Top 10 British Movie Locations You Can Actually Visit

Let’s kick things off in style, shall we? While Nottingham’s Wollaton Hall provides the exteriors, Osterley was used for interior shots of Wayne Manor in Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. The mansion has a hidden behind-the-bookcase passage, used for secret trips to the Batcave, as well as a grand gallery seen in some scenes. Aside from reclusive superheroes, Osterley has also housed a former Batman, Val Kilmer, in 1984’s “Top Secret!”, as well as everyone’s favourite kids’ TV comedians Barry and Paul Chuckle, in the 1990s series, “ChuckleVision”.

Built in the late-15th century and set within a sprawling country park, this majestic house was used in the second installment of Guy Ritchie’s high-octane take on Sherlock Holmes. As the house features in a scene set in Switzerland, the courtyards for the National Trust property were filled with fake snow, to create a suitably alpine atmosphere. Knole has also appeared in 2008’s “The Other Boleyn Girl”, 2010’s gory “Burke and Hare” and 2011’s swashbuckling “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”.

An Oscar-winning role for Eddie Redmayne as world-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, much of this movie was filmed at Cambridge University, where Hawking studied, with scenes involving some of its most iconic buildings. St John’s features throughout the film, taking centre stage for the May Ball scene, and for a memorably romantic moment between Stephen and Jane on Kitchen Bridge. Unlike some other entries on this list, the buildings haven’t been overly disguised, they’ve just been given a slight ‘60s makeover.

Serving as Mr. D’Arcy’s estate in this rather fancy mid-2000’s Jane Austen adaptation, Chatsworth House is actually thought to have been Austen’s inspiration for Pemberley, when “Pride and Prejudice” was first written. A Mr. D’Arcy bust can even be found in the house’s Orangery Shop. Located within vast grounds, stop by Chatsworth to follow in Keira Knightley’s footsteps, and relive some of cinema’s most romantic moments. A little less fancy but equally historic, 2010’s “The Wolfman” was also filmed here.

You might not immediately associate the Avengers with the rural landscapes of Norfolk, but the MCU’s blockbuster superheroes are actually based there, at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. The Sainsbury Centre of Visual Arts at UEA first appeared as Avengers HQ toward the end of “Age of Ultron”, before providing a set for “Spider-man: Homecoming” in 2017. The distinctive glass structure offers a break from the standard, city-based chaos which the franchise usually deals in, and gives Iron Man and co. the chance to cruise through campus in their downtime.

Another grand old country manor, Kenwood House appears as the location for a film within a film, in a famous “Notting Hill” scene which sees Hugh Grant eavesdrop on Julia Roberts. A peaceful place on the outskirts of London, it’s a popular haunt for fans of the rom-com, who can sit and relax in the exact spot where Hugh Grant has his heart broken. Plus, when you’ve finished perfecting your very best Hugh Grant impression, you can take in a prize collection of artwork inside.

Sticking with the 90s, the locations in “Trainspotting” are almost as memorable as the movie’s soundtrack. The iconic opening scene was shot in a number of locations across Edinburgh, from Princes Street to St. Ninian’s Row, where a rogue car bonnet halts Renton’s escape attempt. [1] Nowadays, to pay homage to the sequence, there are even organised ‘Trainspotting Sprint’ tours, allowing runners to tread the same route as McGregor did all those years ago, as well as passing other memorable locations from the movie.

These scenes of an intergalactic forest took us way outside the Earth’s orbit, but they were filmed just inside the London Orbital Motorway, AKA the M25. Cassiobury Park is just a short space-flight away from Leavesden Studios, where most of “The Phantom Menace” was filmed. The park includes the thoroughly English-sounding Whippendell Woods, which serve as a leafy backdrop on Naboo, where Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet Jar Jar Binks. Jar Jar sure hasn’t mastered the North London accent, though[.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, and used to convince us that South-East London is actually revolution-era France. Overflowing with Parisian grandeur, some pivotal Les Mis scenes were filmed at the Old Royal Naval College, including the planning of the rebellion at the funeral of Lamarque, which was shot in the Painted Hall, and the initial uprising. And for some bonus trivia: The barricades pictured in the final scene, which stood just outside the college, are mostly made of furniture found at a Welsh reclaim yard.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Ely Cathedral, Cambridgeshire
“The King’s Speech”(2011)

Stanley Dock, Liverpool
“Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011)

Mersey Tunnel, Liverpool
“Fast & Furious 6” (2013)

The famous gateway to Hogwarts and the rest of Harry’s wizarding world, Platform 9 ¾ has become a place of pilgrimage for all Harry Potter fans - so much so, King’s Cross actually has a dedicated spot, where us mere muggles can recreate the magic. However, the famous scene where Hagrid passes Harry his ticket before promptly disappearing wasn’t shot in London, but in fact at York Station. And while we’re on the subject of train-based Harry Potter locations, special mention for the Glenfinnan Viaduct, seen along the picturesque route of the Hogwarts Express.