UK locations that double for London in films and TV

Whether for budgetary reasons, logistics or pure pragmatism, more and more filmmakers are choosing non-London UK locations to re-create and film their own versions of the Big Smoke.

The Limehouse Golem (out on Digital Download on Christmas Day and on Blu-ray and DVD from Boxing Day) for example – although set in the gritty heart of east London – was actually shot mostly in West Yorkshire. Similarly, Creative England used contacts from all over the country to work with the production companies of Wolf Hall, Peaky Blinders, The Iron Lady, Darkest Hour, The King’s Speech, and Sherlock S3 to find ideal ‘London’ locations far from the capital.

We spoke with Creative England to find out more about this phenomenon of film and TV productions utilising other parts of the UK to film and re-create their very own Londons…

The Limehouse Golem | Limehouse | Dalton Mills, West Yorkshire

Victorian London is gripped with fear as a serial killer is on the loose in gothic detective thriller The Limehouse Golem, starring Bill Nighy and Olivia Cooke. However this isn’t the London we know; it is Dalton Mills in West Yorkshire, once the largest textile mill in the region, that doubles as the moody East London docklands of the 19th Century. Producer Stephen Woolley cited an over-use of East London locations in contemporary TV shows for his desire to escape the city, and thus he decided to re-create his very own Limehouse in West Yorkshire.

The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses | Tower of London | Leeds Castle, Maidstone

Creative England had an enquiry looking for a suitable location for somewhere to double as the Tower of London for the BBC’s The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses (broadcast in May 2016). Recommended was Leeds Castle, a former royal palace once owned by Henry VIII, which has been a popular location for filming over the past 90 years. This was the latest historical feature to be filmed at Leeds Castle where the 13th century castle walls feature in scenes across all three plays, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Richard III and Tom Sturridge as Henry VI.

The Other Boleyn Girl | Whitehall Palace | Knole Park, Sevenoaks

Knole Park, a National Trust property located in Sevenoaks, is one of England’s greatest show houses. Set in a magnificent deer park, Knole was the setting for many of the London night scenes in The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) and the inner courtyard doubled for the entrance of Whitehall Palace where the grand arrivals and departures were staged. The Other Boleyn Girl starred Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson as Anne and Mary Boleyn; the sisters that contended for the affection of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana).

Wolf Hall | Tower of London | Dover Castle, Dover

Dover Castle is another location that has doubled as the Tower of London. In the BBC’s lavish BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning series Wolf Hall, broadcast in 2015, the scenes in which Sir Thomas More (Anton Lesser) and Anne Boleyn (Claire Foy) were publicly executed were actually filmed in this 11th Century castle.

Detectorists | The Shard | Endeavour House, Ipswich

It’s not just traditional buildings that people want London doubles for. When the BBC’s acclaimed sitcom Detectorists – starring the brilliant Mackenzie Crooke and Toby Jones as two eccentric metal detectorists – wanted to set a scene inside the capital’s iconic The Shard, they turned to the sleek interiors of Endeavour House in Ipswich.

Peaky Blinders | London streets | Georgian Quarter, Liverpool

Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter is another very popular location for productions looking to double London. One of the most prominent recent examples is Peaky Blinders. Whilst it’s mostly set in Birmingham, Liverpool has doubled for all the London scenes across the four series, using the beautiful Georgian streets in the shadow of the city’s Anglican Cathedral. Other productions filmed in this area include BBC’s Witness for the Prosecution, ITV’s American export Houdini & Doyle, and Stephen Poliakoff’s Close to the Enemy.

Foyle’s War | War-time London | St. George’s Hall, Liverpool

Across the street from Liverpool’s main train station, the magnificent neo-classical structure of St. George’s Hall, built in 1841, is equally popular with productions looking to cheat interior and exterior London. The long-running ITV detective drama Foyle’s War has filmed here several times, depicting many scenes of war-time London.

The Iron Lady | Houses of Parliament | Town Hall, Manchester

Manchester’s Town Hall was the choice of location for The Iron Lady when producers wanted to shoot scenes set inside the Houses of Parliament, with the building’s neo-Gothic hallways and windows bearing an uncanny similarity.

Darkest Hour | Houses of Parliament | John Rylands Library, Manchester

Manchester doesn’t just have one Parliament substitute. The historic John Rylands Library is another neo-Gothic wonder that could be mistaken for Westminster. When the producers of Darkest Hour (in cinemas 2018) approached Creative England for an alternative outside of London, this is where the company pointed them.

Victoria | Westminster Abbey | Beverley Minster, Beverley

Westminster Abbey, the traditional place for coronations and burial place of countless monarchs, is understandably a common setting for dramas about royalty. However it is prohibited to film inside the Abbey, and thus filmmakers have had to look elsewhere. One of the best options is the 800 year-old Beverley Minster, in Yorkshire, most recently selected by the producers of ITV1’s Victoria for the Westminster Abbey scenes.

Gunpowder | Westminster cellars | Fountains Abbey, Aldfield

For the BBC drama Gunpowder, producers wanted a location to double for the cellars underneath Westminster which Guy Fawkes and associates planned to blow up. Creative England recommended this 12th Century monastery, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as the perfect option.

The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box | 19th Century London | Bath Street, Bath

Bath is known for its elegant architecture, and doubled as 19th Century London for 2014’s The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box, which starred Michael Sheen, Lena Headey and Sam Neill. In post-production, St Paul’s Cathedral was added into the other end of Bath Street. Eagle-eyed viewers can also spot Bath’s Assembly Rooms as the setting for scenes in The British Museum.
Image caption: Bath Street, transformed for the production
Photo credit: Bath Film Office

The Limehouse Golem is out on Digital Download on Christmas Day, and on Blu-ray and DVD on Boxing Day.

Creative England is a pioneering not-for-profit company which works to develop talent and ideas across film, TV, games and tech. We offer production services to promote filming in England, and work with producers to find the most suitable locations, crew, studios and facilities.

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