Whether you just stumble across it or seek it out, there’s always something exciting about seeing a place from the silver screen IRL. For a while you can imagine yourself heading off to wizard school, fighting zombies or swooning over the likes of Colin Firth and Jude Law.
Apparently 48 percent of Brits would visit a place simply because a film had been set there and Virgin Media has just revealed the best spots to satisfy your inner movie buff.
Glenfinnan Viaduct in Scotland has been crowned the country’s best film location in the country. It’s probably one of the UK’s most recognisable bridges thanks to its starring role serving the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films.
Next in the ranking was Hampshire’s Highclere Castle, famed for its performance in ‘Downton Abbey’, then Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, which has featured in ‘Peaky Blinders’, ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘The Duchess’.
The Notting Hill Bookshop in London came in fourth, popular for starring in the Hugh Grant classic ‘Notting Hill’, of course. Honeysuckle Cottage in Surrey is the next most popular spot even though it’s never actually been in a movie. It was the home that inspired Kate Winslet’s Rosehill Cottage in ‘The Holiday’ – apparently the film crew were so inspired by it that they built a perfect replica of the exterior nearby.
Completing the top ten best film locations were the Royal Liver Building in Liverpool, which was used in Robert Pattinson’s recent version of ‘The Batman’, the Duke of Albany pub in London (‘Shaun of the Dead’), St Ann’s in Nottingham (‘This Is England’), Piccadilly Circus in London (‘Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery’ and ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1’) and finally, Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire (‘The Legend of Tarzan’ and ‘The Duchess’).
Time Out on location
Want to see some for yourself? If these aren’t enough, there’s plenty more movie star spots to discover. Time Out has covered all of the British locations from some of the biggest films of 2023 including Wonka, Rye Lane, Empire of Light and Napoleon.
Did you see that this street has been crowned the UK’s best for independent shops this Christmas?
Plus: you can send someone a free Cadbury chocolate bar this Christmas.
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