If you’ve been curious about where Down Cemetery Road was filmed, the answer is that the British thriller was shot across several locations in England! The series, set in a suburban Oxford-like town, mainly used sites in Bristol, Somerset, and Polperro in Cornwall to recreate its world.
Interior scenes were filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios in Bristol, providing the controlled environment needed for intricate set pieces. All these places contributed to the look of Down Cemetery Road, making it have the real city and idyllic small-town vibe.
Social media pictures and location stories from locals revealed that the crew wanted to have a largely British presence for the locations, and contributed in part, some of Bristol's old buildings and Polperro's cobblestone streets were perfect backdrops for the story.
Early 2024 saw filming in Bristol, moving on to Somerset in September, and finishing by January 2025 under the informal title "Larkin." They were selected on aesthetic grounds and practical location availability and were integrated into the realistic backdrop of the series.
Bristol, UK – Urban Grunge comes face-to-face with history in Down Cemetery Road
Down Cemetery Road was the primary location of filming in Bristol. They filmed in front of such icons as St Nicholas Market, Corn Street, City Hall, and sections of the University of Bristol campus. They were great locations that would provide a mix of vintage buildings and busy city streets, ideal for filming shots that require a grungy British town setting.
St Nicholas Market, with its independent stores and vibrant pedestrianized shopping streets, was well-suited to exterior location shooting, and the University campus gave an educational setting to one part of the story.
Somerset, England – Scenic and historic locations
Somerset added more depth to Down Cemetery Road, including small-town streets and era landmarks. Intimate locations such as Bishops Lydeard Railway Station and the Wessex Hotel in Street were used. The railway station stood out because of its period charm and provided era-style shots that provided an ageless feel to the series.
Somerset's low-key roads and era buildings were appropriate for location work where atmosphere and tension were of utmost importance.
Polperro, Cornwall
Down Cemetery Road filming was also called on Polperro, a Cornish historic fishing village. The idyllic harbor vista, cobblestone high street, and stone cottages were the dashing setting for exterior filming. Sights of the residents' social media confirmed the casting and filming presence and added to the series's coastal shots by virtue of being unavoidably cinematic.
Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol
For more controlled shooting conditions, scenes inside the show were filmed in Bristol's Bottle Yard Studios. The studio is used intensively in the UK for film and television productions, making use of a pre-fabricated studio facility for in-house sets.
Studio filming permitted the production team to control lighting, sound, and the position of the camera precisely, adding to the overall high-gloss appearance of the thriller.
Bishops Lydeard Railway Station – Period-style shots
Down Cemetery Road's primary location was Bishops Lydeard Railway Station in Somerset. Its restored structure and original platforms offered the film directors an opportunity to obtain scenes that called for period railway facilities, which complemented the authenticity of the atmosphere of the series.
Filming timeline and production notes
Production started in Bristol in early 2024, was relocated to Somerset in September 2024, and was completed in January 2025. Production used the working title "Larkin" to achieve cover formation during filming.
The process of shoots involved convergence of seaside, town, and small-town locations that ensured the series attained rich, visually consistent looks.
Down Cemetery Road was filmed entirely around Bristol, Somerset, Polperro in Cornwall, and The Bottle Yard Studios. All of these places had a specific function to contribute to the scenery under which the series is shot, from scenes of ancient streets to seascapes and interior configurations in studios.
Fandom knows where Down Cemetery Road was shot, which is an acceptable guess at the surroundings in which the story happened, both a reflection of the production team's logical decision and the visually rich texture of the series.