Where was Gentleman Jack filmed? Where is Shibden Hall and can you visit?

But where was the Suranne Jones drama filmed? Interestingly, in many of the same places that the actual real-life events occurred, with much of the action taking place around Anne’s ancestral home Shibden Hall.

From Halifax and around Yorkshire, here’s where the cameras rolled for Gentleman Jack – with many of the places you can visit too.

Where is Shibden Hall filmed in Gentleman Jack?

In the actual Shibden Hall, Anne Lister’s now Grade II-listed historic house. For several months in late 2019, the estate – normally open to tourists – was transformed into a TV set by the production team. And that’s what gave the show a special flavour, according to the woman portraying Lister.

“It still blows my mind when I say that we filmed at Shibden,” says Suranne Jones. “When I’m walking in Anne Lister’s footsteps, I am literally walking into her house, up her stairs, eating in her dining room, doing business deals where she did business deals, surveying the same land, and walking where she walked.”

However, the house was slightly renovated for Gentleman Jack. For instance, the kitchen you see in the show was actually a reception area in Lister’s time – a false wall and ceiling was added for the show.

The exterior shots of Shibden were also filmed outside the actual house. However, production had to kindly ask the estate owners to stop gardening teams from cutting back the grass, leaving the lawn unkempt like in Lister’s day. Visit the hall in future and you’ll notice it’s a lot tidier.

Not all scenes set in Shibden were actually filmed there, though. In particular, Lister’s bedroom was actually a studio set. “It was because the actual bedroom and study within Shibden Hall itself were just far too small for the film crew,” explains Gentleman Jack locations manager Luc Webster.

“With so many scenes playing out in the bedroom and her study it was deemed much better to do it as studio set built. Just to give more room to play with for the camera.”

Where is Anne Walker’s house filmed?

The home of Lister’s love interest Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle) no longer exists, so was recreated in a York estate called Sutton Park. Interestingly, the 18th-century Georgian country house is owned by Sir Reginald Sheffield, father of Samantha Cameron, wife to former British Prime Minister David Cameron.

The house is open to the public part of the year. You can see more details about available visiting times here.

Where are Gentleman Jack's shots of Halifax filmed?

Mostly on the actual streets of Halifax – almost all of the cobbled roads you see in the show were filmed in a redressed version of the town. The opening sequence of Gentleman Jack that overlooks Halifax was actually filmed in the city itself, by Wainhouse Tower.

However, there are some parts of the Halifax town centre you see in Gentleman Jack that were filmed in Bradford. Specifically, an area of the city called Little Germany which doubled as Lister’s home town to add more scale to scenes.

The tavern seen at many points in Gentleman Jack is a real pub. It’s the Lord Nelson inn, located just outside Halifax in an area called Luddenden.

Gentleman Jack season 2 airs Sundays at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. Gentleman Jack season 1 is also available to stream in full on BBC iPlayer.

Looking for something else to watch? Take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage or check out our TV Guide to find out what is on television this week.

The latest issue of Radio Times is out now – subscribe now to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times podcast with Jane Garvey.