Period dramas have long been one of British television’s finest exports. These days, the sheer scale and splendour of the costumes wins highly coveted awards left, right and centre. But let’s be serious. The real stars of British period dramas aren’t the actors – though Cillian Murphy’s popularity in Peaky Blinders may dispute that. It is, in fact, the locations that often make these compelling stories so enticing to watch.
And what’s more, many of the filming locations for period dramas are real-life houses, streets and neighbourhoods. Want to take a period drama pilgrimage? Try these great locations.
And what’s more, many of the filming locations for period dramas are real-life houses, streets and neighbourhoods. Want to take a period drama pilgrimage? Try these great locations.
Seek scandal at Castle Howard
The perfect boxing day binge, Netflix’s Bridgerton captivated audiences after its release on Christmas day. The stately homes, glittering ballrooms and royal abodes that appeared in the series were shot in a number of locations across Great Britain. Perhaps most memorable for its steamy scenes, episode six nevertheless provided audiences with plenty of locations worth swooning over.
Two characters embark on their honeymoon at the fictional Clyvedon Castle, the exterior of which was shot at the magnificent Castle Howard in York. Still owned and lived in by the Howard family, Castle Howard was used in the 1980s as the location for the television version of Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited (1945) and again in 2008 for a film version.
The interiors for Clyvedon Castle were filmed at Badminton House, North Mymms Park and Wilton House. Period drama aficionados may well recognise Wilton House from its starring role as Buckingham Palace in The Crown and as Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice (2005). Wilton House served as no less than four different homes on Bridgerton – talk about range!
Two characters embark on their honeymoon at the fictional Clyvedon Castle, the exterior of which was shot at the magnificent Castle Howard in York. Still owned and lived in by the Howard family, Castle Howard was used in the 1980s as the location for the television version of Evelyn Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited (1945) and again in 2008 for a film version.
The interiors for Clyvedon Castle were filmed at Badminton House, North Mymms Park and Wilton House. Period drama aficionados may well recognise Wilton House from its starring role as Buckingham Palace in The Crown and as Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice (2005). Wilton House served as no less than four different homes on Bridgerton – talk about range!
See the new kids on the block at New Town, Edinburgh
Downton Abbey writer Julian Fellows adapted his novel, Belgravia for a TV show of the same name, following the lives and salacious secrets of high society Londoners in the 19th-century. The series is set in Belgravia, London, where to this day you can still find rows of grand townhouses and elegant squares dating back to the 1800s. For the series, however, much of the filming actually took place 400 miles away in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Established during the same period as Belgravia, the Scottish capital’s New Town made the ideal filming location for the show, thanks to its Georgian townhouses, broad avenues and large, grassy squares akin to its London counterpart.
Established during the same period as Belgravia, the Scottish capital’s New Town made the ideal filming location for the show, thanks to its Georgian townhouses, broad avenues and large, grassy squares akin to its London counterpart.
Meet the real Lady of Highclere Castle
No list of period drama locations in Britain would be complete without mentioning Downton Abbey's iconic Highclere Castle. This striking gothic behemoth of a stately home is one of Britain’s finest estates, with rolling hills dotted with curious follies, Capability Brown-landscaped gardens and, of course, one of the most well-preserved pieces of Jacobean architecture in Britain.
This is no museum, though. The Earl of Carnarvon, who inherited the estate from his father in 2001, still lives here with his wife, the Countess of Carnarvon. The Countess, better known as Lady Carnarvon, has been instrumental in the estate’s role as Grantham House in Downton Abbey and even holds tours, talks and parties at the house, bookable by the public. Look out for the occasional evening cabaret dos to live out all your Downton dreams.
This is no museum, though. The Earl of Carnarvon, who inherited the estate from his father in 2001, still lives here with his wife, the Countess of Carnarvon. The Countess, better known as Lady Carnarvon, has been instrumental in the estate’s role as Grantham House in Downton Abbey and even holds tours, talks and parties at the house, bookable by the public. Look out for the occasional evening cabaret dos to live out all your Downton dreams.
Mix with royals at Loseley Park
Hugely popular Netflix series The Crown has had the world buzzing about Britain’s royal family history since 2016, and with each new season comes a renewed interest in the Windsors’ homes in London. Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace and Clarence House are all key London locations for The Crown, but the capital wasn’t the only filming location used for the series, and filming inside the royal residences simply wasn’t an option.
So, enter: Loseley Park. Beyond London’s Orbital motorway, this 1,400-acre estate in the Surrey countryside has beautiful gardens and an impressive Tudor manor house at its centre. Still owned and occupied by the More-Molyneux family, whose ancestors have owned the estate for over 500 years, it’s a superb spot for a history lesson, and some TV tourism.
The house and gardens featured in various scenes in The Crown, including a shooting scene on a hill and a dinner party in the manor’s Great Hall. But more exciting is the home’s real-life history, with former visitors including Queen Elizabeth I – you can visit her guest bedroom on the first floor – and James I. You’ll see portraits of royals and nobility throughout the grand house, and guides are on hand to answer all your questions.
So, enter: Loseley Park. Beyond London’s Orbital motorway, this 1,400-acre estate in the Surrey countryside has beautiful gardens and an impressive Tudor manor house at its centre. Still owned and occupied by the More-Molyneux family, whose ancestors have owned the estate for over 500 years, it’s a superb spot for a history lesson, and some TV tourism.
The house and gardens featured in various scenes in The Crown, including a shooting scene on a hill and a dinner party in the manor’s Great Hall. But more exciting is the home’s real-life history, with former visitors including Queen Elizabeth I – you can visit her guest bedroom on the first floor – and James I. You’ll see portraits of royals and nobility throughout the grand house, and guides are on hand to answer all your questions.
Get gritty on the canals at the Black Country Living Museum
Onto something significantly more gruesome than the beautiful dresses and stately homes of Downton and The Crown, Peaky Blinders is another hit British period drama. The show, which is filming its sixth season this year, is set in 1920s Birmingham and follows the ups and downs of the Shelby family’s gangster fortune, with Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) as its lead bad boy.
Very little of the show was actually filmed in Birmingham itself, instead locations like Liverpool and Leeds were used. But the best place to see a real-life Peaky Blinders set is the Black Country Living Museum near Dudley, in the West Midlands. The vast outdoor museum, with its rows of classic Birmingham back-to-back houses, canals and industrial docks, featured as the location for numerous scenes throughout the series.
You can walk through Charlie Strong’s yard at the anchor forge, see where Ada and Freddie met on the Canal Street Bridge, and relive Tommy and Lizzie Stark’s tumultuous relationship at the Lime Kilns, where they spent a rather raunchy afternoon.
Very little of the show was actually filmed in Birmingham itself, instead locations like Liverpool and Leeds were used. But the best place to see a real-life Peaky Blinders set is the Black Country Living Museum near Dudley, in the West Midlands. The vast outdoor museum, with its rows of classic Birmingham back-to-back houses, canals and industrial docks, featured as the location for numerous scenes throughout the series.
You can walk through Charlie Strong’s yard at the anchor forge, see where Ada and Freddie met on the Canal Street Bridge, and relive Tommy and Lizzie Stark’s tumultuous relationship at the Lime Kilns, where they spent a rather raunchy afternoon.
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