Lights, Camera... Cotswolds!

With its golden villages, winding lanes and stately manor houses, the Cotswolds has long played a starring role in Britain's film and television heritage. Directors come for the timeless beauty; audiences fall for its quiet magic.

With its golden villages, winding lanes and stately manor houses, the Cotswolds has long played a starring role in Britain's film and television heritage. Directors come for the timeless beauty; audiences fall for its quiet magic.

For more than twenty years, CJP Tours has been curating bespoke journeys through this landscape, revealing not just the scenery but the stories woven through it. Their private film-location tours offer the chance to walk in the footsteps of beloved characters and discover the real stories behind some of Britain's most cherished productions.

Father Brown – Blockley

The peaceful village of Blockley, once famed for its silk mills, plays the role of Kembleford in the BBC's Father Brown. Its 18th-century Church of St Peter and St Paul serves as St Mary's in the series, while the vicarage doubles as the priest-detective's presbytery.

Set in a valley once bustling with industry, Blockley today exudes a slower rhythm – cobbled lanes, quaint cottages and the gentle murmur of the brook. Exploring it feels like stepping quietly into the world of Father Brown himself – and if you visit on the right day, you might just find the cameras rolling.

Downton Abbey – Bampton

The genteel village of Bampton is instantly recognisable as Downton Abbey's village. Its parish church, library and former rectory form the backdrop for weddings, farewells and the occasional scandal, yet the place itself remains quietly real.

Once a thriving medieval market centre, Bampton still wears its history gracefully – handsome Georgian facades, mellow stone walls, and an air of easy permanence. After exploring its familiar lanes, we continue our journey to a nearby farm that fans will instantly recognise as Yew Tree Farm, and to a country inn for lunch, where Lady Sybil made her daring escape with the family chauffeur. We won't spoil the surprise of where they are – that's all part of the experience.

Harry Potter – Lacock Abbey & Gloucester Cathedral

Two of the Cotswolds' most atmospheric landmarks became Hogwarts itself. At Lacock Abbey, cloisters and stone corridors whisper of potions lessons past; while Gloucester Cathedral's vast Gothic vaults gleam with otherworldly light. See if you can spot the water damage from when the cloisters were genuinely flooded for the filming of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

Our exclusive Harry Potter experience visits both sites in a single day, complete with a private owl encounter, with your very own Hedwig, in a secluded countryside setting. Guests meet and handle these majestic birds, learning about their history in falconry and on film. It's an unforgettable touch of enchantment that turns a magical day into a truly extraordinary one.

Stardust – Bibury

Few villages look more like a fantasy film set than Bibury, chosen for Matthew Vaughn's Stardust – the fairytale adventure starring Claire Danes and Michelle Pfeiffer. William Morris called it, "The most beautiful village in England," and its picture-perfect Arlington Row, a former 14th-century wool store converted into weavers' cottages in the 17th century, remains one of the country's most photographed streets.

During our tours, visitors can enjoy a riverside stroll by the River Coln and a leisurely lunch at the recently opened Eleven Bibury, soaking in the timeless charm that enchants filmmakers and travellers alike.

Poldark – Chavenage House

The brooding romance of Poldark (and also Rivals) unfolds at Chavenage House, near Tetbury, which doubled as the Poldark family estate, Trenwith. This privately owned Elizabethan manor is still a family home, its interiors a living film set of oak beams and flickering firelight. With CJP's private access, guests hear first-hand stories of filming and family history, making for an experience as intimate as it is grand.

Bridget Jones's Diary – Snowshill

Few moments in British cinema are as beloved as Bridget Jones trudging through the snow to her parents' Cotswold home. Those scenes were filmed in Snowshill, one of the region's most charming hilltop villages. In reality, it was mid-summer; fake snow, fairy lights and local children were all brought in to create the scene and exude Christmas cheer. Today, Snowshill remains as endearing as its on-screen moment: postcard-perfect, quietly whimsical and quintessentially English.

Rivals – Tetbury

Jilly Cooper's Rivals brought Eighties glamour to Tetbury, recast as the fictional town of "Colchester." This elegant market town, with its Georgian townhouses, antique shops and proximity to Highgrove, the King's country residence, has long been a favourite of writers, royals and film crews alike. A perfect blend of literary nostalgia and contemporary charm.

Supporting Stars

Beyond these leading roles, the Cotswolds has made memorable cameos in Far from the Madding Crowd, The Wolfman, War Horse, Emma and Cranford. Each production reveals another side of this endlessly photogenic region, from wind-ruffled meadows to stately drawing rooms glowing with candlelight.

Yet a CJP Tours film-location experience is never just about where the cameras rolled. It's about seeing the Cotswolds as filmmakers do: noticing how morning light catches limestone walls, or how villages hold their history in every curve of a lane. Each bespoke itinerary is designed entirely around you – from exploring the region with our local, knowledgeable private guides, and private estate access to leisurely pub lunches, food and drink experiences, garden tours and more.

Every corner tells a story, and with CJP Tours, you're invited to step right into the scene.

Discover our full range of themed tours at www.cotswold-tours.com

To make an enquiry, email chris@cotswold-tours.com or call 01386 833 365