Famous Films and TV Shows Filmed in Kent

Kent’s dramatic landscapes, historic dockyards, grand castles and well-preserved villages have made it one of the most filmed counties in England. Often doubling for London, Europe and even fantasy worlds, Kent has featured in everything from Oscar-winning films to long-running TV dramas.

Below are some of the most famous films and television series filmed across Kent, along with the real locations you can still visit today.

Chatham Historic Dockyard

Featured in: Children of Men, Les Misérables, The Mummy, Sherlock Holmes, The Crown, Call the Midwife, Downton Abbey, Grantchester

Chatham Historic Dockyard is one of the most frequently used filming locations in Kent. Its preserved Victorian and industrial buildings have doubled for war-torn cities, 19th-century London streets, hospitals, factories and docklands across multiple productions.

• Children of Men (2006) used the dockyard for tense hideout scenes

• Les Misérables (2012) filmed police stations, factories and hospital interiors here

• The Mummy (1999) recreated a “Giza” dockside departure scene

• Sherlock Holmes transformed the site into Victorian London

• Call the Midwife regularly uses the dockyard for East End street scenes

The dockyard is open to visitors and offers guided tours that highlight its extensive screen history.

Dover Castle

Featured in: The Other Boleyn Girl, The Wind in the Willows, Wolf Hall, Into the Woods

One of England’s most iconic fortresses, Dover Castle has stood in for everything from medieval prisons to royal palaces.

In The Other Boleyn Girl, Dover Castle doubled for the Tower of London, depicting the imprisonment of Anne and George Boleyn. The castle has also appeared as a prison in The Wind in the Willows and as a dramatic royal setting in Wolf Hall and Into the Woods.

Today, visitors can explore the medieval keep, tunnels and battlements used in filming.

Knole House, Sevenoaks

Knole House, Sevenoaks

Featured in: The Other Boleyn Girl, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Knole House, one of England’s largest Tudor houses, appears as the exterior of Whitehall Palace in The Other Boleyn Girl. Its courtyards and skyline also feature in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, where it hosted gallows scenes.

Set within 1,000 acres of parkland, Knole House is open to the public and remains one of Kent’s most recognisable filming landmarks.

Penshurst Place, near Tonbridge

Featured in: The Princess Bride, The Other Boleyn Girl, Wolf Hall, The Hollow Crown

Penshurst Place’s medieval Baron’s Hall has appeared in several major productions. In The Princess Bride, it hosted a climactic sword fight, while The Other Boleyn Girl used it for lavish Tudor banquet scenes.

The manor and gardens have also featured in Wolf Hall and The Hollow Crown, making it one of Kent’s most versatile historic filming locations.

Groombridge Place, Tunbridge Wells

Featured in: Pride and Prejudice (2005)

The romantic 2005 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, starring Keira Knightley, used Groombridge Place as the Bennet family home. Its moated manor house and surrounding gardens provided the perfect Regency-era backdrop.

Groombridge Place is open seasonally and is popular with fans of period drama.

Leeds Castle in Kent

Leeds Castle, Maidstone

Featured in: The Hollow Crown

Often described as “the loveliest castle in the world”, Leeds Castle appeared in the Shakespeare adaptation The Hollow Crown, alongside other Kent castles and stately homes.

Its lakeside setting and grand interiors continue to attract major TV productions.

Chiddingstone Village

Featured in: The Wind in the Willows

The National Trust village of Chiddingstone was transformed into a storybook setting for The Wind in the Willows. The village post office was adapted into an inn, while surrounding streets appeared throughout the film.

Hawkinge and Saltwood Castle, near Hythe

Featured in: My Week with Marilyn

The Marilyn Monroe biopic My Week with Marilyn filmed at Saltwood Castle and in the village of Hawkinge, capturing elegant interiors and rural Kent landscapes for scenes starring Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne.

Fairfield Church, Romney Marsh

Featured in: Great Expectations (2011)

The isolated Church of St Thomas a Becket at Fairfield on Romney Marsh provided the haunting opening setting for the 2011 adaptation of Great Expectations, with wide marshland views standing in for Dickens’ bleak landscapes.

High Halden, Ashford

Featured in: The Monuments Men

A rural farm near High Halden was used during filming of The Monuments Men, starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, showcasing Kent’s countryside as a European wartime setting.

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