Explore the film and TV historical hotspots of Essex

5th September 2025

Visit Essex, the county’s tourism organisation, is encouraging people to visit top historic film and TV locations in the county.

A new campaign - ‘Starring Essex’ - has revealed the top spots across the county that have hit the screen. Now, Visit Essex has named the top 10 historic places with film and TV connections, with scenes used in Downton Abbey, Killing Eve and The Crown. 

Councillor Mark Durham, Chair of Visit Essex, is excited about the opportunities film tourism offers. He says: “TV and film productions have flocked to Essex and they have shone a light on our superb historic locations. Everything from The Crown to Batman Begins have used our historic backdrops to create impressive settings to their scenes. Now we’re encouraging locals and tourists alike to go out and experience these stunning locations.”

The top 10 historic film locations in Essex are:

Hyland Estate, Chelmsford
Hylands House and estate have featured in many productions over the years. The stunning Georgian white façade house has starred in Killing Eve and The Crown among others. It’s fine columns have even doubled as the presidential White House. Hylands Estate is open to the public and Hylands House welcomes visitors at its regular open days.  

Ingatestone Hall
Ingatestone Hall is an imposing 16th century manor house that retains all its Tudor charm. Thanks to its historic appeal, the hall was used for filming exterior shots of the BBC’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Bleak House. Guided tours of the red-brick mansion are available.   

Audley End House and Gardens
Audley End House and Gardens is a magnificent 17th century mansion with stunning landscaped grounds. It’s the former home to Lords, Ladies, Earls and Sirs, so it is no wonder that the house was featured in The Crown. Today, visitors can enjoy days out upstairs and downstairs at the English Heritage owned attraction. 

Hedingham Castle
The Norman keep, near Halstead, is a heritage treasure. The venue has been used for a wide variety of TV and film, from Married at First Sight, to comedian Noel Fielding starring as Dick Turpin in the Apple TV+ comedy series The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin. Hedingham Castle welcomes visitors on tours of the estate and to its historical jousting events. 

Tilbury Fort
Tilbury Fort was used in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster film, ‘Batman Begins’. The fort’s foreboding architecture gave the prison scenes real character, as star of the film, Christian Bale, discovered as he tried to escape their walls. Tilbury Fort is open Wednesday to Sunday.

Electric Palace, Harwich
The Electric Palace cinema is one of the oldest cinemas, which still has its original screen and ornate frontage intact. The cinema’s original features made it an irresistible location for scenes in the film Downton Abbey, A New Era. The film’s locations manager was quoted as saying the “cinema was beautiful and they had to use it”. Actress Michelle Dockery, who played Lady Mary Crawley, shot scenes in and around the cinema. The cinema is open to the public. 

Brightlingsea Harbour
The Apple TV+ production of The Essex Serpent was filmed in many locations across the county, but the Brightlingsea harbour was also one of the locations used for the fictional village of Aldwinter. To tread in the footsteps of Hollywood’s Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes visit the harbour and wander along Brightlingsea’s pretty beach-hut lined prom. 

Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome, Maldon
The intriguing Channel 5 documentary The Secret Life of Owls was shot at Stow Maries Great War Aerodrome. The aerodrome is the last of its kind in the UK and is also home to all five native British owls. Hidden cameras were set up around the aerodrome and caught some stunning footage. The aerodrome is open to the public and is an enthralling piece of modern history in the county. Admission also includes guided nature walks on Saturdays and Sundays.

Hadleigh Country Park
The film ‘Boudica: Queen of War’ was partly filmed at Hadleigh Country Park, near Southend. The film recreated an Iron Age roundhouse for Boudica to rebel against the Romans. Although the roundhouse was taken down after filming, the park still offers a magnificent environment with  reaching views across the Thames Estuary.

Epping Forest
The trees of Epping Forest gave the perfect backdrop for ‘The Witcher’ fantasy series three. The forest’s Strawberry Hill Ponds were the setting for the Belleteyn Festival. Visit the 2,400-hectare ancient woodland and be sure not to meet any monsters

To discover more, view the movie map here.

Starring Essex is part of a wider Visit Britain initiative, ‘Starring Britain’. The campaign was set-up to encourage visitors to explore film locations and discover hidden gems. 
ENDS