We’ve been glued to some great film and TV this year but now it’s time to get out there and explore the beautiful British places which acted as their film locations.
Lacock Abbey and village in the BBC’s The Hollow Crown
Lacock Abbey stars in The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, based on Shakespeare’s history plays, alongside Benedict Cumberbatch and Dame Judi Dench. Many of the scenes filmed at Lacock feature the abbey’s iconic medieval cloister, which dates back to around 1450, including a tennis match scene in the cloister garth. The abbey, which was founded in the 13th century and dissolved in 1539,is located in the centre of the village.
Filming also took place in the Lacock village, and both village and abbey have been also used as a location in TV and film productions of Pride and Prejudice, Cranford Chronicles, Emma and Harry Potter films.
Now managed by the National Trust, you can wander through the medieval cloisters, and 16th-century stable courtyard, explore the furnished rooms and discover the 18th-century Gothic hall, or just take a pleasant walk through the village.
The Bishop’s Palace, Wells in The Huntsman: Winter’s War
The fantasy blockbuster based on Snow White starred Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt and Christ Hemsworth but even these Hollywood stars were outshone by the beauty of some of film’s locations including the Bishop’s Palace in Wells, Somerset.
The stunning medieval building of the Bishop’s Palace, adjacent to Wells Cathedral, has been home to the bishops of Bath and Wells for more than 800 years and is open for everyone to enjoy.
Surrounded by a breathtaking moat you can cross a flagstone drawbridge, under the portcullis and experience a true hidden gem in the heart of the City of Wells.
There are also 14 acres of gardens to explore, including the beautiful well pools from which the city takes its name, you can also look around the Bishop’s private Chapel, explore the ruined Great Hall and meet the famous mute swans who live alongside the moat and ring a bell when they want food.
Puzzlewood in Gloucestershire in Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Puzzlewood is a unique and enchanting place located in the beautiful and historic Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. JRR Tolkien is reputed to have taken his inspiration for the fabled forests of Middle Earth from Puzzlewood, and it’s easy to see why.
Its otherwordly, enchanted forest beauty also means its no stranger to the big screen but it recently got its biggest outing as the location for an important scene in the mega-hit Star Wars: The Force Awakens, where Klyo Ren battles Finn in the forest. You can also stay in two cottages in the forest, Puzzlewood Cottage and Puzzlewood Patch.
Blackpool Mill Cottage in The Night Manager
Secluded in a beautiful valley a mere hop away from where wave crash away from the sea, this 15th-century cottage in Devon offers an idyllic retreat from the pressures of everyday working life. It also played host to night manager turned spy Jonathan Pine in the BBC’s smash-hit TV miniseries The Night Manager. Belonging to Hartland Abbey, whose lawn was used as a base for crew, Blackpool Mill Cottage stood in for the location for Lanyon Rose, the cottage Pine takes to begin his infiltration. Filming also took place in the nearby Hartland village.
The cottage is full of original features and character, there is also an unspoilt beach that the property overlooks which provides unlimited access for fishing and bathing, as well as allowing you time to relax in the haunts of the BBC’s adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, parts of which were filmed there in 2007.
Blackpool Mill Cottage is available to rent.
Peaky Blinders at the Black Country Living Museum
One of most stylish and compelling shows on TV, the BBC’s Birmingham-set gangster drama Peaky Blinders is in its third season, and you can see sets from all series at the Black Country Living Museum.
The award-winning open-air living museum tells the story of the world’s first industrial landscape in the Midlands, with authentic building, vehicles and factories, which form the stage for the Shelby family’s dramas after the end of the First World War with atmospheric scenes filmed at its famous Charlie Strong’s Yard, Boat Dock, Rolling Mill and Anchor Forge.
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