Waverley Abbey
Image credit: John-Miller Learn More
From Gladiator and War Horse to Harry Potter and Transformers, the beautiful Waverley countryside has appeared in many a Hollywood blockbuster and film crews are no stranger to the area’s woods, farms and villages.
Perhaps the most famous of all the Waverley film locations is Bourne Wood – the trees of which have featured on nearly as many cinema screens as the most world famous of A-list actors.
Bourne Wood shot to prominence with Gladiator in 2000, and its star Russell Crowe was regularly spotted relaxing in local pubs and restaurants in between filming days. Scenes were also filmed there for Napoleon (2023); Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009), Renegade Nell (2024); Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Jurassic World (2018) and many more.
But that’s just the start of a Waverley-inspired movie night…
Most recently Enola Holmes 2 (2022); Black Widow (2021) and Skyfall (2012) featuring the building of a manor house and helicopter attacks, were filmed at Hankley Common; Hot Fuzz (2009) briefly chased through Waverley Abbey; The Witcher (2022); Snow White (2012) and the Huntsman transformed Frensham Little Pond into a picturesque fishing village; and The Holiday (2006) featured a visit to the town of Godalming.
It’s not just film locations, however, as television shows regularly use the area: Heartstoppers was filmed at the University of Creative Arts, Farnham; Rosemary & Thyme was filmed at Busbridge Lakes; Top Gear spent its most successful years at Dunsfold Aerodrome near Cranleigh; and Foyle's War often featured Waverley countryside. Money for Nothing, renovation series has been filmed at Witley Recycling Centre.
Suffice to say, Waverley locations such as Bourne Wood, Waverley Abbey and Frensham Ponds are not only a significant part of British film history, but they also happen to make for beautiful walks in the Surrey countryside.
Click here or on the image below for a link to the interactive film location map displaying below.
