When you think of film locations, most people would think of LA or London but you may be surprised by the filming that has taken place closer to home. Whether you’re more Four Weddings and a Funeral or The Fourth Protocol, Essex has been used in many productions and has even set up its own Film Office in recent years.  

If you love film and TV or you have a child who loves to know the secrets behind the camera then here are ten places you might like to visit.

Essex has been used as the location of many films and TV programmes

Where In Essex Has Been Used As TV or Film Locations?

Hylands House

This neo-classical Georgian villa has been seen on screen recently in the Netflix series, The Crown, and BBC series, Killing Eve. While the Estate is open for visiting all year you can only see inside the house during the Open Days. These free events take place most months on the third Sunday of the month. 

The grounds are also open daily with 574 acres to explore, including a formal garden, woodland and a lake, as well as the recently opened Go Ape nearby. There is a castle-themed children’s play area, part of which is accessible for wheelchair users, and a large picnic area as well as a cafe in the House Stables area and by the playground.

Free entry. House open third Sunday of the month (except Winter months), grounds open all year round.

There are three car parks available, all day parking is £5 for non-residents of Chelmsford.

https://hylandsestate.co.uk

Tilbury

Tilbury, at the Southern-most point of Essex, is home to the principal port for London. Much filming has taken place in the area with the docks being used in Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade and Mr Holmes, as well as Paddington arriving there from Peru. The nearby Dartford Tunnel even played host to the wizarding world when it appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.

Coalhouse Fort Park

One Tilbury attraction worth visiting is Coalhouse Fort, which has been used in Batman Begins alongside several TV shows. Although you cannot currently go inside the fort itself, it is set in Coalhouse Fort Park, a riverside park that has been given a Green Flag award. It has a children’s play area, cafe and picnic area.

Open year round. Free entry and onsite car park. 

Read our review of Coalhouse Fort Park here. 

Coalhouse Fort has fallen into repair, but you can visit the park surrounding it

Tilbury Fort

Tilbury Fort was used to film Wonder Woman, Darkest Hour and Tulip Fever among other films and TV shows. Its geometric design and history dating back to the 16th century makes it interesting both to filmmakers and visitors alike. Children can see what it was like for the soldiers that called the fort home and see where the gunpowder was stored. The on-site shop offers some refreshments but picnics are also welcome to be consumed in the grounds.

Managed by English Heritage advance tickets start at £3.60 for children over 5 and £6.80 for adults.

Open Wednesday to Sunday and bank holiday Mondays until end of October, when opening days change to weekends only for the winter months. Free parking is available in front of the fort. 

Tip: Visit Southend for another Wonder Woman film location.

Thorndon Country Park

This country park in Brentwood was used for filming part of Mission: Impossible – Fallout, the sixth film in the popular series. Although you’re unlikely to bump into Tom Cruise now, there’s still plenty to do, with historic woodland and deer parks, as well as the Gruffalo trail, cafe and picnic areas.

Open all year round, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Parking starts at £2.80 for the first hour.

Royal Gunpowder Mills

Set in 170 acres, the Royal Gunpowder Mills are classed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (SAM) and designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This historic site has been used in films such as The Current War and Enigma, among others. It has very limited opening hours which are generally the second and fourth Sunday of the month, where you can see the gunpowder factory, take in the woodland, and take part in rocket-making workshops, tractor-trailer tours and railway rides. Picnics are welcome and there is a cafe selling drinks.

Tickets must be bought online in advance and are £15 for an adult, £10 for a child.

Generally open the second and fourth Sunday of the month from Easter Sunday to October. Free onsite parking. I recommend signing up to their mailing list to find out about when they are open and their events. 

Osea Island

Both the 1989 and 2012 adaptations of The Woman in Black used Osea Island as one of their locations and it’s easy to see why: only accessible by causeway for a few hours twice a day, this 380-acre island in the River Blackwater estuary is like something from another time. Many other productions have been filmed there, including Essex Boys and the TV drama The Third Day. If you want to visit, the private island has a number of holiday accommodations to book for a truly unique break. Alternatively, you can take a boat trip that takes you near Osea Island to get a closer look.

Viking Saga Boat Trips lasting 90 minutes can be taken from Maldon on select dates. Must be pre-booked. Adult tickets are £20 and child tickets £10.

Tip: For more Woman in Black (2012) locations in Essex, visit Layer Marney Tower or the Colne Valley Railway. 

North Weald Airfield

This airfield was used in WWI and WW2 and remains a working site to this day for general aviation. It has been used to film Battle of Britain, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and, TV series, Band of Brothers, to name a few. There are plenty of events which take place on the airfield which are a great time to visit, or if you want a more relaxed option you could visit Wings Cafe (popular with children due to the play area and ability to watch helicopters and aeroplanes) or Rosea Lea's Tea room Squadron site for a slice of cake. Just outside the air field, but a few miles drive thanks to roads and access is the small North Weald Airfield Museum will be of interest to anyone interest in aviation the airfield's history.

The museum is open weekends, 12-5pm. Adult tickets are £2 and child tickets are 50p. Free onsite parking.

Used as an air base in the world wars North Weald is still an active airfield

Maldon Promenade Park

Maldon has been used to film several productions, including The Mercy, Lawless Heart and, more recently the TV series, The Essex Serpent. It’s no wonder the Maldon District is a Creative England Filming in England Partner. One location used in The Mercy, starring Colin Firth, is Maldon Promenade Park. This large park features an ornamental lake, pirate-themed play area with sandpit, a zip line and a splash park (extra charge) among other features. Dotted around the edge are a separate adventure golf course, continuing the pirate theme, and Maldon Petting Zoo. There’s so much to do, you can even hire a beach hut for the day! (Although the huts are on the sandpit, there isn't actually a beach at Maldon).

Open year round. Parking onsite starts from £1.60 for the first hour.

Tip: Visit Maldon’s Hythe Quay, which is walking distance from the park, where part of The Essex Serpent was filmed.

Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Park

The Hanningfield Water Treatment Works, which sit next to the reservoir, have been used in big name productions, such as World War Z, Edge of Tomorrow and, more recently, the Star Wars spin-off series, Andor. 

The reservoir is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to the number of wildfowl that use it in autumn and winter. Visit the nearby Nature Discovery Park, where you can complete three trails, including a Wind in the Willows themed one. The Discovery Centre has a picnic area, cafe and shop. Further round the reservoir you can visit Hanningfield Waterside Park which has a cafe and play area as well as being a location for fishing and sailing. 

Epping Forest

Thanks to it's handy location close to London Epping Forest is regularly used for filming TV and Film. Many projects have been filmed in this area, including Monty Python and The Holy Grail, Full Metal Jacket and Grimsby. More recently, Netflix series The Witcher filmed scenes for the Belleteyn festival at both Strawberry Hill Pond and Jacks Hill. Park at either Jacks Hill Car Park or The Stubbles for access to Strawberry Hill Pond and spend the day taking in this historic woodland. With nine official trails and many unofficial ones, there are options for different abilities and plenty of places ideal for a picnic.

In 2024 Daniel Craig and Glenn Close was spotted filming Wake Up Dead Man around High Beech including at Holy Innocents Church (due for release in 2025).

Epping Forest is open all year round with multiple locations to park (chargeable). Parking starts from £1.50 for the first hour. Strawberry Hill Ponds is less than a mile from Loughton Station (Central Line) and Loughton High Street which is on several bus routes.

Epping Forest

Related post: You might also be interested in reading where in Essex has inspired authors, from Brambly Hedge to The War Of The Worlds.