Hamnet – filming locations in Herefordshire

Hamnet has picked up six Golden Globe nominations, marking a remarkable moment for a film rooted in Herefordshire.
 
The movie is adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s novel about the Shakespeare family. It was shot in the village of Weobley, just half an hour’s drive from Discover Parks .
 
O’Farrell, who wrote the original novel only five years ago, is nominated for Best Screenplay. The film is also up for Best Film, Best Actress (Jessie Buckley), Best Supporting Actor (Paul Mescal), Best Director (Chloé Zhao), and Best Original Score (Max Richter).
 
It’s the latest in a growing list of productions choosing filming locations in Herefordshire, helping put the county firmly on the small and silver screens.

Location, location, location 

But, if there’s a category for Best Location, (there isn’t sadly) then we reckon Hamnet would be the runaway winner!  

Because during the summer of 2024, Weobley in Herefordshire was turned into Stratford-upon-Avon. It became the home of the film’s main characters, William and Agnes Shakespeare.  

Weobley is the perfect location for a film set in Tudor times. Its buildings visually and structurally evoke the age as it’s one of the best-preserved Tudor villages in the country. With little modern development and industrialisation, Weobley still looks much like it would have done in Shakespeare’s time.  

Black and white buildings and filming locations

Image Visit Herefordshire

Filming took place along Broad Street, Bell Square, and Church Road. Roads were closed and carts and hay replaced 4x4s and waste bins.  

Hamnet is the story of William and Agnes Shakespeare and their children. It concentrates on the illness and loss of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet. Where’s Anne Hathaway I hear you ask? Well, Agnes is actually Anne Hathaway because historical documents show that Anne was referred to as Agnes! 

The movie looks at Agnes’s role as a healer, the relationship between the siblings, and the aftermath of Hamnet’s death. It also explores Shakespeare’s writing of Hamlet, and how artistic creativity can come from emotional loss.  

Filming locations in Herefordshire 

Hamnet is the latest production to use Herefordshire as a filming location. The county is very unspoilt. Black and white villages, Hereford cathedral and the Wye Valley all look fabulous on the big and small screen.  

Here’s a few productions that used filming locations in Herefordshire:

Hereford city – Midwinter of the Spirit  

The TV series, based on a book by Herefordshire author Phil Rickman, filmed its exterior scenes in the locations where the story is set—around Hereford Cathedral, Broad Street, and St Martin’s Street in 2015.

Ann Maxwell Martin stars as county vicar and Diocesan exorcist-in-training, Merrily Watkins. The show blends supernatural elements with haunting, gruesome moments, and plenty of creepy music. However, the cathedral interiors come from Chester Cathedral rather than Hereford.

I lived on St Martin’s Street at the time, and the residents received a letter outlining one evening of filming. We spent a very enjoyable hour in the dark on our top floor, watching Anna Maxwell Martin drive at speed up our street.

The scene lasted only about 10 seconds on screen, and you couldn’t even see our house! That’s the magic of TV for you. F

Midwinter of the Spirit is available on Netflix  

Symonds Yat – Sex Education  

Image Visit Herefordshire

Head down to Symonds Yat and you’ll probably recognise Jean and Otis Milburn’s house from the Netflix series, Sex Education. The series stars Gillian Anderson as a sex therapist and Asa Butterfield as her awkward son.  

The Chalet at Symonds Yat is a Scandinavian style building perched above the River Wye on the edge of the village. During Season 3 Gillian Anderson was frequently spotted filming at Symonds Yat.

The house went on the market in 2023 with a guide price of £1.5m. It’s still an iconic place for fans of the show or viewers of unusual architecture to visit. 

Symonds Yat Rock and Pengethley Manor Hotel – Shadowlands 

Released in 1993, Shadowlands told the very tear jerky tale of the love story between the author CS Lewis and the American poet, Joy Davidman.  It starred Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger.

The Yat Rock area was used as the ‘Golden Valley’ that the pair explored. Pengethley Manor Hotel on the A49 between Hereford and Ross-on-Wye was also used during the shooting of this classic film.

Eastnor Castle – Succession and more  

In season 1 of HBO’s satirical black comedy Succession, the production filmed Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) and Shiv’s (Sarah Snook) wedding at Eastnor Castle.

The crew used locations all over the Eastnor Estate. Around 350 cast and crew worked onsite for roughly eight weeks, staying in accommodation across Hereford, Ledbury, Malvern and Cheltenham.

Eastnor Castle regularly welcomes production trucks, big lights and cameras. It has hosted The Canterville Ghost, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Dr Thorne, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. In 2024, tailoring brand Huntsman also shot its Autumn/Winter collection at the castle.

Leominster – Dr Who 

In 2024, the Tardis arrived at the 1950’s American styled, OK Diner, on the edge of Leominster. Filming attracted fans when the 15th Dr, Ncuti Gatwa, was spotted during shooting.

Filming locations in Herefordshire – what’s the attraction? 

Location scouts and managers come to Herefordshire for many of the same reasons our owners and visitors at Discover Parks love the county.

Firstly, they appreciate the unspoilt, picturesque landscapes. Rolling hills, ancient orchards, and winding rivers create that classic English countryside feel.

Secondly, they value the buildings. Black-and-white houses, ancient churches, and the iconic Hereford Cathedral sit alongside Georgian, Edwardian, and Victorian homes in the city, while manor houses and stately homes scatter the surrounding patchwork of fields.

And thirdly, they enjoy the county’s low levels of intrusive industrialisation and major travel corridors. There’s no busy motorways – just the M50 skimming one corner. Urban sprawl stays in check and industrial development remains limited.

So, whether you’re looking for a holiday getaway, a location for your very own holiday home or the location for your next Hollywood blockbuster – Herefordshire really has got it all!