lot of the heavy lifting within the story. It’s where Cushla works alongside her brother, serves British Army soldiers, regulars from both sides of the divide, and is where someone like Michael might come for a quiet drink.
“I’ll never forget the day we visited it for the first time; we collectively knew we’d struck gold.”
‘Belfast is such an amazing city’
Talking about working in Northern Ireland, Michael actor Tom Cullen – who is Welsh – said: “Working in Northern Ireland has been fantastic. Belfast is such an amazing city. It has been really special for me personally because I have family from Northern Ireland.
“My connection with Ireland has mostly been through my father’s side in Southern Ireland. I’ve always had a strong connection there. But the Northern Irish side of my family is a little bit murky – we don’t know as much about it as there are lot of family secrets. So it has been wonderful being here, connecting to that part of me.”
He continued: “Learning more about my grandfather and where he would have lived and grown up. This is a bit woo-woo, but I really believe we hold our ancestors’ stories in our bodies somehow. There is definitely a profound sense of coming home when I’m here. I feel very at peace in Belfast and the land surrounding it, and that has been really special.”
Meanwhile, Gillian Anderson – who plays Gina – loved filmed in Northern Ireland. She said: “I think it is the third or fourth time I’ve shot in Northern Ireland. I did a three-season series called The Fall and also Robot Overlords. There was another show, but I’m too old to remember those things. I love filming in Northern Ireland, I love the people and feel very comfortable and at home.”
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