The Thursday Murder Club location guide: Where was it filmed?

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In a fresh take, Chris Columbus is breathing new life into Richard Osman’s renowned book, “The Thursday Murder Club,” by way of a movie adaptation, and it’s not just the stellar ensemble that grabs attention; there are other captivating aspects as well.

The movie features stunning landscapes, with a significant portion filmed at Shepperton Studios, yet numerous scenes were also captured on-site across the UK. Notably, during the location scouting for Cooper’s Chase – the primary setting of the story, situated in a retirement village – Columbus found himself reminiscing about his earlier films set in the UK.

He mentioned that the goal was to design a senior living facility reminiscent of Hogwarts, the magical school from Harry Potter. Just like Hogwarts, it would be an inspiring destination, a place where children around the globe dream of receiving a letter inviting them to join this institution of witchcraft and wizardry.

Richard Osman originally envisioned Cooper’s Chase to be different from the typical assisted living facilities often portrayed in books and movies, which are typically uninviting, disheartening, and drab.

Our intention for Cooper’s Chase was to create an ideal retirement haven, a place where individuals who watched the film might dream, ‘What a wonderful place to spend the final 15 to 20 years of my life!’

So where was The Thursday Murder Club filmed? Read on for everything you need to know.

The Thursday Murder Club locations: Where was it filmed?

In fact, it seems that the Hogwarts-like retirement community isn’t located in Kent, as portrayed in the books and movies, but rather spread across several villages and manors in Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire instead.

In actuality, the fictitious town from “The Thursday Murder Club,” named Fairhaven, was captured on film in the authentic village of Aldbury. With its charming ancient architecture, Aldbury makes an ideal stand-in for Fairhaven.

Cooper’s Chase boasts a few places in its history. Englefield Estate, adorned with numerous gardens, served as the external depiction of Cooper’s Chase and even provided some interior scenes. According to the production details, “numerous rooms and corridors were decorated to offer the residents an array of sophisticated communal spaces.

Columbus shared that the layout for Cooper’s Chase, as depicted in the narrative, was heavily influenced by Richard Osman’s account. This account featured a grand house positioned beneath a church and graveyard. This specific design played a significant role in the story.

He mentioned: “Surprisingly enough, during our location search on the second day, we stumbled upon Englefield House in Berkshire. This beautiful manor not only featured a church and cemetery below the main structure but also happened to have a layout that perfectly suited our entire film. We can shoot this location as is, without needing any computer-generated imagery.

Enthusiasts of The Crown might recall Englefield, as it stood in for Sandringham House in the popular Netflix show. Moreover, Englefield has previously entertained cinematic nobility, with Steven Spielberg himself visiting during filming for The Thursday Murder Club, accompanied by a delighted Richard Osman.

Simultaneously, the interior scenes were shot at Gaddesden Place in Hertfordshire and at Shepperton Studios, where significant set designs were constructed, such as the Jigsaw Room, serving as the gathering place for the main characters.

In the books, another significant spot is the Black Bridge gastropub. For the movie, the Red Lion pub in Little Missenden was selected to stand in as the on-screen Black Bridge due to its historic architecture and quintessentially British aesthetic, making it a perfect fit for the setting.

Simultaneously, the cemetery scene was designed to resemble a part of the well-known Highgate Cemetery in North London. The set was so lifelike that some actors believed it was genuine, as production notes reveal. Interestingly, lead actor Henry Lloyd-Hughes discovered his error when he accidentally broke a plaster tombstone.

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2025-08-22 12:34