Shekhar Kapur’s period drama, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, was released back in 2007 as a sequel to his previous film based on the former Queen of England. Cate Blanchett portrays Elizabeth I, a role for which she received many accolades.
The storyline centers on the life of Elizabeth I while she was dealing with the threat of war from King Philip of Spain. By 1585, Spain had become very powerful, and King Philip believed he could kill Elizabeth and place his daughter on her throne, effectively gaining control of England.
Although not most of the events are historically accurate, Elizabeth: The Golden Age does offer an entertaining adventure for period film enthusiasts. Asides from Cate Blanchett, the cast of Elizabeth: The Golden Age consists of Geoffrey Rush in the role of Sir Francis Walsingham, Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh, Abbie Cornish plays Bess Throckmorton, and Jordi Molla plays King Philip II of Spain.
Elizabeth The Golden Age: Filming Locations
Filming for this Shekhar Kapur period drama began back in April of 2006 and had completed shooting by August of the same year. Since Elizabeth: The Golden Age centers on a particular era of England, the filming locations for the movie were rightfully various places spread across England.
England, UK:
The place that makes up the exterior of Sir Walter Raleigh’s house in Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a manor named Baddesley Clinton, located in Warwickshire, England. Situated 8 miles northwest of Warwick, this manor has previously served as a filming spot for the film The Virgin Queen (2005-2006).
While the exteriors of Raleigh’s house were shot at Baddesley Clinton, the interior was filmed at Dorney Court in Dorney, Buckinghamshire.
This same spot was also seen in Elizabeth, where it was the estate of Lord Arundel. The Burghley House at Stamford is the place that served as a filming location for John Dee’s house. It is also the place we see in scenes of Elizabeth: The Golden Age involving London Alley and Paris Streets.
The location where Queen Elizabeth spends some time with Raleigh while horseriding is filmed at the Petworth House in West Sussex. It’s called the Windsor Great Park in the film, but in reality, it’s located at the Parish of Petworth and was built back in the late 17th century.
The Petworth house has been inhabited by some of the most prominent people in England’s history. Petworth House also has a gallery that showcases various sculptures, paintings, and other objects that came into its possession throughout the years.
St. Bartholomew-the-Great, located in Smithfield, serves as the place of shooting for scenes involving Fotheringay Castle as well as the interiors of Chartley Hall. This architecturally significant church was founded back in 1123. Most recently in 2023, St. Bartholomew-the-Great celebrated its 900th anniversary.
Scenes of St. Paul’s Cathedral and The Chapel Royal’s interiors were shot at the Winchester Cathedral located in Hampshire. Work on building this cathedral began in 1079 and lasted till 1532. This cathedral featured in Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a beautiful place to visit as it’s filled with historical architecture, but keep in mind that since March 2006, Winchester Cathedral has charged visitors for viewing the place.
Few other Cathedrals that we see in Elizabeth: The Golden Age include the Wells Cathedral at Somerset and Westminster Cathedral in London. Wells Cathedral is where scenes of White Palace were filmed, while the Westminster Cathedral made up for the Escorial Palace and Lisbon Cathedral’s interiors in the movie.
The Leeds Castle in Kent was used to replicate scenes of Charley Hall and Windsor Castle. This scenic castle was built back in 857 and understandably used to be a favorite residence of King Edward I back in the 13th Century. While most of the scenes of Elizabeth: The Golden Age were shot at historically significant locations, a few other minor shots were filmed at the Shepperton Studios in Surrey.
These studios have been extensively used by producers all through the years, and infamous projects that were previously hosted here include World War Z, Cruella, Alice Through The Looking Glass, and Heart of Stone. Both parts of the Elizabeth series, Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, are available to stream on Hulu, Apple TV, and Prime Video.
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