A UNESCO City of Media Arts and recognised around the world for its charm and rich heritage, York is increasingly turning up on TV and film screens. Keen to play our part, we’re delighted to enable TV and film production companies access to our unique historic buildings.
Conserving and regenerating over 70 historic buildings in York and North Yorkshire for both residential and commercial use, we have a wealth of built heritage. Spread throughout the city and wider, our buildings offer visually striking, authentic settings, that are rich in architectural detail.
No stranger to the cameras, our buildings of international architectural significance include, York’s Grand Assembly Rooms and Herbert House in the heart of the city. Alongside locations like Goathland, familiar to fans of the nostalgic hit TV series Heartbeat. Backed by the atmospheric North York Moors, the village architecture has been transporting audiences back to the 1960s for decades, with Brereton House as the main character’s home.
Most recently Shush Films was hard at work at 5 Colliergate, filming scenes from Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint, staring Richard E Grant and Celia Imrie. Due out in 2026, Producer Andy Brunskill told The Press, “We picked York for its sheer beauty.” And who could blame them?
Also mining the wealth York’s evocative settings, the forthcoming film Blueberry Inn developed and produced by Dancing Fox Entertainment in association with Fever Dream Studios, used Lady Peckett’s Yard and 23 Stonegate, together with Castle Howard.
Released in 2022, Vertical Entertainment and MSR Media’s York Witches Society, worked in collaboration with York based Viridian FX on a replica of 4 Jubbergate for their horror film, and, built around 1745, Fairfax House has also been a favourite of location scouts. One of England’s finest town houses, currently operated by York Civic Trust, it has appeared in the prime-time BBC series Gentleman Jack and ITV’s Victoria, where it stood in for a London townhouse and Buckingham Palace bedroom.
A registered charity, custodian and landlord, filming with York Conservation Trust means gaining access, not just to beautiful buildings, but also to spaces actively curated and maintained for both authenticity and usability. Plus, money raised from usage fees helps to support our conservation work. All this and world-class, on-hand expertise in period architecture and building materials.
Filming for 'Merry Christmas Aubrey Flint', staring Richard E Grant and Celia Imrie at 5, Colliergate.
Scenes from ITV's 'Gentleman Jack', filmed at Fairfax House. Images courtesy of York Civic Trust.
We welcome direct enquiries to film in our properties and can also liaise with Make It York on licences, location-specific considerations and access arrangements. To learn more and arrange a location recce contact us direct via our Operations Manager Lizzie Taylor.
In addition to any filming licence agreement with us, to film in the city or public spaces, production crews need to apply for a Filming Permit through Make It York, who will also liaise with us, and York City Council should parking and road closures be needed.
Make It York Filming Permit fees are dependent on size of crew and drone usage; however, these may be waived for charities, student or publicly funded short films and news crews.
For more on filming production support and locations across Yorkshire visit Screen Yorkshire Location Database.
A scene from 'Blood and Chocolate', our buildings have also featured in York's renowned outdoor community productions. Image: Nick Ansell
