Candles
Candles through the ages have been made from animal fat (tallow), beeswax, whale oil (spermaceti), and shale oil. The name derives from the Greek 'candela', meaning flicker. Beeswax from honeycombs of the sort we feature in the film began to be used in candles from the middle-ages as it was far nicer-smelling than animal fat. However, it was expensive and only the Church and the wealthy few could make the move away from tallow.
We filmed the beehives at Wotter, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. We were taken there because we were told the bees were not at all aggressive (as some species can be) and that we wouldn't even need protective clothing. As it was, the only person who was stung was Robert, the beekeeper who is seen in the film. Robert keeps bees at locations all over Dartmoor, and sells honey under the name "Birdy's Devon Honey".
The Victorian wax refinery we feature has been run by the Case-Green family through four generations, and has survived by adapting to modern markets. Since the demand for candles dropped because of gas and then electric lighting, times have been hard for many wax related firms - but British Wax has continued to make a healthy living by supplying wax for dozens of uses, like cheese coating, brass rubbing, mold making, and of course, hair removal.
Shearer candles was established in 1897 by Messrs Shearer and Harvey. Still a family firm, the factory is now owned by the Barnets. They took the business over in 1972, and were kick-started into high volume production when the miners went on strike in the very same year, resulting in months of power-cuts.
The UK candle market is worth around £200 million annually, and nine out of ten of those candles are purchased by women - in search of a romantic evening, no doubt!
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Production Notes
Locations:
Wotter, near Plymouth, Devon (beehives);
British Wax, Redhill, Surrey;
Shearer Candles, Glasgow, Scotland;
Chloe's Restaurant, Plymouth, Devon (romantic dinner).