Pale limestone Georgian terraces and crescents stand on high ground above the Avon Gorge, and Before We Die used the suspension bridge across both its series.
What Clifton looks like
The neighbourhood sits on high ground above the Avon Gorge. Its terraces and crescents are built in pale limestone and stucco, four and five storeys over a raised basement, with cast iron balconies and railings along the pavement edge.
runs for almost 390 metres along the hillside in a single unbroken curve, reputed to be the longest crescent in Europe. Its 46 houses date from 1791 to 1820.
A suspension bridge crosses the Avon Gorge at the western edge of the neighbourhood. Its deck stands 75 metres above the water on two stone towers spanning 214 metres, with wooded cliffs and the Georgian terraces on the hillside visible from the derelict jetties on below.
Shopping streets run pedestrianised through and around , with stone shopfronts, flower boxes and café tables set out along them. The corner buildings keep their Georgian proportions, with columned porticoes over arched ground floor windows.
On and the terraces are rendered in cream and pale stone, with wrought iron balconies over bow windows and front doors painted in contrasting colours. Cast iron railings run along the raised basements the length of these streets too.
Shot in Clifton
Before We Die filmed at and The Paragon across both series of the Channel 4 crime thriller. Its second series added Royal York Crescent and the Sion Hill viewing point, both a short walk from the bridge.
Before We Die, 2021 to 2022
Clifton Suspension Bridge
The bridge appears in both series of Before We Die, filmed as itself rather than standing in for another city. The Paragon also appears in both series, and the second series added Royal York Crescent and the Sion Hill viewing point.
What Clifton can double for
Camden Crescent in Bath, Somerset
Bath's terraces are built in the same pale limestone as Clifton's crescents, with the same raised basements and iron railings, in the same decades. Camden Crescent and the streets around the Royal Crescent give the closest match for scale and massing. Bath's terraces are built in a more uniform golden ashlar and many carry giant order columns across the whole front, which Clifton's plainer facades do not, so a wide establishing shot needs care to avoid Bath's more symmetrical planning. Try searching pale limestone terraces now.
Montpellier in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Montpellier's stuccoed terraces and villas carry the same iron balconies and pale render as the streets around Wellington Terrace. Both towns built their principal terraces within a few decades of each other on a similar suburban scale. Cheltenham's ironwork is often more ornate, with cast palmette and honeysuckle patterns, so plainer railings should be favoured in close shots to hold the match. Try searching stuccoed terraces iron balconies now.
New Town in Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh's New Town has the same scale of unbroken Georgian terraces and crescents on rising ground as Clifton. Its squares and crescents date from the same decades as Royal York Crescent. Edinburgh's stone is a grey sandstone rather than Clifton's pale limestone, so the colour needs correcting or the shot needs an overcast grade to hold the match. Try searching grey sandstone Georgian terraces now.
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