Where was Great Expectations filmed?

The brand-new adaptation was shot in locations all across England.

By James Hibbs

Published: Sunday, 26 March 2023 at 12:00 am

Brand-new Dickens adaptation Great Expectations is starting to air on BBC One, and it features some stunning views of 19th century London and Kent.

The series, which has been adapted by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, features Fionn Whitehead and Olivia Colman in central roles, with new episodes being released weekly on Sundays.

From boggy marshes to snow-dusted streets, the show features a variety of locations throughout its six episode-run, but just where is it set and where was the show filmed?

Read on for everything you need to know about the setting and filming locations for Great Expectations.

Where is Great Expectations set?

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Young Pip (Tom Sweet) and Mr Pumblechook (Matt Berry) in Great Expectations
BBC/FX Networks/Miya Mizuno

As with the novel, Great Expectations is set between Kent and London, with Pip originally growing up in Kent and then moving to the capital to become a gentleman.

Dickens lived in both areas throughout his life, drawing on his experiences and assessment of the areas for his writing.

Where was Great Expectations filmed?

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Fionn Whitehead filming Great Expectations.
BBC/FX Networks/Miya Mizuno

The scenes at Satis House were filmed in Salisbury, as was revealed by director Brady Hood at a recent Q&A for the series, while scenes set in the marshes were filmed at Bucklers Hard in Hampshire.

Meanwhile other locations used included Shirburn Castle in Oxfordshire, which doubled as some of the interiors and exteriors of Satis House, Oxenford Farm in Surrey which doubled as Pip’s village and Hartley Mauditt in Hampshire where a church scene was shot for episode 1.

Other locations included Peper Harrow in Surrey and the wetlands of Essex, used for additional scenes on the marshes, and Shrewsbury, which was used to rectreate the streets of London.

Finally, shooting also took place in London itself, with filming taking place at Skinner’s Hall, Newgate Prison and Westminster.

Hood said of finding the locations: “Obviously you have a lovely location team and work with the crew to try and find these places and give briefs to try and make it something.

“But I think the overall world of it that we wanted to do from the beginning was ensure that we stripped back a little bit of the theatrics in trying to find real locations where possible, giving the actors that realism in a sense. So hopefully that would carry through the performance a little more, trying to find the right places in which they could play.

“And so that we could flow with the camera and we could move and allow them the freedom without being constrained cutting between doors. We spent a lot of time trying to find the right places that we felt were right for the characters and their backstories.”