Cardiff Film Office’s top five location choices include the historic Cardiff Bay

In the first of our new film office series, Cardiff Film Office manager Sarah Howells describes the wealth of backdrops in the Welsh capital, with some easily doubling for overseas locales, as she chooses her top five filming locations…

Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle is one of Wales’ most popular tourist attractions and a heritage site of international significance. Successive generations of occupants have made changes according to the needs and fashions of the time and, after almost 2,000 years, the edifice is still magnificent.

Filming at Cardiff Castle offers a unique opportunity to capture a Roman fort, a Norman stronghold, and an extravagant Victorian palace all in one place.

Productions filmed at Cardiff Castle: Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light, Becoming Elizabeth and Doctor Who.

Civic Centre – Cathays Park

An impressive part of the city with wide avenues often used for period drama filming and tech parking.

This part of Cardiff boasts magnificent Edwardian Baroque and classical style buildings including City Hall, Cathays Park, The Temple of Peace, Redwood and Glamorgan Buildings and Cardiff University.

In his Glamorgan volume of the Pevsner Buildings of Wales series, Newman described Cathays Park as “the finest civic centre in the British Isles.” Alexandra Gardens, featuring the Welsh National War Memorial, is a stunning oasis of calm and full of cherry blossoms in the spring.

Productions filmed in the Civic Centre: Young Sherlock, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, The Famous Five and His Dark Materials.

Cardiff Bay

A bustling and important area of the city during the golden era of coal in South Wales and featuring Cardiff’s riviera-style waterfront. The centrepieces are the dazzling Wales Millennium Centre and Grade I-listed, red brick Pierhead Building, the former HQ of the Bute Dock Company.

The Pierhead Building and Bute Street feature in recent Netflix film Havoc, with Tom Hardy, and are frequently chosen as a location double for the USA and European cities, whilst Mount Stuart Square is a filming favourite for Bad Wolf’s banking drama, Industry.

The Cardiff Barrage can provide the perfect location if it’s water you need for your shoot.

Productions filmed in this location: Havoc, Black Cake and Industry.

City centre

Mostly pedestrianised, the city centre can double for anywhere due to the mix of building styles, offering grand and historical alongside shiny and new.

The city centre has an impressive rugby stadium, shopping centres and a Victorian indoor market that was once the site of Cardiff Gaol, and Cardiff central station, dating back to 1850, is set in the large pedestrianised Central Square.

St Mary Street has fabulous arcades including Grade II-listed Castle and Royal Arcades and an impressive list of Grade II buildings ideal for filming, such as Hodge House, Elgin House, the former Howells department store and the former NatWest Bank building.

Productions filmed in the city centre: Doctor Who, Infinite and Gangs of London.

Cardiff parks

Cardiff has 22 Green Flag-awarded sites including Bute Park, Sophia Gardens, Victoria Park, Llandaff Fields, Pontcanna Fields, Roath Park, and Hamadryad Park; all are available and welcome filming.

From local parks and playing fields to nature reserves and country parks, Cardiff has the lot. We have parks with a lighthouse, a boating lake, a splash park, bandstands, a weir, woodland, and a sculpture of Billy the Seal!

Productions filmed in Cardiff parks: Casualty, Lost Boys and Fairies and Antiques Roadshow.

With many thanks to Sarah Howells, Cardiff Film Office manager.


To have your film office’s top five locations featured here, contact alex.curry@theknowledgeonline.com.

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