A movie which features artist Turner's love for Margate and its unique light conditions was actually shot in Cornwall.

Biopic Mr Turner, which hits the big screens today, hails the artist's great love for the seaside town of Margate - much admired for its spectacular skies.

But those behind the much-touted movie have admitted they moved the sets to Cornwall... because Margate was too modern!

The critically acclaimed biopic Mr Turner, stars Bafta Award-winning actor Timothy Spall.

Both Turner and Mr Spall have strong Kent connections and the film is expected to be a box office hit in the county, appealing to fans of both the artist and the actor alike.

But the film's producer has admitted liberties were taken with the locations.

Georgina Lowe said: "Turner visited Margate and he loved the light there and he painted there and he spent a lot of time there.

"We unfortunately couldn't use the exact spot that he used to go to because of the Turner Contemporary gallery which is there, and obviously the modernisation of other parts of Margate, so we had to go somewhere else to shoot those particular scenes.

"We shot our Margate scenes down in Kingsand, which is Cornwall, because we wanted to get a similar light and a relationship with the sea.

"We found an unmodernised part of the coast there [Margate] and we obviously had to have a relationship with a house and it being next to the sea and the coast so basically we needed to have a section of the coastline which we could control for us to be able to film there.

"Unfortunately you have to make certain sorts of artistic decisions because it's a period film and obviously things have changed a great deal since Turner's time."

The film focuses on the twilight years of Joseph Mallord William Turner’s life when he was a frequent visitor to a Margate guesthouse to enjoy the coastline’s breath-taking sunsets, which he described as “the loveliest skies in all Europe”.

The Kent coast provided inspiration for many of Turner’s acclaimed works and the county features heavily in the film.

But the crew did spend three days shooting at Chatham Dockyard, where they used 136-year-old warship HMS Gannet to recreate one of the most famous scenes of Turner’s life.

According to legend, Turner had himself lashed to the mast of a boat in order to make sketches for his much-lauded painting Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth.

The vessel doubles as a pleasure boat on the Thames in the film, which is written and directed by Mike Leigh, who also used Stangate Creek on the River Medway in Swale for a rowing scene.

The creek was immortalised in a watercolour by Turner circa 1823.

Timothy Spall was born in London, but grew up in Margate where his mum Sylvia made her home.

Following his Cannes win in May, the 57-year-old actor paid tribute to Sylvia, who lives in Cliftonville, telling journalists: “I said, ‘Your son’s won best actor at Cannes, Mum’.

“It perked her up. I could tell it cheered her. My mum was a hairdresser and I grew up above Sylvia’s salon in Margate.

“You never forget where you come from. Now I’m in Cannes surrounded by all these famous people with an award for best actor.”

It is hoped the movie will also bring more tourism into the county, as fans retrace Turner’s steps to Margate.

The town’s Turner Contemporary gallery is urging tourists to book onto the two-day JMW Turner’s Margate Tour, which includes a film showing, a gallery visit, champagne afternoon tea at the Sands Hotel and a stay at the Crescent Victoria Hotel for a limited period.

For more information, visit turnercontemporary.org