Elizabeth: The Golden Age Film Locations
Baddesley Clinton, Solihull, West Midlands
Film location: Exterior of Raleigh’s House
Sitting calmly within its moat, who would guess that this picture-perfect late medieval manor house was a hotbed of Jesuit intrigue during Elizabeth’s reign. Hidden priests’ holes allowed escape - one through an old loo down to the former sewers!
Baddesley Clinton
Brean Down, Somerset
Film location: Exterior of Tilbury, Exterior of Hill Above English Camp
This dramatic coastal promontory is rich in wildlife and enticing pathways. The Victorian Palmerston Fort was built to defend Britain against the French and also saw duty during the Second World War.
Brean Down, Somerset
Burghley, Lincolnshire
Film location: Exterior of John Dee’s House, Exterior of London Alley, Exterior of Paris Street
The largest and grandest house of the first Elizabethan age is awe-inspiring in its sumptuousness and majesty. The windows of the West Front above the Golden Gate catch the late afternoon sun as if reflecting the golden Tudor aura.
Burghley House
Dorney Court, Dorney, Windsor, Berkshire
Film location: Interior of Raleigh’s House, Interior of Walsingham’s House, Interior of Private Chapel
This enchanting, rambling mellow brick and timber home forms an idyllic scene with its ancient adjacent church . Follow the path of previous visitors (Charles II courted the Countess of Castlemaine here) past rich panelling and 400 years of family portraits.
Dorney Court
Doune Castle, near Stirling
The splendid Lord’s Hall in 14th-century Doune Castle’s 100-foot high gatehouse has its intact musicians’ gallery, double fireplace and carved oak screen - just as Mary, Queen of Scots would have enjoyed when visiting this royal retreat and hunting lodge.
Doune Castle
Ely Cathedral
Film location: Interior of Whitehall Palace
Stand at the West door of one of England’s finest cathedrals and admire the magnificent architecture, painted ceiling, stained glass and marble floor. Soaring up to the only Gothic dome in existence is the Octagon, a glorious symbol linking earth and heaven, time and eternity.
Ely Cathedral
Hatfield House, Hertfordshire
Film location: Interior/Exterior of Chartley Hall, Interior of Walsingham's House
Henry VIII’s mellow-brick medieval Royal Palace was a childhood home of Elizabeth I and hosted her first Council of State. In the gardens, an oak tree marks the very spot where the future Gloriana learnt that she was Queen.
Hatfield House
Leeds Castle, Kent
Film location: Exterior of Chartley Hall, Exterior of Whitehall
Romantically set on two islands adrift on a lake, Leeds Castle has hosted royalty and celebrities for centuries. Henry VIII, Elizabeth’s father, and his court were frequent visitors, enjoying the idyllic setting and opulence that were enhanced by later 20th-century residents.
Leeds Castle and Gardens
Petworth House, West Sussex
Film location: Exterior of Windsor Great Park
The glorious ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped park that surrounds this vast mansion was immortalised by Turner. Inside is The National Trust’s finest art collection, including four specially commissioned Turner masterpieces amid the intricate Grinling Gibbons wood carvings in the Carved Room.
Petworth House
St Bartholomew the Great, London
Film location: Interior of Fortheringay Castle, Interior of Chartley Hall
The glorious architecture of one of London’s oldest churches is the legacy of William the Conqueror’s son, Henry I. Originally a Priory, its inhabitants over the centuries include one Benjamin Franklin who was a printer in the Lady Chapel.
St Bartholomew the Great
St John’s College, Cambridge
Film location: Exterior of Whitehall Palace, Exterior of River Thames
Founded by Elizabeth’s great-grandmother, Lady Margaret Beaufort, much of this college is a Tudor poem in stone. Enter the First Court through the magnificent Great Gate and weave through to the leafy Backs and the delicate arch of the Bridge of Sighs.
St John’s College
Wells Cathedral, Somerset
Film location: Interior of Whitehall Palace
For 800 years, 300 original medieval statues have watched from the West Front. Inside this stupendous masterpiece, the original buildings survive in all their glory - including the Chapter House and Vicars’ Choral, both granted a new charter by Elizabeth.
Wells Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral, London
Film location: Interior of the Escorial Palace, Interior of Lisbon Cathedral
The extraordinary Byzantine façade of domes, towers and balconies is matched by a unique and sumptuous interior. Clothed in vivid mosaics and with marbles that echo those of ancient Greece and Rome, the cathedral also houses the famous ‘Stations of the Cross’.
Westminster Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral
Film location: Interior of The Chapel Royal; Interior and exterior of St Paul’s Cathedral; Exterior of the gallows.
Here, in this magnificent medieval cathedral with its soaring gothic nave, Elizabeth’s half-sister Mary I married Philip of Spain in a blaze of Catholic glory. A place of worship for over 1300 years, it glows with ancient and modern art treasures.
Winchester Cathedral