Where was Gunpowder filmed?

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“My wife is dead. My name disgraced. My friends and family tortured and hanged. We must strike at the root. Fawkes will light the fuse and I, Robert Catesby, will blow the king and all his men to hell”

The BBC's three-part history drama follows the story of the Gunpowder Plot attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605.

Gunpowder Locations

A group of English Catholics conspired to kill King James I in order to restore a Catholic to the throne. The foiling of the plot -it's not a spoiler, it's history- is still celebrated every year on Guy Fawkes Night.

Game of Thrones star Kit Harington leads the plotters, taking on the role of Robert Catesby. Tom Cullen (Downton Abbey, Knightfall) plays Guy Fawkes, Mark Gatiss (Sherlock) appears as the spymaster of the King, and Liv Tyler (Lord of the Rings) also stars as Lady Anne Vaux.

Gunpowder was filmed in Yorkshire and headquartered at Prime Studios in Leeds. Here are some of the most relevant filming locations for the limited series:

Gunpowder BBC
Many scenes in the Palace of Westminster were filmed at the large Gothic masterpiece of Beverley Minster.
Images courtesy of BBC - Map


The church shoot
Beverley Minster is a huge and spectacular parish church that does not have the status of a cathedral.
Image by Amanda Slater


Gunpowder house
The Catholic Mass from the first episode is celebrated at the Fountains House in Fountains Abbey, near Ripon.

The ancient ruins of the Cistercian monastery play a key role in the 2020 movie The Secret Garden.


Haddon Hall
Haddon Hall near Bakewell in Derbyshire doubles as Ashby St. Ledgers.
Image courtesy of BBC


Bolton Abbey State
The crew was spotted filming at the turreted aqueduct bridge which crosses the River Wharfe in Bolton Abbey State, near Barden (Skipton, North Yorkshire).
Image by Steve Glover - Map


Where is Gunpowder set
A large set replicating a period building was erected behind Dalton Mills in Keighley.
Image by Tom Blackwell - Map


East Riddlesden Hall
17th-century East Riddlesden Hall in Keighley was also used for filming.
Image by Farrukh - Map


Ilkley Moor
The series was shot on location in Ilkley Moor, the moorland located between Ilkley and Keighley.
Image by Craig Wilkinson - Map


Gunpowder Location
Elizabethan manor house Oakwell Hall in Birstall provided the backdrop for several scenes.
Image by Jamie Dobson - Map


Bradford College
The production also filmed scenes inside the Bradford College building called Garden Mills, working with the team from the Bradford's City of Film.
Image by Google Maps


Gunpowder drehort
Other filming locations included the grounds of the ruined monastery of Kirkstall Abbey.
Image courtesy of BBC - Map

2 comments
  1. Just watched this series, LOVE it, superb acting, sets and costumes. I did notice two errors that most probably wouldn't. Candles were expensive, but we see them being burned during the day when they weren't needed. Also, in the first episode, the priest who we see saying Mass secretly is wearing his stole OVER his chasuble, something not done or even allowed until the 1960's. Have seen this same mistake in several period films.

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