Durham on Screen: Film and TV Locations

With one of the finest Norman buildings in Europe on its doorstep, it is no surprise that Durham has stood in for palaces, schools of wizardry and even an alien realm. Durham Cathedral is the star, and its cloisters and chapels have appeared in some of the biggest films of the last few decades.

Hogwarts on the Wear

For many visitors Durham is best known as Hogwarts. The cathedral's cloisters appear in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as the corridors between lessons, and the Cloister Garth, dusted with fake snow, is where Harry sends his owl Hedwig on a flight around the castle. The Chapter House served as Professor McGonagall's classroom in the first two films, and in the Chamber of Secrets the Cloister Garth is the setting for Ron's "eat slugs" curse going comically wrong.

Asgard and a Tudor palace

More recently, the cathedral doubled as the Asgardian palace in Marvel's Avengers: Endgame, with the nave appearing in Thor's return to old Asgard and the Galilee Chapel standing in as one of the palace's rooms. Long before that, the nave played the royal palace in the 1998 film Elizabeth, the BAFTA-winning drama starring Cate Blanchett, its patterned Norman columns clearly recognisable on screen.

On the small screen

Durham's streets and its World Heritage skyline have featured on television too, notably as a backdrop for the BBC crime drama Inspector George Gently, set in the North East of the 1960s.

Seeing it for yourself

The good news for visitors is that since March 2019 the cathedral has allowed non-flash photography inside for personal use, so you can capture the cloisters for yourself. Photography is not permitted during services, in the Gregory Chapel or in the Open Treasure exhibition, and any commercial or media filming must be arranged in advance with the cathedral. Wander the cloisters, look up in the nave, and you will recognise more than you expect.