My top ten favourite films shot in England

Over a quarter of us here in England are influenced in our choice of holiday destinations by reading about them in a novel or seeing them as film or TV locations and England is no exception to a worldwide trend.

The global phenomenon of The Da Vinci Code released in 2006 produced a massive hike in visitor numbers both to the places mentioned in the original novel and to the locations used in the movie starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou.

Listed below are my top ten favourite movies filmed in England with the locations at which they were filmed – let me know if you agree and if not, I’d love to hear about your favourites.

Withnail & I (1987)
Dark, twisted humour from writer-director Bruce Robinson that has achieved cult status and this was the first movie I made sure I watched when I first arrived in England nearly 9 years ago.  At the end of the swinging '60s, two wannabe actors in a dismal and dreary London are suffering from cold and lack of alcohol and money. They head for the countryside, only to be followed by Withnail's amorous Uncle Monty who is keen to romance Marwood.  Grim humour, splendidly played with some great wind swept country locations this goes straight to the top of my all time favourite English movies.

Filming locations:

-        Ansleigh Place, Notting Hill, London

-        Chepstow Place, Bayswater, London

-        Glebe Place, Chelsea, London

-        Lancaster Road, Notting Hill, London

-        Lee International Studios, Shepperton, Surrey

-        Sleddale, Cumbria

-        Stockers Farm, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire

-        Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire

-        Tavistock Crescent, Notting Hill, London

Sleepy Hollow (1999)
I’m a big fan of Johnny Depp/Tim Burton collaborations, and personally feel Sleepy Hollow comes a close second to Edward Scissorhands. Therefore the the classic story of "The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow" brought to life by the gothic film maker Tim Burton with his muse Johnny Depp playing Ichabod Crane fills the number two postion.

To win the heart of Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci)Ichabod  has to brave the nearby woods, even though several decapitated bodies have been found. And then the legend of the axe wielding headless horsemen come together to make this movie.

Filming locations:

-        Hatfield House, Hatfield, Hertfordshire

-        Leavesden Studios, Leavesden, Hertfordshire (studio)

-        Middle Temple, Temple, Holborn, London

-        Oxfordshire

-        Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey

Atonement (2007)
A British romance that spans several decades. Fledgling writer Briony Tallis, as a 13-year-old, irrevocably changes the course of several lives when she accuses her older sister's lover of a crime he did not commit.

Filming locations:

-        Aldwych Underground Station, Aldwych, Holborn, London

-        (interiors) Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire

-        Bloomsbury, London

-        Coates, Cambridgeshire

-        Dover, Kent

-        Grimsby Docks, Grimsby, Lincolnshire (Dunkirk - street scenes)

-        Grimsby, Lincolnshire

-        Nene Washes Nature Reserve, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire  (for late 1930s rural France)

-        Northumberland

-        Ouse Washes Nature Reserve, Cambridgeshire  (for late 1930s rural France)

-        Redcar, Redcar and Cleveland (invasion of Dunkirk)

-        Seven Sisters, East Sussex

-        Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey (studio)

-        St. John's, Smith Square, Westminster, London (Lola's wedding)

-        Stokesay Court, Onibury, Shropshire   (Tallis home)

-        University College London, Bloomsbury, London

-        Westminster, London

Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994
One of the great British comedies of the '90s this remains a thoroughly enjoyable experience full of fine performances, some wonderful settings and hilarious lines that linger in the memory. As perennial best man Charles (Grant) meets the woman of his dreams over a series of weddings with many of the best lines coming from his mixed bag of friends (Scott-Thomas, Callow, Hannah, Coleman and Fleet). Smoothly directed by Newell, though full credit should surely go to Richard Curtis for his superb script. 

Filming locations:

-        Albury Park, Guildford, Surrey (Perthshire: Wedding 3)

-        Crown Hotel, High Street, Amersham, Buckinghamshire (The Boatman inn - interior)

-        Goldingtons, Sarratt, Hertfordshire (Reception, Wedding 1)

-        Luton Hoo Estate, Luton, Bedfordshire (Reception, Wedding 2)

-        National Film Theatre, South Bank Centre, South Bank, London

-        Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London, (Wedding 2)

-        Rotherfield Park, East Tisted, Alton, Hampshire, (Reception, Wedding 3)

-        Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey (studio)

-        South Bank Centre, South Bank, London, (Where Charles professes his love for Carrie)

-        St Clement's, West Thurrock, Essex (Funeral)

-        St Michael's, Betchworth, Reigate, Surreym (Wedding 1)

-        St. Bartholomew-the-Great, Clerkenwell, London (wedding 4)

-        The Kings Arms, High Street, Amersham, Buckinghamshire

The Full Monty (1997)
Hilarious contemporary comedy that managed that rare thing of being able to make you laugh while it also looked seriously at social issues. A group of out-of-work Sheffield steelworkers decide to become male strippers to try to make some much-needed money. The amusing dynamics of the group of men remain fresh and funny and with a splendid script by Simon Beaufoy.  The film established Robert Carlyle as a leading man and was a massive hit in the US as well as the UK, receiving four Oscar nominations and critical acclaim along the way.

Filming locations:

-        Sheffield, South Yorkshire

Layer Cake (2004)
A riveting thriller set in the drug underworld of the UK, marks the directorial debut of producer Matthew Vaughn (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch).

Mr. X (Daniel Craig) has earned a respected place in the drug trade among England's Mafia elite and plans an early retirement from the business. However, big boss Jimmy Price wants two last favour of him. First, he must track down the missing, drug addict daughter of powerful criminal Eddie Temple and second, he must negotiate the sale of a huge shipment of ecstasy with The Duke. Craig soon learns he is part of a machine much greater than he imagined, and getting out won't be quite as easy as getting in.

Filming locations:

-        1 West India Quay, Isle of Dogs, London

-        Isleworth, Middlesex, England, UK

-        Stoke Park House, Park Road, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire

-        Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex

Elizabeth (1998)
Dark, engrossing film, shot on location at the castles of north-east England, with a towering central performance by Australian actress Cate Blanchett in the title role (Cate, I love you, call me!).  Elizabeth's ascendancy to the throne is a story of palace intrigues, executions and attempted assassinations, as she tries to find balance, in a country divided by faith, between Protestant and Catholic. Shekhar Kapur does a wonderful job in creating a rich, potent atmosphere and extracting fine performances from his varied cast.

Filming locations:

-        Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland,

-        (Princess Elizabeth is arrested with her followers)

-        Aydon Castle, Corbridge, Northumberland,

-        Bamburgh Castle, Bamburgh, Northumberland,

-        Bolton Castle, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire

-        Durham Cathedral, Durham, County Durham

-        Haddon Hall, Bakewell, Derbyshire

-        Leeds Castle, Kent

-        Middle Temple, Temple, Holborn, London

-        Raby Castle, Durham, County Durham

-        (river pageant)

-        York Minster, York, North Yorkshire

This Is England
Set in the Midlands of England during the Thatcher years, writer director Shane Meadows's deeply personal coming-of-age story follows a fatherless 13-year-old working-class kid who falls under the malign influence of a racist skinhead (a great performance from Stephen Graham).

Filming locations:

-        Grimsby, Lincolnshire (ending credits)

-        Nottingham, Nottinghamshire

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a 1998 English crime film directed and written by Guy Ritchie. The story is a heist film involving a self-confident young card sharp who loses £500,000 to a powerful crimelord in a rigged game of three card brag. In order to pay off his debts, he and his friends decide to rob a small-time gang who happen to be operating out of the flat next door. The film garnered Guy Ritchie international acclaim while introducing actors Vinnie Jones and Jason Statham to worldwide audiences.

Filming locations:

-        Bethnal Green, London,

-        Borough Market, Borough, London,

-        Cheshire Street, Shoreditch, London,

-        Hackney, London

-        Royal Oak Hotel - 73 Columbia Road, Bethnal Green, London

-        Southwark Bridge, Southwark, London

-        St John Street, Clerkenwell, London (JD's bar)

-        Three Mills Studios, Three Mill Lane, Bow, London  (studio)

A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Inspired farce from John Cleese (who stars and wrote the script) which combines moments of Python-style outrageousness with the structure of a classic Ealing comedy. Veteran director Charles Crichton (who made The Lavender Hill Mob and The Titfield Thunderbolt) also deserves credit for this story of a British barrister (Cleese) who gets involved with a sexy con artist (Curtis) and her mindless roughneck boyfriend (Kline) and their robbery plans. Full of wonderful moments with Kline earning an Oscar for his hysterical over-the-top performance.

Filming locations:

-        Docklands, Poplar, London

-        Heathrow Airport, London

-        Little Venice, Paddington, London

-        Maida Avenue, Maida Vale, London  (Kevin's apartment)

-        Old Bailey, London,

-        Oxford Prison, New Road, Oxford, Oxfordshire

-        St Thomas Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire

-        The Old Court Room, Oxford Town Hall, St Aldate's, Oxford, Oxfordshire ('The Old Bailey')

-        Twickenham Film Studios, St Margarets, Twickenham, Middlesex