British Movie Locations

British movie locations are a popular feature of the Great British Heritage Pass, with film sets from Pride & Prejudice, Harry Potter, and The Da Vinci Code all included on the pass.

Begin your tour of Britain’s famous movie locations at Alnwick Castle in the North of England.  Ancestral home to the Duke of Northumberland, this property was featured in both Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets.  Many of the outdoor scenes for these movies were filmed at Alnwick, including the Quidditch lessons.  This is also the second largest inhabited castle in England, so be sure to visit inside too!

Next head down into Derbyshire and the Peak District, where you’ll find a few of the filming locations from the recent release of Pride & Prejudice.  At Chatsworth you’ll recognize Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley estate, which is also thought to have inspired Pemberley in Jane Austen’s beloved novel.  Explore its magnificent rooms and the beautiful parkland.  The grand staircase of the Painted Hall is where Elizabeth Bennett and her aunt and uncle begin their tour of Pemberley, and the Grand Gallery is where Elizabeth sees the bust of Mr. Darcy.

Haddon Hall was the second location in the Peak District used for filming Pride and Prejudice, a medieval manor house built over 600 years ago.  In the film, The Banqueting Hall is used as the dining hall at Lambton Inn.  Explore the house and Banqueting Hall, and enjoy the terraced Elizabethan gardens and beautiful surrounding countryside. 

Your next film location is Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire. This was used for some scenes at Castel Gandolfo in The Da Vinci Code. Belvoir Castle has been the ancestral home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland for over a thousand years.  It contains a superb art collection, including paintings by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Holbein, and Poussin.

Just north of London you’ll find Hatfield House, used for the filming of Shakespeare in Love.  Next head to Blenheim Palace, which was featured in Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet.

Basildon Park, near Reading, was another Pride and Prejudice film location.  Basildon Park became Netherfield Park, home to Mr. Bingley.  This is a magnificent 18th century Palladian mansion which overlooks the River Thames in Berkshire.  The west front and loggia of Basildon Park were used in the film, as well as the dining room and Octagon Drawing Room. 

Ready for some more Harry Potter magic?  Then head to Lacock Abbey, which was featured in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.  It is a medieval cloistered abbey that was converted into a country house.

At Stourhead you’ll find a world-famous garden with enchanting temples and lakes.  The Temple of Apollo at Stourhead was used during Elizabeth’s and Darcy’s encounter in the rain in Pride and Prejudice. 

If you didn’t recognize some of the rooms at Chatsworth as having been featured in Pride and Prejudice, it’s because some of the interiors were filmed at Wilton House, near Salisbury.  It is in the Double Cube Room, which is shown as Darcy’s drawing room, where Elizabeth first meets Darcy’s sister, Georgina. 

Finish your movie trail tour at Groombridge Place Gardens, which featured as Longbourn, the Bennett family home, in Pride and Prejudice.  There is an exhibition on the film available for all to view, capturing the period and recording some of the filming activity.  It has a collection of photos taken during filming, and has costumes to match. 

Recapture the magic of the movies with a Great British Heritage Pass!