Filming locations from The Crown you can actually visit

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As ‘Set-Jetting’ Looks Set to Save Britain’s Finest Homes

Fans of The Crown can take a road trip around some of the most recognisable and unusual UK filming locations.

With the final season now back on our screens, fans of the hit show may be surprised to see that many of the filming locations are outside of London, and the grand stately homes can be visited throughout the year.

In a VisitBritain poll, 47% recognised ‘interesting built heritage’ as a top holiday attribute associated with Britain – as over 1 million US visitors have taken a tour around some of our finest built heritage, spending over £1 billion while in the UK.*

Almost 50% of potential visitors to Britain now say they’d be keen to visit places featured in films or on TV and splurge on some ‘set-jetting’ – citing a film or TV location would have some influence on their decision to take a holiday to a specific destination.**

Downton Abbey is another great example of how tourism has helped protect and preserve some of Britain’s finest homes. Downton Abbey or Highclere as it’s called, faced a £12m repair bill, with urgent repairs of £1.8m – but with visitor numbers doubling to 1200 a day due to the popular TV series, assets almost trebled to around £1m since 2012 – allowing the family to restore the house to its former glory.***

Quotezone.co.uk have researched eight hotspots from around the country which fans can visit for themselves, including sites from season six.

Wilton House in Sailsbury was used as a stand-in for interior shots of Buckingham Palace, while Winchester Cathedral featured as St. Paul’s Cathedral, hosting the royal wedding of Diana and Charles.

Spots from season six have also been featured – including St. Andrews University and York Minster.

Greg Wilson, Founder and CEO of Quotezone.co.uk said: “With the final season of The Crown now live on our screens, we’ve researched some of the best filming locations that were used in the show so fans can take a road trip around the country to visit these grand buildings for themselves.  We’ve even found some filming locations featured in the newest season – including St. Andrews University in Scotland and York Minster.

“It’s a massive investment to keep these important buildings as part of our history so it’s great to see visitor numbers flocking to support them.

“Older properties can come with lots of baggage and for those that carry historical meaning, it can be expensive to insure them and ensure they are protected.  Now our insurance providers on our comparison site might not stretch to cover Buckingham Palace but they can support people with older, listed properties with quirky features, and help them find savings.”

Here are the real life filming locations across the UK for fans of The Crown to visit, by Quotezone.co.uk:

Belvoir Castle, Leicestershire (Windsor Castle)

During her reign, Queen Elizabeth spent most of her private weekends at Windsor Castle. In The Crown, Belvoir Castle in Grantham, Leicestershire has been used as the filming location for the estate in earlier seasons.

Wilton House, Salisbury (Buckingham Palace)

An iconic site for fans of the show, Wilton House has been used for filming the interior Buckingham Palace scenes. The grand house has also been used for other popular shows and films including ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘The Young Victoria’.

St Andrew’s University (St. Andrews, Scotland)

One of the key scenes in the newest season of the show features William and Kate meeting at St. Andrews University. The show was able to use the actual university as their filming site, where visitors can explore the historic buildings and its impressive grounds.

Winchester Cathedral, Winchester (St. Paul’s Cathedral)

Used for filming several iconic scenes in the show, Winchester Cathedral has been used in place of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Churchill and Lord Mountbatten’s funeral, as well as the wedding of Princess Diana and King Charles were all filmed here.

York Minster, York (St. George’s Chapel)

Used as a filming spot for season six, York Minster was used in place of St. George’s Chapel to show the wedding of Charles and Camilla. TV lovers can visit the famous cathedral and head up the 275 steps for panoramic views of York.

Slains Castle, Aberdeen, Scotland (Castle Mey)

During the first season of The Crown, Slains Castle was used for filming the home of the Queen’s Mother, which was actually Castle Mey in the Highlands. Both buildings are open to the public to visit.

Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire (Ritz Hotel Paris)

Season five of The Crown was partly shot at Waddesdon Manor as a stand-in for the Ritz Paris. Open to visitors all year round, this grand building is one of the most popular sites amongst fans of the show.

Knebworth House, Hertfordshire (Balmoral Castle)

The interior scenes of Balmoral Castle have been shot at Knebworth House. Fans can visit the historic building and explore the gardens, maze and tour the stately home. 

References:

* https://www.visitbritain.com/jp/ja/media/britains-iconic-built-heritage-top-priority-tourists

**https://www.visitbritain.org/sites/ind/files/2023-07/foresight_160_-_film_and_tv_locations.pdf

***https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/sep/19/downton-abbey-highclere-castle-tourist-cash-funds-repairs