by Katie Thompson
We’ve all had that moment when we’re watching a film wishing we could visit wherever it is the main character might be. Setjetting – as it’s known- is a travel trend not going away any time soon!
And with such a varied landscape and many a historical building, chances are you’ve spotted our streets, beaches, Broads, houses and heritage sites in a scene or two. Norwich and Norfolk have played their part- from the recent blockbuster Wicked, to The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Alan Partridge and classics such as Shakespeare in Love and The Duchess. Plus, here in Norfolk, we like to stake claim to a few famous names- Olivia Colman, Stephen Fry, Sam Claflin and John Mills come to mind…
From action films to classic war dramas, outstanding British films to Oscar winners. Be it charming, cobbled streets or a breathtaking sandy beach. This is Norwich and Norfolk as seen on screen.
Elm Hill’s character has charmed a few film directors, too!
Perhaps our city’s most memorable street, the charming cobbles of Elm Hill make for a magical film set. And it’s so memorable that even when it’s the setting for enchanting fantastical scenes you can still easily recognise it!
In 2020, Christmas fantasy film Jingle Jangle transformed Elm Hill into a Christmas card-like Victorian winter setting, with local businesses like Olive’s and Elm Hill Brides becoming newsagents, a supply store and a butcher’s!
13 years earlier, the timber-framed Tudor buildings became the mystical streets of Stormhold for enchanted adventure Stardust with Claire Danes, Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer.
As the most complete medieval street in the city, you can easily get swept up in its character- Elm Hill is a must-see when you visit Norwich.
Norwich’s independent market and shops are a unique filming location
The Norwich Lanes are another undeniably charming area of the city, whilst Norwich market thrives with multicultural flavours, so it’s easy to see why our unique independent areas make the perfect backdrop for comedy and romantic dramas alike.
London Street, St Benedicts Street, Swan Lane and independent department store Jarrolds make an appearance in 2015’s 45 Years with Charlotte Rampling. While in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (2022), Daryl McCormack and Emma Thompson were spotted filming in Cafe Gelato on Opie Street (a great choice for coffee and ice cream if you ask us!). At the end of the film, you’ll notice Gentleman’s Walk in the background.
This is, of course, where you’ll find the buzzing Norwich Market– which featured in the Stephen Merchant-directed Fighting with My Family (2019). The film follows Norwich’s own professional wrestler Saraya Bevis (played by Florence Pugh) and showcases our city’s wonderful skyline with views from Mousehold Heath.
At this point we have to mention Alan Partridge, who has filmed all over Norwich, but in particular Norwich Market, The Forum and Bethel Street!
Norwich Cathedral’s cloister was transformed for Tulip Fever
Surely Norwich Cathedral has featured in a film or two, right?
Stars don’t get much bigger than Judi Dench. And in 2017, Norwich Cathedral transformed into the Abbey of St Ursula for Tulip Fever. The final scene sees Abbess Dench and Alicia Vikander amid the convent gardens (which you’ll recognise as the cloister!).
You won’t be surprised to hear that the beautiful interiors of our Norman cathedral acted as a fairytale castle for 2013’s Jack and the Giant Slayer, starring Nicholas Hoult and Ewan McGregor. And you can discover its beauty for yourself (it free to enter)- minus the giants, of course!
What do Norwich and Robert Downey-Junior have in common? The Sainsbury Centre!
One of the biggest blockbusters to have chosen Norwich is 2015’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Sainsbury Centre’s futuristic Norman-Foster designed building became Avengers HQ in Upstate New York, with the likes of Robert Downey-Junior, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson filming in the centre’s Crescent Wing.
The footage shot there has since been used in other Marvel movies, including Ant Man (2015) and Spiderman: Homecoming (2017). While the exact interior location is not accessible to the public, you can see the wing from the outside and have lunch in the Modern Life Cafe, which also features!
Holkham beach is a favourite filming location on the Norfolk coast
Our Norfolk coastline is a varied one- meaning plenty of different locations to make use of! You’ll spot Gorleston in Danny Boyle’s Yesterday (2019) and Burnham Deepdale in 2002’s Die Another Day. Yes, really- the village’s flat fields substituted for North Korean paddy fields!
Apart from being a particularly lovely holiday destination, Holkham beach is probably the most popular filming location on our coastline (and it’s under an hour’s drive from Norwich!). One of its most famous appearances is in Shakespeare in Love (1998), when Gwenyth Paltrow washes up on the shores of ‘Virginia’. More recently, the beach had a starring role in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman (whom The Waffle House, Norwich include as a customer!).
Other notable films here are Never Let Me Go (2010; based on UEA MA graduate Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel) with Keira Knightley, Cary Mulligan and Andrew Garfield, and 1976’s The Eagle Has Landed with Michael Caine. (Another iconic war film, The Dam Busters (1955) shot scenes at nearby Langham airfield).
Two years earlier, in 2008, Keira Knightley shot another film at Holkham, but this time in the stunning Palladian-style Hall. The Duchess used Holkham’s interiors, including the breathtaking Marble Hall, for her scenes with Ralph Fiennes. Holkham Hall is open between spring and autumn- see if you can spot the Coke’s family photo with the actors!
West Norfolk’s open fields often substitute for France, the Netherlands, oh and Munchkinland!
King’s Lynn is no stranger to historical significance thanks to its once thriving port and marketplace. The town’s architecture and surrounding landscape have appeared as France and the Netherlands on more than one occasion. It’s a straight journey here via the A47- just take the excel bus from Norwich bus station.
It’s the port that’s often transformed into a period set. For 1985’s Revolution, no less than Al Pacino and Donald Sutherland were spotted in Lynn as the quayside was turned into civil war-era New York. Then in 2018, The Personal History of David Copperfield reimagined this Dickens classic with locals dressed as Victorian extras among the best of British talent- including Dev Patel, Tilda Swinton and Hugh Laurie.
Elsewhere, Castle Rising played host to Meryl Streep’s Danish home in Out of Africa (1985) and the fenland village of Walpole St. Andrew doubled up for Dunkirk and the French countryside in gut-wrenching drama Atonement (2007). For TV fans, Swaffham became fictional town Market Shipborough in Kingdom, whilst Thetford is known for Dad’s Army and ‘Allo ‘Allo!.
But West Norfolk’s biggest claim to fame has got to be 2024’s Wicked. Belmont Nurseries’ 25-acre tulip fields were transformed into Munchkinland, planted with 9 million pink, red and white blooms! You can follow in Ariana Grande’s (aka Glinda’s) footsteps each spring, when the tulip fields are open to the public for just two weeks. This event is so ‘Popular’ that tickets easily sell-out, with all proceeds going to charity, so you’ve got to be quick!
