Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (2024)

Posted by Ra Moon

Set in a whimsical city that resembles a cross between London, Paris, and Prague, Wonka was entirely filmed in England.

Featuring cool filming locations, Timothée Chalamet stars in this imaginative prequel to the 1971 classic Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.


Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (1)

Paddington director Paul King created a brilliant semi-musical about the chocolatier showman, starring Hugh Grant as Loompalander Lofty, Olivia Colman as Mrs. Scrubbit, and Calah Lane as Willy's assistant, Noodle.

Here is our spoiler-free guide to all the filming locations of Wonka. You’ll find the locations more or less in order of appearance.

Wonka Locations

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (2)
The town's harbor was filmed in The Cobb at Lyme Regis, at the wall and breakwater that protect the ships in this charming coastal town in Dorset.

This curved stone structure has served as a harbor for centuries and is noted for its appearance in literature, notably Jane Austen's novel Persuasion and John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman.

(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Google Maps

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (3)
The main square with the fountain was a set built at Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios in Hertfordshire.

The archway is inspired by the Gros Horloge in Rouen, France, a large astronomical clock housed in a Renaissance arch (lower pic).

The studio is famous for its association with the Harry Potter film series, although many other productions were based there, including several James Bond films and The Dark Knight trilogy.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. and Google Maps

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (4)
The glass-roofed Galeries Gourmet were also built at the studios, but they seem to have been inspired by the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II shopping arcade in Milan, Italy (lower picture), or the Leadenhall Market in the City of London.

Fantastic Beasts 2, which was also filmed at Leavesden Studios, featured a very similar set. Perhaps the filmmakers recycled a few props!

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. and Rob Oo - Maps: Galleria / Leadenhall Market

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (5)
The gorgeous roof appears to be modeled after Le Grand Palais on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, shown below in a screenshot from Mission: Impossible Fallout.

Le Grand Palais is a historic exhibition hall and museum complex built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle (World's Fair) to showcase French art and architecture.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (6)
However, some of the city street scenes were filmed on Bath Street in Bath, Somerset.

This colonnaded street is part of the city's historic center, lined with elegant Georgian buildings, many of which house shops, restaurants, cafes, and boutique hotels.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. and Billy Wilson - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (7)
The scene where Wonka goes down the stairs and there is a dark covered passageway with columns was filmed in The Parade Gardens in Bath.

This park is a beautiful oasis in the heart of the city, overlooking the River Avon and Pulteney Bridge.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. and Jonathan Billinger - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (8)

Wonka's city clock tower is inspired by the iconic Powder Gate Gothic tower (Prašná brána) in Prague, Czech Republic.

Built in the 15th century as one of the city's defensive towers, this stunning monument stands as one of the original 13 entrances to Prague's Old Town.

Image courtesy of Al Case - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (9)
Rowan Atkinson plays the chocoholic priest Father Julius, a chocoholic priest who keeps a large stash of chocolate under the city's cathedral.

The interior of the church was filmed at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, the 17th century Baroque wonder located in the heart of the city.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. and Diliff - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (10)
As the BBC reported, the scenes in and around the zoo were filmed at the Verulamium Park in St. Albans, Hertfordshire.

A set was also built on Abbey Mill Lane, near the Ye Olde Fighting Cocks pub.

All the buildings in the background were added to the scene via CGI.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (11)
A very short scene during Abacus' backstory includes the Great Gateway of the Monastery, also in St. Albans.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. and Google Maps

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (12)

Arthur Slugworth's house interior was filmed at Eltham Palace in London.

Originally a medieval royal residence, this magnificent estate underwent significant changes in the 1930s when a luxurious and innovative Art Deco mansion was built on the palace grounds.

Image courtesy of Andrew Stawarz - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (13)
The awe-inspiring architecture of Oxford, the so-called city of dreaming spires, provided the perfect backdrop for some outdoor scenes.

The giraffe almost lost its head in Hertford College's Bridge of Sighs in New College Lane.

Image courtesy of Michael D Beckwith - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (14)
More inspirations: the multi-domed building to the right of the cathedral has the same domes as the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo, located across the street from the famous Casino of Monaco.

Image courtesy of Arnaud 25 - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (15)

Towards the end of the film, there is a key scene recorded in the Radcliffe Camera, also in Oxford.

This outstanding 18th-century circular building serves as a reading room for the Bodleian Library of Oxford University.

Image courtesy of Diliff - Map

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (16)
The Bodiam Castle is a spectacular and well-preserved medieval fortress in East Sussex.

Featuring a quadrangular layout and moat, this 14th century fortress is renowned for its picturesque setting and classic design, making it one of the most famous and romanticized castles in England.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. and TPS58 - Map

Can you help to improve this article about the filming locations of Wonka? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!

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6 comments:

1- Anonymous - Dec 28, 2023, 7:54 AM
At the start of the film, Wonka goes down steps, in Bath, leading down to The Parade Gardens and under the colonnade, which has the River Avon and Weirs on the right, although the river wasn't shown. At the back of the shot is Pultney Bridge.

2- Re - Jan 1, 2024, 12:17 PM
The scenes with Abacus' back story feature, very briefly, St Albans Abbey Gateway and houses on Abbey Mill Lane (near Orchard Street).

Reply
3- Ra Moon - Jan 2, 2024, 10:57 AM
Thank you all, updated!

4- Anonymous - Jan 2, 2024, 11:23 AM
I have the impression that the gallery and central square with the fountain are in Naples.

5- Anonymous - Jan 11, 2024, 2:27 PM
The big clock on main square is the Gros Horloge in Rouen, France.

Reply
6- Ra Moon - Jan 11, 2024, 5:57 PM
Awesome, thank you!

Where was Wonka filmed? The city and all the real filming locations (2024)

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