Film & TV locations in Surrey

Lights, camera, action! Surrey has a long established connection with cinema and is home to the acclaimed Shepperton Studios, along with many local landmarks, woods and villages that have been used as film locations in many of our favourite movies.

From Hollywood A-listers to home grown heroes, Surrey has welcomed an enviable cast of established and up-and-coming talent to our county and is renowned amongst film makers for its fabulous settings, views and proximity to major studios and road, rail and airport transport links.

British film history

In fact, director, producer and screenwriter Cecil Hepworth was among the founders of the British film industry and he was based in Walton-on-Thames He produced Alice in Wonderland in 1903, the very first film adaptation of Lewis Carroll's children's book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and continued making films into the 1920s at his Walton Studios (now the location of Walton Playhouse theatre).

Surrey's showreel includes: the iconic Guildford Cathedral was used in the first Omen (1977); the heathlands of Chobham Common welcomed Lawrence of Arabia (1962); the ancient woodland of Bourne Wood near Farnham has featured in blockbusters such as Gladiator (2000), Robin Hood (2010), The Golden Compass (2007) and Jack and the Giant Killer (2012); Virginia Water has featured in a number of the Harry Potter films; Waverley Abbey near Farnham was the backdrop for 28 Days Later (2002), Hot Fuzz (2007) and The Mummy (2017); Surrey’s County Hall in Kingston has featured in scenes from Midsomer Murders, Poirot, Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey and more; and the chocolate box cottages of Shere, which gained attention in The Holiday (2006) with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet.

A number of James Bond films have also been shot here over the years, with Dame Judi Dench among our county's most famous residents. These include Skyfall (2012) which saw the building of a Scottish manor house and helicopter attacks at Hankley Common. 

On location in Surrey

St James Boys School, built in 1857 and set in 32 acres near Ashford, offers a wealth of filming opportunities with its tennis courts, rugby and cricket pitches set alongside the Victorian architecture. 

Painshill in Cobham,  England’s most elegant 18th century landscape garden, boasts a fourteen acre lake, surrounded by spectacular follies, beautiful bridges and it has previously been used as a location for feature films including Suffragette, starring Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan, and the Disney children’s film 101 Dalmations.

So, next time you bump into your favourite Hollywood actor in your local restaurant, pub or coffee shop in Surrey it might just be that your home town or village is set to appear on cinema screens across the world in the not too distant future.  

You can find some great ideas for places to find Surrey film locations below - and make sure to share your finds with us on social media!