BLOG: Dorne Display at Studio Tour

June 22, 2023

When Game of Thrones star Indira Varma visits Game of Thrones Studio Tour for the first time on June 30, she will also mark her first visit to Linen Mill Studios, the principal filming home of the history-making HBO TV show. 

Varma, whose Game of Thrones character Ellaria Sand was a fan favourite, and featured between Seasons 4-7 of the hit show, filmed in just three locations in Northern Ireland: 

• Gosford Castle 

• Portstewart Strand 
• The Painthall Studios 

However, during her visit to launch a new costume display celebrating the kingdom of Dorne at Game of Thrones Studio Tour, she will be reunited with the imposing Dragonstone Map Table where, as a member of Dragonstone’s War Council, she would help plot a unified aim of taking the Iron Throne from the powerful Lannisters. 

The Dorne display Indira Varma will launch on June 30, will feature costumes worn by characters from the southernmost isolated kingdom in The Seven Kingdoms. 

Costumes will include elaborate dresses donned by Ellaria Sand and her daughters, Obara, Nymeria, and Tyene, and an opulent Dorne Guard costume. The display will also include a prancing horse created by the show’s award-winning SFX team. 

In addition, Game of Thrones Studio Tour has added the Red Viper costume worn by actor Pedro Pascal when he portrayed the character, Oberyn Martell.  

This chestnut-coloured armour has a distinct reptilian feel and is a nod to Martell’s extensive knowledge of poisons. 

He famously wore the armour for his epic showdown with Ser Gregor Clegane, The Mountain. 

Visitors can see Martell’s fine fighting outfit reunited beside the contrasting armour worn by The Mountain. 

The immersive and interactive Game of Thrones Studio Tour, at Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge, invites visitors to discover the making of the hit HBO series, walk through authentic sets such as Winterfell and King’s Landing, and come up close and personal with dragons, giants, and hundreds of screen-used costumes, captivating weapons, and props. 

If you would like to see Indira Varma at Game of Thrones on June 30, she will launch the new Dorne costume display at 1pm. Book your tour experience for this special occasion now! 

The new Dorne display will include: 

• SFX Horse: The horse is a foreleg-rearing pneumatic rig, engineered by the SFX department for a specific stunt in Game of Thrones. The horse will showcase the visually striking Dornish tack from the beach scene in Game of Thrones Season 5. Each specific house had a bespoke cavalry, designed with aesthetics and functionality in mind. This includes armour, horse blankets, reins, and saddle bags adorned with house sigils, elaborate embellishments, and intricate leatherwork. The most decorative designs showcase the region’s culture’s wealth, artistry, and craftsmanship.  

• Oberyn Martell: See costume description above. 

• Ellaria Sand: In mourning for her lover Oberyn Martell, Ellaria wears a bias-cut gown of black sand-washed silk, hand-finished with gold silk thread. Worn with her familiar triangle bra, the dress is similar in shape but much more modest than her previous costumes. The chestnut leather straps worn across the body are a nod to the armour worn by Oberyn and symbolise protection. 

• Tyene Sand: First of the four daughters of Ellaria and Oberyn Martell, Tyene Sand wears a saffron-yellow paper-silk dress with leather detailing. It is worn with tan leather trousers so it can be hitched up at the side when on horseback. Her necklace is similar to her mother’s. On a low-slung belt, she carries a pair of beautiful snake’s head daggers on each hip. 

• Obara Sand: Obara Sand’s costume is the group’s most masculine, perfectly reflecting her character’s personality. The hand-stamped leather armour is both solid and stylish. Her choice of weapon is also a nod to her father who trained her to use the traditional Dornish spear from when she was a child. 

• Nymeria Sand: Daughter of Oberyn Martell and an Eastern Noble-woman, Nym’s paper-silk dress is teamed with a heavily patterned bra and leather trousers. The lightweight silk fabrics are ideal for the warm Dornish climate whilst the leather trousers are hard-wearing enough for time spent in the saddle.  Referencing the bullwhip, she favours as a weapon; the stamped leather straps criss-cross the body.  

• Martell Guard: Spears are the preferred weapon of the personal guards to House Martell so traditional restrictive armour is replaced with something more forgiving. The vibrant saffron yellow velvet coat is lined with leather and embellished with the House Martell Sigil.