I visited the Game of Thrones set and saw props, costumes, an iron throne
At 110,000 square feet, the tour showcases a wealth of original costumes, props, and sets used during the filming of the TV show, including the iconic Iron Throne.
Visitors must wait until the end of the tour to see the Iron Throne.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
The tour is tucked away in the Linen Mill studios in Banbridge, Northern Ireland. The studios are where a significant number of the show’s most memorable scenes were filmed.
The Game of Thrones studio tour in Banbridge, Northern Ireland.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
Once a flax factory, the site was adapted by HBO to create a studio for Game of Thrones in 2012. According to studios chief executive Brad Kelly, it cost more than $54 million to turn the studios into an attraction. touristic.
The Game of Thrones studio tour in Banbridge, Northern Ireland.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
Kelly told Insider that HBO announced plans to create a Game of Thrones tourist attraction in 2018, but the pandemic repeatedly delayed the project. It opened to the public on February 4 and I joined the tour a week later.
The Game of Thrones studio tour in Banbridge, Northern Ireland.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
The tour is packed with original costumes, props and sets used for filming. The first part of the tour – Beyond the Wall – features original costumes worn by The Night King and Jon Snow.
The Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall studio tour.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
A staff member told me that the original model of Wun Wun, the giant used for filming, was too tall to fit inside the studios and had to be laid out on his knees.
The Game of Thrones: Beyond the Wall studio tour.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
The tour is interactive and immersive throughout. It has a section dedicated to production design and art, where you can design your own seal.
The tour is interactive throughout.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
At every step of the tour, the staff was waiting to fill the guests in on the little details. A staff member told me that the low budget of the first series meant that the costume design team used rugs from IKEA as capes.
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The tour includes original props, sets and costumes.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
“There’s a lot of intimacy in the visitor experience, you can get up close and personal with all the design features, the costumes, some of which you wouldn’t see while watching the show,” Kelly told Insider.
Visitors can approach the props and sets.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
If you are a fan, the most captivating part of the visit is the Great Hall of Winterfell. The room is home to some of the series’ most important moments…
The Winterfell Great Hall set did not move during the creation of the studio tour.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
…including when Brienne of Tarth is knighted by Jaime Lannister.
The Winterfell Great Hall set did not move during the creation of the studio tour.
Abby Wallace/Insider.
The hall scenes were filmed at Linen Mill Studios. According to Kelly, the set remained in its original location and the studio tour built around it.
The Winterfell Great Hall set did not move during the creation of the studio tour.
Abby Wallace/Insider.