Churches and monasteries to film in the United Kingdom
13 of them, 12 with a photo and 2 with practical details the location publishes itself. 10 have a documented shooting history. Every entry links to the location or to the body that manages it.
Cathedrals, churches, chapels, monasteries and cloisters, plus the crypts and refectories behind them.
Shooting in the United Kingdom pays back through the Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) (34%): work out the net value on your own spend in the incentive comparison.
Bradford-on-Avon Tithe Barn
Church & monastery
14th-century stone tithe barn built for Shaftesbury Abbey, its vast timber roof space used as a medieval interior for filming.
Seen in: Wolf Hall
Castle Acre Priory
Church & monastery
Ruined Cluniac priory in a Norfolk village with an ornate carved west front and extensive monastic remains, used as a fantasy filming location.
Seen in: The Sandman
Durham Cathedral
Church & monastery
Norman cathedral of 1093 on a wooded peninsula, with massive incised piers, the earliest rib vault of its scale, a cloister, chapter house and monastic ranges.
Seen in: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Avengers: Endgame, Elizabeth
Ely Cathedral
Church & monastery
Norman cathedral above the fens with a long nave, the octagon lantern tower, Lady Chapel and monastic buildings, used to double for larger abbeys.
Seen in: The Crown, The King's Speech, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Other Boleyn Girl
Rievaulx Abbey
Church & monastery
Extensive ruined Cistercian abbey in a wooded North Yorkshire valley, its arches and undercroft used for fantasy, period drama and documentary filming.
Seen in: Transformers: The Last Knight, Gentleman Jack
St Davids Bishop's Palace
Church & monastery
Ruined 14th-century bishop's palace beside St Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, with a great hall, arcaded parapets and undercrofts, available for filming and exhibitions.
St Paul's Cathedral
Church & monastery
Working Anglican cathedral in the City of London with Wren's dome, geometric staircase and west steps, hired for feature and TV filming through its press office.
Seen in: Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes, Mary Poppins Returns, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Paddington 2, Wonka, The Diplomat
The Charterhouse
Church & monastery
Former Carthusian monastery and Tudor mansion turned almshouse near Smithfield, its Great Hall, cloister, chapel and square hired for period filming around resident life.
Union Chapel
Church & monastery
A working Victorian Gothic chapel in Islington that doubles as a music venue, its galleried octagonal interior hired for filming and concerts.
Waverley Abbey
Church & monastery
Ruined 12th-century Cistercian abbey beside the River Wey in Surrey, its stone arches and open meadow setting used as a fantasy and period backdrop.
Seen in: Into the Woods, The Huntsman: Winter's War, The Mummy, The Witcher
Whitby Abbey
Church & monastery
Ruined Benedictine abbey on Whitby's East Cliff above the North Sea, its Gothic skeleton and headstone-lined churchyard used for gothic and period drama.
Seen in: Dracula, The Radleys
Winchester Cathedral
Church & monastery
Norman and Gothic cathedral with the longest medieval nave in Europe, a crypt that floods in winter, cloister ruins and a walled close.
Seen in: The Crown
Holy Trinity Church, Goodramgate
Church & monastery
Small parish church in a secluded churchyard in York, with fabric from the 12th to 15th centuries, box pews and 1470s stained glass, hired out for period filming.
Seen in: Gentleman Jack
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Churches and monasteries elsewhere in Europe
Other kinds of location in the United Kingdom
- Theatres, arenas and venues 47
- Industrial and derelict locations 39
- Offices, schools and public buildings 31
- Transport and infrastructure 42
- Film studios and backlots 37
- Hospitals, prisons and institutions 10
- Houses and apartments 33
- Hotels and interiors 22
- Bars, restaurants and shops 10
- Castles and estates 17
- Villages and countryside 15
- Modern architecture 9
All locations in the United Kingdom · Churches and monasteries across Europe · Search all 2827 locations