Magical Mystery Tour Location Question

[Doug]

I agree... there wouldn't have been time.

We know it wasn't shot on the 12th-15th because we have plenty of footage from those days and it's not raining.
On the 18th and 19th The Beatles were filming the strip club and restaurant sequences, so it could have been filmed then (since the bus driver and bus would have been free).
We once again have exterior footage from the 20th-24th - again, no rain.
There's no filming again until October 1st, when the insert shots were taken with the stand-in passengers. There's also no rain THERE, but at least (to my eyes, at least) it looks overcast. I haven't correlated the locations already identified of those shots with the ones from the "rainy day" footage, but could it be they left London and THEN it started to rain...? Anybody have access to local weather reports from this day? That would explain why they kept shooting (they'd already left), and perhaps there was a time limit because they had to return the bus sometime.

[Sn00ker]

It's possible for it to be 1st October. They crew could have gone to Hayes and set off with the Bus from there, spent a few hours driving around, then done the filming with the stand in passengers.
The daylight footage of the stand in passengers on the bus taken from Gate House, Uxbridge Road would logically have been shot late in the day as the crew would have to wait in the same spot to take the nighttime footage.
It's sort of ironic that we're trying to apply logic to a film shoot that was a complete mess, done on a whim, and had no one in charge
I haven't found the location for the last part of this footage, it looks more like a city than a town.
Where do the dates come from that are attributed to the various bits of footage. Are they a best guess or do they have some provenance?

[Sn00ker]

Just realised 1st October is documented as fill in shots at West Malling, so as you suggest Doug there must be an undocumented date presumably before 1st October when this rainy footage was shot.

[Doug]

I've come to suspect the rainy day footage isn't October 1st (which is unfortunate, because I'd really like to put it there!).

All of the fill-in shots have the decals on the bus applied differently - there's more space between the three words, so it's easy to tell them apart. Also, some shots have a fake set of passengers in the bus, but some shots (the ones taken out in the country) have no passengers at all.

I had put THIS shot on October 1st as well, but I realize now that's a mistake since the bus doesn't have the decals on the side. Also, it looks wet and overcast like it's raining (or had been raining) so I have a feeling this shot comes from the same day as the "rainy day" footage (whatever that is). So, if this shot doesn't go with the October 1st material but seems to match the "rainy day" footage, it stands to reason that the "rainy day" footage isn't October 1st, either. Maybe the weather reports would give an answer.



By the way, are there sources for city directories from the area in the question from the '60's? That would certainly help find the Moorlands Garage.

[Sn00ker]

I've found posts online that refer to a Moorlands Cafe in Cheriton Bishop on the A30 existing in the 1970s, and another in Mary Tavey also in existence in the 1970s, but nothing substantial.
The Bus sun roof footage is puzzling. There's 2 houses on the left side of the road and one in the distance as the footage fades. How sure are we that it's from the 13th?

[Sn00ker]

Can't post a link at the moment but the garage is almost definitely White Horse Motors (can't think why I didn't Google it before) between Tedburn St Mary and Exeter on the old A30. It's not from the 13th as they are travelling in the wrong direction, so again it's from the homeward journey on the 15th. If you follow the road from the garage the houses on the side of the road are there, as is the curve in the road.

[Sn00ker]

So on the way back on the 15th they went Bodmin - Launceston - Oakhampton - Exeter on the A30.

[Sn00ker]

So on the way back on the 15th they went Bodmin - Launceston - Oakhampton - Exeter on the A30.

To a degree I'm making an assumption with some of this route, but the 'A' 'Trunk Roads' would be best for a coach.

[Moptop]

Can't post a link at the moment but the garage is almost definitely White Horse Motors (can't think why I didn't Google it before) between Tedburn St Mary and Exeter on the old A30. It's not from the 13th as they are travelling in the wrong direction, so again it's from the homeward journey on the 15th. If you follow the road from the garage the houses on the side of the road are there, as is the curve in the road.

sn00ker are you sure?

I agree on the date because of the slate numbers, but using a 1963,1967 &1972 (where 1967 not available online) 1:2500 OS map I followed the A class roads across Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor.

I would place the garage east of Cheriton Cross, whilst the garage has gone the grass verge seems to still be there as does the telegraph post.



Google Street View and 1972 1:2,500 OS map

[Moptop]

So on the way back on the 15th they went Bodmin - Launceston - Oakhampton - Exeter on the A30.

To a degree I'm making an assumption with some of this route, but the 'A' 'Trunk Roads' would be best for a coach.

Do you have a map with pins showing identified locations, dates, and slate numbers? This may help with routes on the 12 and 15th , whilst helping identifying the slates prior to the chippie on the return trip .