Morpeth on Screen: Northumberland's Film and TV Country

Morpeth sits at the heart of Northumberland, and that makes it a natural base for anyone chasing film and television locations. Within an easy drive north and along the coast lie some of the most filmed castles and landscapes in Britain, from the fortress that opens the latest Indiana Jones to the cloisters that stood in for Hogwarts. Stay in Morpeth and you are within reach of them all, with the market town's own castle gatehouse, Carlisle Park and the Chantry Bagpipe Museum to explore in between drives.

Bamburgh Castle: Indiana Jones, Vikings and Macbeth

Roughly 50 minutes up the coast from Morpeth, Bamburgh Castle is the county's blockbuster star. It doubled as a 1944 stronghold in the opening sequence of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), with the flashback interior shot in the castle's Victorian King's Hall and the exterior set ablaze through special effects. Harrison Ford appeared alongside Mads Mikkelsen and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Bamburgh is also Bebbanburg, the ancestral fortress at the centre of Netflix's The Last Kingdom (2015 to 2022), a role that mirrors the castle's genuine Anglo-Saxon history. It appeared as Macbeth's stronghold in the 2015 adaptation of Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, and its beaches and walls have featured in productions stretching back to Becket (1964) and Elizabeth (1998).

Alnwick Castle: Hogwarts and Downton Abbey

Half an hour north of Morpeth, Alnwick Castle is where Harry Potter had his first broomstick lesson. It served as the exterior of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and Chamber of Secrets (2002), and later doubled as Brancaster Castle in Downton Abbey. It has also appeared in Transformers: The Last Knight and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Best for: For the full story of Alnwick Castle's screen career, including where to catch the free broomstick training in the Outer Bailey, read our neighbours' guide at Alnwick on Screen.

Lindisfarne and the Northumberland coast

Holy Island, reached by its tidal causeway about an hour from Morpeth, brings its own screen credits. Lindisfarne Castle and the surrounding coast have drawn film-makers for decades, from Roman Polanski's Cull-de-sac (1966), shot on the island, to the sweeping northern landscapes that give so many Northumberland productions their atmosphere. The wider coastline around Bamburgh and Beadnell has appeared in recent big-screen work drawn to its empty beaches and open skies.

Vera across the county

For television, no production has criss-crossed Northumberland like Vera. The long-running ITV detective drama, starring Brenda Blethyn, filmed extensively across the North East, and the county's harbours, moors and market towns have featured throughout its run. If a windswept quayside or a lonely stretch of coast on screen looks familiar, there is a good chance it was shot within reach of Morpeth.

Cragside and Wallington: National Trust on film

Two National Trust estates near Morpeth round out the county's screen map. Cragside, the Victorian mansion near Rothbury that was the first house in the world lit by hydroelectric power, and Wallington, the grand hall and estate near Cambo, both offer the kind of period grandeur that television and film productions prize. Their interiors, gardens and parkland are worth the visit in their own right and lie a short drive from the town.

Making Morpeth your base

None of these locations is more than an hour or so from Morpeth, which makes the town an ideal base for a film-country tour. Pair a day at Bamburgh with the Alnwick guide above, or head south and west toward Durham, where the cathedral has stood in for Hogwarts and Asgard alike.

Best for: Planning a wider trip? Durham Cathedral's cloisters appear as Hogwarts corridors and its nave as the Asgardian palace in Avengers: Endgame. Read Durham on Screen for the full guide.

Check each castle and estate's website for current opening dates and ticket prices before you set out, as several close over winter.