Today (Thursday December 14) sees the arrival of the second part of the final season of The Crown, and given the time period it chronicles, we can guarantee that this one is going to be pretty bloody emotional. So, in order to mark the occasion, we’ve decided to do a deep dive into where exactly Claire Foy, Helena Bonham Carter, Vanessa Kirby, Josh O’Connor, Imelda Staunton and others trod the boards. So, without further ado, here’s our rundown of The Crown filming locations in and around London:
Table Of Contents
The Crown filming locations in London
1. Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich
One of London’s most spellbinding buildings, the Old Royal Naval College was designed by Sir Christopher Wren back in the late 17th Century and it lies right at the heart of Maritime Greenwich – one of the UK’s 33 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Given its magnificent architecture, it has been used as a stand-in for Buckingham Palace throughout the course of the series. You might best recognise it from Season Three, when Lord Mountbatten (Charles Dance) gives Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor) a piece of bad news out in a courtyard, or from Season Five, where Queen Elizabeth (Imelda Staunton) walks up the steps of the Painted Hall on the way to her 40th anniversary luncheon. Better yet, you can even visit them in person on a guided tour! Get a hold of your tickets here.
📍You’ll find the Old Royal Naval College at the University of Greenwich, London, SE10 9NN.
🚇 Nearest stations are Greenwich, Cutty Sark and Maze Hall.
2. Lancaster House, St. James’s
Situated just a stone’s throw from the actual Buckingham Palace, Lancaster House is a neoclassical, 19th Century mansion which doubles as the official Royal residence throughout the course of the series.
You might recognise it from some of the show’s most iconic scenes, including when Diana (Emma Corrin) roller skates her way through Buckingham Palace’s corridors in Season Four. But that’s not all you might recognise it from – it’s also featured in blockbusters like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and the Oscar-winning The King’s Speech.
📍You’ll find Lancaster House at Stable Yard, St. James’s, London, SW1A 1BB.
🚇 Nearest stations are Green Park and St. James’s Park.
3. Wrotham Park, Barnet
Lying just to the north of Barnet and to the south of the M25 – so technically still in London – Wrotham Park is a magnificent palladium mansion taking pride of place on a 2,500 acre estate. No surprise that it features heavily in The Crown then…
Its role in the series is that of Gatcombe Park – AKA Princess Anne’s (Erin Docherty) country pile in Gloucestershire – so you’ll be able to spot it throughout Series Three and Four. It’s also been used in the classic rom-com Bridget Jones’s Diary and the acclaimed murder mystery Gosford Park. Heck, you can even hire it for yourself for one hell of a dinner party. Oh darlingggggg!
📍You’ll find Wrotham Park at Potters Bar, Barnet, EN5 4SB.
🚇 Nearest stations are Hadley Wood and Potters Bar, though we’d recommend driving to this one.
4. London Coliseum Theatre, Charing Cross
Another one of The Crown filming locations in London is none other than the London Coliseum Theatre – the largest theatre in the whole of the West End. As well as watching opera, ballet, dance and theatre here, you can also watch the 1995 Royal Variety Show here. Well, in The Crown Season Five of course, which doubles as the Dominion Theatre…
📍You’ll find the London Coliseum at St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4ES.
🚇 Nearest stations are Charing Cross, Leicester Square and Covent Garden.
5. The Lyceum Theatre, Strand
Speaking of theatres, one of the capital’s favourites, The Lyceum which has been home to Disney’s The Lion King since 1999, also features in The Crown in one of the series’s most popular scenes. The scene in question is in Season Two, where Queen Elizabeth (Claire Foy) and Prince Philip (Matt Smith) are dressed up to the nines and oozing charm attending a post-war gala in 1940s London.
📍You’ll find The Lyceum Theatre at 21 Wellington Street, London, WC2E 7RQ.
🚇 Nearest station is Temple.
6. Eltham Palace, Eltham
Rounding off this list of The Crown filming locations in London is none other than Eltham Palace – an extravagant spot in the borough of Greenwich which was once a Mediaeval palace before it became a Royal Tudor residence.
Now an Art Deco mansion with a picturesque rock garden, it has been featured in several scenes within The Crown – including doubling as the Queen’s quarters on the Royal Yacht Britannia and on the HMSS Queen Mary too.
📍You’ll find Eltham Palace at Court Yard, London, SE9 5QE.
🚇 Nearest stations are Mottingham and Eltham.
The Crown filming locations near London
7. Waddesdon Manor, Aylesbury
Owned by the National Trust and managed by the prestigious Rothschild Foundation, the spectacular, French-inspired Waddesdon Manor wouldn’t look out of place in a fairytale – so no wonder then that it features heavily in Season Five of The Crown.
Given that this neoclassical, Grade I-listed building is based on the chateaus of France, it’s no surprise that it was chosen to double as The Ritz in Paris – which was purchased by a young Mohamed Al-Fayed (Aamir El-Masry) in episode three on his journey to integrate into British high society.
📍You’ll find Waddesdon Manor at Waddesdon, Aylesbury, HP18 0JH.
🚇 There are no stations nearby so you’ll need to drive to this one.
8. Hylands House, Chelmsford
Hylands House is a Grade II*-listed neoclassical villa and stately home set just to the south of Chelmsford, which is home to some pretty impressive gardens and has been the setting for notable events such as the National Flower Show, V Festival and the very first Creamfields South Festival too.
In terms of The Crown, it doubled as the White House in Season Three when Princess Margaret (Helena Bonham Carter) and her then husband Lord Snowdon (Ben Daniels) have an amusing limerick contest with none other than US President Lyndon B. Johnson (Clancy Brown).
📍You’ll find Hylands House at London Road, Writtle, Chelmsford, CM2 8WQ.
🚇 Nearest station is Chelmsford though we’d recommend driving to this one.
9. Winchester Cathedral, Winchester
Ok, so this one is slightly far away from London, but you can reach it on a day trip so we figured it was worth adding to this roundup! One of the largest cathedrals of its kind in Northern Europe, it has featured heavily in some of the Netflix series’ most iconic scenes, doubling as the mighty St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Notable examples include the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill (John Lithgow) and the marriage of Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor) and Princess Diana (Emma Corrin).
📍You’ll find Winchester Cathedral at 9 The Close, Winchester, SO23 9LS.
🚇 Nearest station is Winchester.
10. Knebworth House, Stevenage
This sumptuous and stately Tudor home and accompanying gardens might be better known for its gargantuan gigs, outdoor cinemas and rock concerts – Pink Floyd, Elton John, Dire Straits and the Rolling Stones we’re looking at you – but it also has been used in many TV shows and films across the years.
It’s been heavily featured throughout all series of The Crown as a double for Balmoral – the Scottish residence of the Royal Family – and most recently featured in Episode One of Season Five, where the Royals were seen celebrating with their members of staff at the annual Ghillies Ball.
📍You’ll find Knebworth House at Knebworth Park, Stevenage, SG1 2AX.
🚇 Nearest station is Knebworth.
11. Hedsor House & Park, Maidenhead
Another one of The Crown filming locations near London, Hedsor House & Park overlooks the River Thames on the Berkshire/Buckinghamshire border, and it doubles as both one of the UK’s most beautiful wedding venues and one of its premier filming locations.
Not only has it featured in Fleabag and The Golden Compass (as Nicole Kidman’s house nonetheless), but it was also featured prominently in Season Four of The Crown, doubling as Downing Street when Margaret Thatcher (Gillian Anderson) has her cabinet portrait photo shoot.
📍You’ll find Hedsor House & Park at Taplow, Hedsor, Maidenhead, SL6 0HX.
🚇 Nearest station is Bourne End though we’d recommend driving to this one.
12. Audley End House, Saffron Waldon
Our final filming location from The Crown here, Audley End House is a pretty spectacular 17th-century country house set outside Saffron Walden in Essex, that actually lays claim to being one of the finest Jacobean houses in the whole of London.
It’s a lovely spot which is looked after by the English Heritage charity and it offers plenty of space for dog walks and even has its own ‘Below Stairs’ exhibition – which gives you the chance to discover what it would have been like to be a Victorian servant. In terms of The Crown, it was heavily used in Seasons One and Two as the interiors of both Windsor Castle and of the public school Eton.
📍You’ll find Audley End House at Audley End Road, Audley End, Saffron Walden, CB11 4JF.
🚇 Nearest station is Audley End though we’d recommend driving to this one.
So there you have it – a roundup of The Crown filming locations in and around London. So with the final part of the latest series no doubt keeping us enthralled for the next few weeks, see if you can spot any of them!