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Film and TV Locations Guide

From Poldark to Harry Potter, step into your favourite drama…

With its sleepy villages and sensational countryside, the Great West Way regularly lures film crews in search of that perfect shot. Here’s how you can go on the trail of some much-loved films and shows including Harry Potter, Paddington Bear and Poldark...

Magical Harry Potter locations
Potterheads - get those cloaks and wands at the ready! There are several must-visit locations for you along the Great West Way. The most famous is Lacock Abbey, an atmospheric former nunnery whose cloisters doubled up as Hogwarts in the first two films. Don’t miss the photo opp with the giant cauldron. For a different experience altogether, venture to Ashridge Wood near Newbury. As well as being a bluebell-laden beauty spot in its own right, it’s where the Quidditch World Cup was held in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. If you take a short detour from the Great West Way you can visit Gloucester Cathedral - also Hogwarts in several of the films - and New College, Oxford, where a certain Triwizard Tournament took place.

Paddington Bear, Shaun the Sheep and Wallace & Gromit

If you’re off to explore the Great West Way from Paddington Station then you’re already at a film location. It’s Paddington Bear’s name because it was where the amiable bear first emerged from deepest, darkest Peru. Snap a selfie next to the bronze statue marking that very spot on Platform 1. Then pick up a cuddly toy version at the station’s Paddington Bear shop - the only one in the world.

If cute characters are your thing, you might consider taking the train to Bristol - around a 1 hour 45 minute journey from Paddington. The city is home to Aardman, the Oscar-winning studio responsible for beloved stop-motion animations such as Shaun the Sheep, Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run. Plus latest film, Early Man. You can find out more about their work, and even have a go at making your own animation, at We The Curious and M Shed.

Costume dramas: From Poldark to Pride & Prejudice

From cared-for Cotswold villages to the elegant city of Bath, the local honey-coloured limestone lends this part of England a golden charm that looks incredible on screen. Add to that the bucolic landscape of Wiltshire and Berkshire, and you can see why the region so regularly stars in historical dramas.

Corsham, in Wiltshire was miraculously made into Truro for the BBC’s Poldark series. While its historic High Street is immaculately preserved, some work still had to be done to take it back to the 18th century - modern road surfaces were overlaid with dirt, and gaggles of geese and horse-drawn carts took over the streets. Walk in the handsome Captain Poldark’s footsteps round the village, and be sure to visit the Flemish Weaver pub, where actor Aidan Turner and other stars were based during filming.

Recent film and TV adaptations of Sherlock have filmed various locations along the touring route. The TV show, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, filmed in and around Bristol: including at Arnos Vale Cemetery, Tyntesfield, Queen Square and Bristol Old Vic. While the 2009 film version, with Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr, filmed at Cliveden in Berkshire - its French dining room became a Parisian hotel room.

And you won’t be surprised that there are numerous locations for films based on the works of Jane Austen. Mompesson House in Salisbury for Sense and Sensibility (1995), Basildon Park for Pride & Prejudice (2005) and various places in Bath for Persuasion (2007). Check out the Bath Film Office for more recommendations.