Where did Peaky Blinders Series 5 Shoot?

THIS BLOG INCLUDES SPOILERS

Whether at rallies, in the countryside, or on the mean streets of Birmingham, the reserve of our much-loved gangsters was tested at every turned corner in the fifth series. Our question is – where did the action take place?

Rochdale Town Hall

For the second time in as many series, Rochdale Town Hall has featured in Peaky Blinders. Rochdale Town Hall is one of the UK’s most majestic bureaucratic centres and symbolises the area’s importance during the Industrial Revolution.

When asked about Rochdale Town Hall’s inclusion in Peaky Blinders, Councillor Allen Brett, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, informed:

“Our fabulous town hall has been used as a backdrop in many films and television programmes, which is not surprising given that it’s one of the finest architectural specimens in the north of England. I hope that Peaky Blinders fans who haven’t been to our wonderful town take a trip to see for themselves where this show was filmed. We run tours every day.”

Arley Hall, Northwich

Arley Hall is arguably the TV world’s most famous location right now; it’s Tommy Shelby’s stirring residence. How many iconic scenes have there been here since he upped sticks from Birmingham to get some country air? Arley’s grounds were also home to the now infamous crucifixion of Aberama Gold’s son, Bonnie.

Shelagh Bebington, Arley Hall’s Commercial Manager, has loved having Tommy and his entourage in since day one:

“Here at Arley we love being part of the Peaky Blinders family. After being involved with the production for three series now it does feel like a family when the production crew roll in. Everyone is familiar with Arley and it makes for a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere – at least on our part! We’re very proud to be Mr Shelby’s country pile.”

Bradford City Hall

Bradford Film Office provide a filming facilitation service for the area covered by Bradford District Council and have played a role in the production of Peaky Blinders since the beginning.

David Wilson, Director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film and the Bradford Film Office said:

“For Peaky Blinders series 5, we upped the ante by providing Tommy Shelby’s Westminster office in the form of the Lord Mayor’s Chambers in City Hall, complete with furniture. We were also asked to host press interviews for Steven Knight and Cillian Murphy and decided to hold these in the Victorian court room in City Hall. This had the advantage of showing off other areas of the Grade I-Listed building to the show’s writer and creator, as well as to film and TV press. Bradford is very much a key part of the Peaky Blinder story from the first series to date and we look forward to working on future production of this incredible series.”

Black Country Living Museum, Dudley

Situated less than ten miles from the heart of Birmingham, the Black Country Living Museum is an open-air experience of life of one of the UK’s first industrial landscapes. Their website has an extensive list of the locations from the series that were shot at the museum, one of the most iconic being the site’s Anchor Forge – the dock which partly serves as the secret route in and out for Birmingham’s most notorious.

Why do those at the museum think it has become so integral to the series?

The Museum’s Head of Audiences and Communications Grant Bird told us that:

“The Museum is so visually distinctive and we’ve been told it creates a such as sense of atmosphere that it makes the cast feel they’re back in time and in the world of the Peaky Blinders”.

Liverpool

Lynn Saunders, Head of Liverpool Film Office & LCR Production Fund Manager said:

“We have been thrilled to welcome the Peaky Blinders team to Liverpool, year on year – we’ve developed a great relationship and the feedback from the crew about their experience of filming in the region is always overwhelmingly positive.”

“After identifying Stanley Dock as the home of The Garrison, and Powis Street as the home of the Shelbys, Watery Lane, the producers realised this was the location to film.

“Four series on, Liverpool is still taking centre stage in the BBC drama with familiar and new locations being used as the stage for pivotal plot points.”

 Stockport Town Hall

Another stunning metropolitan centre within Greater Manchester, Stockport Town Hall has become the home of the Shelby Company Limited’s Board Meetings.

Stockport’s Growth Manager, Graeme Vout, spoke fondly of Stockport’s role:

“Stockport has a wealth of wonderful locations to choose from and we were delighted that the Peaky Blinders production team decided Stockport was the destination for several scenes in the show. The fabulous Stockport Plaza provided an additional venue and areas of the town centre were transformed to suit the mood and atmosphere of the series.”

 Manchester

Screen Manchester (The Film Office for Manchester City Council) worked very closely with the locations department on series 5 as the production showcased a selection of key locations across the city. One of the most featured locations is Manchester Town Hall, which doubled for numerous Houses of Parliament scenes through the series. We supported the locations department in obtaining the necessary permissions for their shoot in Dec 2018. In episode 2, Harter Street in the city centre doubled as the exterior of Birmingham’s Snow Hill Station for the return of Michael Shelby from the US, and in episode 5, Winser Street was the setting for the dramatic car explosion outside the Shelby Company Ltd offices. The production & studio base for series 5 were located at the Old Granada Studios in the city centre. The production also shot key scenes at Manchester’s iconic Victoria Baths location.

“I’ve been supporting the production with their location filming in Manchester since series 1 and it’s great to see how successful the show has become. The locations are undoubtably a huge part of the show’s appeal, and with the production’s ambition and skill in design, construction & set dressing, they have become a key part of the Peaky Blinders aesthetic. The scenes filmed in Manchester this year go to show how the city can facilitate high-end drama production and I am looking forward to the next series already!”

– Bobby Cochrane – Development Manager, Screen Manchester

Middleport Pottery, Stoke-on-Trent

Middleport Pottery can be found on the Trent and Mersey Canal, just north of Stoke-on-Trent.

The site is complete with period factories, multi-era offices, cobbled alleyways and atmospheric alleyways, which serve to underpin the drama’s placement in history and period.

Sarah Nadin, Communications Manager of Middleport Pottery, filled us in on the experience of housing the production:

“We’re extremely proud that Middleport Pottery’s Grade II* listed architecture and iconic bottle oven will have been seen by millions around the world. As a site built 130 years ago for the production of ceramics, and still producing ware to this day, many of our visitors connect to the factory through their love of ceramics or industrial heritage. There’s little doubt that Peaky Blinders will provide a new draw to the site, attracting visitors from far and wide who wish to retrace the steps of the show’s biggest characters.”

Yorkshire

 

Peaky Blinders was the first project to benefit from Screen Yorkshire’s ‘Yorkshire Content Fund’, which has invested in more than 40 projects since it launched in 2012. As a result, most of series 1 filmed in the region at locations primarily in Bradford and Leeds. Series 1 also filmed at key locations in Huddersfield (North Light Film Studios) and in North Yorkshire (Newby Hall & Bolton Abbey). Studio sets were at Studio 81 in Leeds, including the interior of The Garrison Pub.

Hugo Heppell, Head of Investments at Screen Yorkshire says:  

“The legacy is significant; every hit show that films here builds confidence in Yorkshire as a production centre and the ability of our great crew to deliver, and the returns from ‘Peaky Blinders’have enabled us to invest in many more film and TV productions in the region, meaning that not only did it act as a calling card for other high profile dramas to come and film here, it directly created more opportunities for the industry here in Yorkshire.’’

Tatton Estate, Cheshire

Tatton Group, on behalf of the Tatton Estate, has played host to the world of Peaky Blinders for several years now and they were delighted to have them back for Series 5. The North West has a rich variety of locations to offer and the Estate physically makes up a large part of that. The in-house TV & Film team are passionate about attracting filming to the region and Peaky Blinders really puts it on the map.

Abbie Morrow, Tatton Locations’ TV & Film Manager, said

“We love working with Peaky Blinders. The production team are always thoroughly lovely and we just love saying yes to explosions – we’re getting a bit of a reputation for it! We’re very proud to say that Arthur’s house is on the Estate and he’ll always have a home with us!”

 

For more info on the Peaky Blinder Effect on Tourism, Business and Commerce, please click here.

Creative England provides a facilitation service to TV Drama and Feature Film across England outside of London and has continually worked with PB’s production team throughout its time on air. CE’s Production Services team are on hand to provide suggestions of locations or crew, in addition to facilitation of shoots or production requirements in the regions, maintaining relationships with England’s Local Authorities, in order to encourage and sustain Filming in England. For more info, please go to www.creativeengland.co.uk/filming-in-england