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Filming & Photography

A unique historic film location with genuine Victorian and Georgian buildings, cobbled streets, warehouses, docksides and historic warships.

Filming & Photography

Through a different lens

The Historic Dockyard Chatham spans 80 acres, has over 100 historic buildings and structures dating from the Georgian and Victorian periods to the present day, thus making it suitable for any period location over the past 200 years.

It provides the ideal location for your next shoot, be it a feature film, TV series, game show, pop promo or photo shoot. From a crew of two on a fashion shoot for a few hours to a crew of two hundred on a blockbuster film for several weeks, Kent’s Historic Dockyard Chatham not only provides the ideal film friendly location but also the space to accommodate your requirements.

Location Benefits

Our commitment to filming goes beyond just providing a location. We work with you to solve issues and to make sure you achieve what you want to shoot.  We understand that it’s often the small things that matter – like a separate power supply to plug the camera truck into or a fresh water tap for the caterers.

We also work closely with Medway Council, Kent Film Office and local companies to assist you in finding additional locations in the area to suit your needs.

PARKING & UNIT BASE

We have plenty of onsite parking and can accommodate a Unit Base, cast, crew, and SA parking requirements. There is no need to source separate parking facilities once you have chosen us as a location.

LOCAL ACCOMMODATION

We have great relationships with local accommodation providers, such as the Bridgewood Manor Hotel & Spa and Village Hotel Maidstone.

PRIME LOCATION

We are just 50 minutes by road from central London, as well as being served by high speed trains from St. Pancras International (35 minutes).

PRIVATE ESTATE

A private and discreet site with easy control of access. Our walled and gated environment provides safety for all within our location.

LIAISON

From the initial enquiry until the end of your shoot, our team will be on hand throughout. They will be available in office and on location during your time with us.

HAIR/MAKE-UP/COSTUME SPACE

With over 700m2 of space to use, our costume area, is ideal for crews needing a holding area. The space is equipped with electric points, tables and chairs, making it perfect to use for hair, make-up, internal or general crowd holding.

ON SITE SECURITY

We have excellent 24/7 in-hour security with CCTV and we are able to work with your chosen security company to control access.

CREW SIZE

We can accommodate crews from small teams of two people to over 200 on our site.

GREEN ROOM SPACE

We have a range of ancillary spaces around the site suitable for green rooms, some of which come complete with kitchen facilities and tables and chairs. These rooms also work well as production office space.

film set at The Historic Dockyard Chatham

Important information

Master Ropemakers

Our subsidiary company, Master Ropemakers Limited, can supply all your needs concerning rope, both for rigging and dressing and through our contacts we have access to various vehicles and re-enactors.

Three Historic Warships

Nowhere can you get a sense of how British maritime innovation, engineering and design broke the mould than on our three historic warships – HMS GANNET, HMS CAVALIER and HM Submarine OCELOT. They can all be hired for filming and photography shoots.

As seen in …

You’ll recognise The Historic Dockyard Chatham in many blockbuster movies and hit series.

BBC (2026)

Lucy Worsley’s Victorian Murder Club

Lucy Worsley takes on the case of a forgotten Victorian serial killer who was never caught. Dubbed the Thames Torso Murderer, and operating at the same time as Jack the Ripper.

Netflix (2025)

Thursday Murder Club

The film follows a group of friends in a retirement home who gather to solve murders for fun but find themselves caught in a real case.

2025

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Ethan Hunt and the IMF team race against time to find the Entity, a rogue artificial intelligence that can destroy mankind.

Series 2 (2025)

SAS Rogue Heroes

SAS: Rogue Heroes charts the creation of the famed Special Forces unit. Based on the book by Ben Macintyre.

SKY (2025)

The Lost Music of Auschwitz

Marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, The Lost Music of Auschwitz, tells the story of Leo Geyer’s eight-year mission to piece together a treasure-trove of forgotten fragments of music manuscripts found in the archives of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum.

ITV (2025)

A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story

Follows the story of Ruth Ellis: her lifestyle as a young nightclub manageress, her violent relationship with the man she then killed in cold blood, her arrest, trial, and subsequent legal battle to get her release before she was the last woman to be hanged in Britain.

Apple TV (2024)

The Blitz

Depicting the stark reality of war-torn London, a resilient young evacuee embarks on a dangerous journey home to his mother.

Marvel Studios (2023)

Loki – Season 2

After stealing the Tesseract, Loki comes into contact with a mysterious organization that gives him an ominous ultimatum, either fix the timeline or cease to exist completely.

Series 3 Episode 5 (2023)

The Great

In “The Great” season 3, Catherine and Peter struggle to navigate their tumultuous marriage after Catherine attempted to kill him, leaving Peter deeply traumatized and seeking revenge while she tries to rule Russia, facing challenges from the court and navigating her own internal conflicts as she attempts to enact progressive reforms

Marvel Studios / Disney (2023)

Secret Invasion

Nick Fury learns of a secret invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls; Fury joins his allies, and together they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.

Series 3 (2023)

Jerk

Jerk is a British black comedy television series starring and co-written by Tim Renkow. It centres around Tim (played by Renkow), a man with cerebral palsy.

Series 5 (2022) & 1 (2016)

The Crown

The Crown is a historical drama television series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

2022 (Episode 1.6550)

Eastenders

A one-off EastEnders “flash-back” episode to 1979.

Netflix (2022)

Enola Holmes 2

Enola Holmes takes on her first case as a detective, but to unravel the mystery of a missing girl, she’ll need some help from friends — and brother Sherlock.

2022

The Living

Set in 1953 London, it stars Bill Nighy as a bureaucrat in the public works department who learns he has a fatal illness.

2022

Operation Mincemeat

Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception operation of the Second World War to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily.

2022

A Spy Among Friends

Nicholas Elliott, an MI6 intelligence officer, learns about his close friend Kim Philby’s role as a double agent for the Soviet Union.

2021

The Nevers

A group of Victorian women suddenly gain mysterious powers and go up against a relentless stream of enemies to fulfil their mission which could change the world.

BBC Film (2021)

Phantom of the Open

Amateur golfer Maurice Flitcroft achieves his late-in-life goal of participating in the British Open Golf Championship, much to the ire of the staid golfing community.

BBC Films (2020)

Ammonite

Mary Anning collects and sells fossils to make ends meet. Her life changes drastically when a wealthy visitor hires her to care for his sick wife.

Anthony, Benedict and Colin Bridgerton cast in 3 Slip at The Historic Dockyard Chatham

2020

Bridgerton

During the Regency era in England, eight close-knit siblings of the powerful Bridgerton family attempt to find love.

Summerland (2020)

Summerland

A reclusive writer is saddled with the responsibility of a young boy in a war-torn nation. Although reluctant at first, accepting him allows her to rediscover not only joy but also a long-lost love.

Amazon Studios (2019)

The Aeronauts

In 1862, meteorologist James and balloon pilot Amelia risk their lives as they continue to fly higher to study the weather and advance scientific knowledge.

(2019)

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu

The film follows former Pokémon trainer Tim Goodman and Pikachu as they attempt to solve the mysterious disappearance of Tim’s father, Harry.

Series 1 (2024)

The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin

Unit Base

Film4 (2018)

Peterloo

A peaceful protest against poverty at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turns when the British forces charge inside and attack the crowd.

BBC (2015)

Partners in Crime

Agatha Christie’s crime-fighting duo, Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, solve mysteries and search for enemy spies in 1950s Britain.

Series 1 -4 (2013 – 2016)

Mr Selfridge

Harry Gordon Selfridge, an American retail tycoon, moves to Britain and opens up one of the finest chain of high-end department stores known as Selfridges.

Universal Pictures (2013)

Les Misérables

Film version of the stage show.

Jean Valjean, an escaped convict, becomes the mayor of a town and the guardian of a young girl. Years later, his past catches up with him and he gets caught in a political uprising in Paris.

(2009 & 2011)

Sherlock Holmes 1 & 2

Sherlock Holmes is a 2009 period mystery action film starring Robert Downey Jr. as the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

Proud to be working in partnership with:

Maidstone Studios

Kent Film Office

FILM LOCATION
WALKING TOUR

Embark on a captivating 90-minute walking film location tour, uncovering the Dockyard’s vibrant history as a renowned filming site for over 40 years. Visitors will delve into behind-the-scenes operations and hear engaging stories from experienced guides.

Our tours for 2025 have now ended. Look out for updates on the Film Location Tour page for 2026 dates to be announced soon.

Filming

Get in touch

For more information or to discuss using The Historic Dockyard Chatham as a location please contact us:

Telephone

01634 823846

Email

locations@chdt.org.uk