ON LOCATION IN THE BRITISH ISLES

The search for the roots of culture has been a major draw in Great Britian for many years. The works of Britain's author's, playwrights and poets span centures of culture, and their latter-day admirers go togreat lengths to seek out locations associated with them.  Recognizing this attraction several years ago, the British Tourist Authority issued a free guide, "Literary Britain," which identifies places that figured in the lives of 82 literary giants, from Jane Austen to William Wordsworth, or were captured in their works.  And not to ignore later cultural icons, the BTA also has produced a similar free guide to places that have figured prominently in popular movies and television programs.

The list of English classics rediscovered by Hollywood and filmed in Britain grows longer each year, from costume dramas and romances to mysteries, comedies and adventure films. And visitors are flocking to these sites. The city of Bath reckons that the center it set up to celebrate films of Jane Austen that were set there has already grossed $4.8 million.  The new Movie Map points the way to some 200 recent movie sites in England, Scotland and Wales. For example, it highlights 14th-century Broughton Castle near Banbury in Oxfordshire, which figured prominently in the Oscar-winning "Shakespeare in Love."  For 600 years, this stately mansion was the family seat of the Fiennes family, which includes the film's lead actor, Joseph Fiennes, and his brother Ralph. Other sites featured in the movie include Spitalfields, Marble Hill House in Richmond, the River Thames at Barnes and Bart's Hospital.  Three stately manors that were used by the BBC in its adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" are also highlighted. They include Lyme Park, Sudbury Hall and Belton House, as well as the well-preserved 18th-century village of Lacock.  Several grand West Country homes played key roles in "Sense and Sensibility." Visitors can tour Hadon Hall in Derbyshire, the location for the latest version of "Jane Eyre," as well as last year's "Elizabeth." Other scenes from "Elizabeth" were shot in York Minster, Durham Cathedral and Bamburg beach, on the border of Scotland and England.  Shrewsbury is the seat of County Shropshire. Situated on a hilltop nearly encircled by the Severn river, it was for centuries a strategic stronghold for border clashes with nearby Wales. Shropshire's hills and valleys made up the original kingdom of Arthur Pendragon, a fifth -century warlord who defeated an Anglo-Saxon invasion near the town of Bandon. King Arthur, as legend recalls him, went on to great things.  Shrewsbury Castle and Abbey are considerably newer, dating only to the 12th century. The town's many well-preserved, black and white, half-timbered buildings jut sharply out over its narrow streets and alleys, giving it an authentic medieval air.  Shrewsbury was also the habitat of the fictional Brother Cadfael, the Benedictine monk with a penchant for solving crimes who was been popularized on the PBS series "Mystery." Shrewsbury Quest, a walk-through exhibit, re-creates the milieu of this 11th-century Sherlock, and a trail of painted footprints leads visitor around the town to sites associated with the monk.  Public television viewers were also captivated by the BBC production of George Eliot's classic novel "Middlemarch." Eliot used the town of Coventry as the setting for her tale of a provincial society trying to insulate itself against the upheaval of the Industrial Revolution, but today it's a big industrial city. Producers were stumped for a suitable setting - that was, until they visited Stamford.  This Lincolnshire town, which lies between Cambridge and York, a two-hour drive north of London, is known as England's most architecturally pure stone town. Its 18th-century cobblestone streets and Georgian manors were transformed to accommodate the Middlemarch families. Grimsthorpe Castle became the deer-filled manor home Qualingham, seat of the Lydgate family. St. George's Square, St. Mary's Street, Barn Hill - all play prominent roles.  Another unlikely tourist site on the film map is the job center in the city of Sheffield, which was immortalized in the comedy "The Full Monty." The 1995 movie "Restoration" was filmed at a 13th-century fortress near Cardiff, Wales. Scotland's Highlands have been the setting for historical hits, such as "Braveheart," and "Rob Roy," as well as "Loch Ness." Sean Connery's latest release, "Entrapment," was largely filmed on Scotland's Isle of Mull and Duart Castle. Glasgow and Edinburgh boast several locations associated with the dark "Trainspotting."  Fans of "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" will be directed to Repton Boys Club, Bethnal Green Town Hall and Staples Market in east London. Beatles fans looking for "Help" are directed to Stroud on the Green in Chiswick, in the West End.  In fact, London is rife with film locations, most recent of which is this summer's Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant romance "Notting Hill." Many of the film's exterior scenes were shot in the Portobello Road area, and its famous street market. Kenwood House, an 18th-century neoclassical building on Hampstead Heath in north London, is also prominently featured.  For a free copy of Literary Britain, call the British Tourist Authority at 800-462-2748. The number to call for a free copy of the movie map is 877-274-8345. The Web site for both is www visitbritain.com

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