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Gunpowder, the dramatisation of the Gunpowder Plot against King James, arrives on our screens this weekend. The three-part series will lead us up to Bonfire night, and stars Game of Thrones favourite Kit Harrington and Lord of the Rings’ Liv Tyler.
Where is Gunpowder Filmed?
Centre stage are some of Yorkshire and East Midland’s most iconic historic landmarks which provide the backdrop to the Gunpowder story – cleverly recreating Jacobean England in the turbulent 1600s. Historic locations including the National Trust’s East Riddlesden Hall (Bradford) and Fountains Abbey (Ripon) appear alongside popular visitor attractions such as Oakwell Hall (near Huddersfield), Ripley Castle (Harrogate), Haddon Hall (Derbyshire), Kirkstall Abbey (Leeds), Bolton Abbey Estate (near Skipton), Lendal Bridge in York City Centre and the famous Ilkley Moor (Bradford). Beverley Minster (East Riding of Yorkshire) also makes a return to our screens depicting the regal splendour of the Palace of Westminster.
Creative England were on hand to advise on filming locations across Yorkshire and East Midlands liaising with the Location Team at Kudos Film and Television
We were looking to recreate England circa 1605, including the Palace of Westminster – not necessarily an easy task! But in Yorkshire and Derbyshire we were spoilt for choice with a huge array of period country houses, landscapes and historic buildings that worked perfectly. Coupled with a film friendly environment and support from Creative England – Yorkshire & East Midlands proved the perfect place to tell our story.
Mandy Sharpe, Location Manager, Gunpowder
Additional filming for interior film sets took place at Studio 81, in Leeds, Dalton Mills in Keighley and at Leeds based Prime Studios new Garden Studio in Bradford in partnership with Bradford College.
Gunpowder is one of a number of major BBC series we have worked with this year. Our new TV studios in Bradford are the latest expansion of our main Prime Studios HQ in Leeds which has doubled in size within the last year. With filming in Yorkshire at an all-time high, our expansion plans will continue to enable more Film and TV productions in Yorkshire to call Prime Studios their home.
Ben Hepworth, Managing Director, Prime Studios
The Bradford Film Office offered a range of support to the production brokering the use of Garden Mill with Prime Studios. It was a real team effort between the film office, Prime Studios and staff at Bradford College.
David Wilson – Director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film
Fans of the show will be happy to know that they will be able to visit many of the locations used in the production, which are already popular tourist attractions. Film tourism is big business for regional economies, research produced by Olsberg•SPI for Creative England in association with VisitEngland found that filming locations are attracting domestic and overseas visitors in abundance. The most popular locations can attract up to £1.6 million every year from international tourists – contributing between £100 million-£140 million to the national economy in 2014.
We were delighted East Riddlesden Hall and Fountains Abbey were chosen as key locations for the series. Filming provides valuable income which helps fund the conservation and preservation of National Trust properties – and we know from experience filming also drives an increase in our visitor numbers – benefits are also brought to the local economy with the crew staying in hotels and spending locally.
Harvey Edgington, Head of Filming and Locations, National Trust Film Office
Filmed with support from Creative England’s Filming Partnership members:
- Kirklees Council
- Bradford Film Office
- Leeds City Council
- City of York Council
- Make It York
- East Riding of Yorkshire Council
