Visit the filming locations for the television production of Wolf Hall with The Royal Oak Foundation. Royal Oak members enjoy unlimited access to these and all National Trust properties, offering visitors a chance to walk in the footsteps of Cromwell, Henry VIII and other key figures of the Tudor court. Take advantage of free entry on your next trip, and don’t miss out on our lecture about the true story behind Wolf Hall from Dr. Tracy Borman this May. Learn More
See the real Wolf Hall with the National Trust and Royal Oak
It’s opening night for Wolf Hall: The Play on Broadway tonight, and we’re so happy to see this fascinating history play out across so many fascinating mediums. This weekend, the second episode of Wolf Hall: The TV Series airs for American audiences on PBS (you can watch the first episode here). And, importantly, Dr. Tracy Borman will be speaking about the true story of Wolf Hall on both coasts this May as part of our Drue Heinz Lecture Series.
However, to truly immerse yourself in the incredible story of King Henry VIII’s court, there’s no subsitute for visiting England. With the Royal Oak Foundation, you can experience the filming locations for the Wolf Hall TV Series, which brilliantly evoke the feeling of walking around Tudor England. Royal Oak members enjoy unlimited access to these important and beautiful homes, offering the chance to dive deep into this rich history.
The National Trust has put together a list of filming locations below, and also have a guide to help you on your journey through the Tudor court.
Join the Royal Oak Foundation today to take full advantage of this incredible opportunity.
Guide courtesy of the National Trust:
Montacute House, Somerset
Montacute House, Somerset
Montacute represents Greenwich Palace, Henry VIII’s main London seat and the site of Anne Boleyn’s arrest, in Wolf Hall. The Elizabethan mansion’s extensive grounds provided a spectacular backdrop to jousting sequences and hosted the dazzling Royal Tent. Montacute has previously been used for filming for The Libertine and Sense and Sensibility.
Stay on location at Odcombe Lodge or South Lodge
Barrington Court, Somerset
Barrington Court, Somerset
Free from collections and furniture, the spacious interiors of Barrington Court were dressed for Wolf Hall as York Place/Whitehall, the home of Cromwell’s mentor and friend Cardinal Wolsey. Saved from ruin and restored by the Lyle family in the 1920s, the Tudor manor house features the Long Gallery which is 40 paces long.
Stay on location at 1 Strode House or nearby at Tintintull House
Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire
Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire
Lacock Abbey’s exteriors represent Wolf Hall, the Seymour family seat, in the TV series while the medieval cloisters were used to depict its interiors. The Great Hall was also used to portray Henry VIII’s bedroom and a banquet room at his lodgings in Calais. Founded in the 13th century as an Augustinian nunnery, Henry VIII sold Lacock Abbey to one of his courtiers, Sir William Sharington, who converted it into a house following the dissolution of the monasteries. It has previously appeared in Cranford, The Other Boleyn Girl and the Harry Potter films.
Stay on location at 2 High Street
Chastleton House, Oxfordshire
Chastleton’s small stone courtyard provided the location for the dramatic scenes from Cromwell’s miserable childhood in Putney in Wolf Hall, while interiors represent Wolf Hall itself, the Seymour family seat. Built by a rich wool merchant between 1607 and 1612, the house remained relatively unchanged for nearly 400 years.
Great Chalfield, Wiltshire
Great Chalfield Manor and Garden, Wiltshire
For Wolf Hall the interiors of Great Chalfield Manor stood in for Austin Friars, Thomas Cromwell’s home, a happy place teeming with in-laws and wards, nieces and nephews and painters. A moated manor house built between 1465 and 1480 for Thomas Tropenell, it has been used to film Lark Rise to Candleford, The Other Boleyn Girl and Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
Please check individual properties for opening times.
