Where was Young Sherlock filmed?

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I’m really excited about Guy Ritchie’s new ‘Young Sherlock’ series on Prime Video! Like his ‘Sherlock Holmes’ movies, it’s not just a local story – it looks like young Sherlock will be traveling all over the UK and even heading overseas for his adventures. It’s going to be a fun ride!

The show begins with a young Sherlock Holmes, portrayed by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, finding a job at Oxford University thanks to his brother, Mycroft, who is played by Max Irons.

There, he meets and befriends Dónal Finn’s James Moriarty and the two become keen allies – for now.

This show boasts beautiful sets and was filmed in a variety of locations, bringing the pre-Victorian period to life. But where exactly does the story take place, and where was it all shot?

Read on for everything you need to know about the locations used for Young Sherlock.

Where is Young Sherlock set?

The eight episodes of Young Sherlock Holmes unfold a story that travels through three countries: England, France, and Turkey.

As a big fan of the show, I always loved how it began in Oxford, really using the university as a backdrop for so much of the early action. But it didn’t stay there for long! Things quickly moved to the Holmes family’s country estate, Appleton Manor, before Sherlock and Moriarty’s game took them on this amazing chase across Europe – first to Paris, and then all the way to Constantinople. It really felt like a proper, globe-trotting adventure!

You know, one of my favorite days on set, as a total film nerd, was shooting with Hero Fiennes Tiffin at Oxford University. That location was just incredible – honestly, it really made the scene! Dónal Finn, who plays Moriarty, told me it was a highlight for him too.

He went on to describe the scene: it was August, the sun was shining, and the weather was beautiful. It was early in filming, and he and the actress playing Hero were dressed as police officers, speaking with Detective Fitget.

There’s a fantastic conversation between Guy Ritchie and Matthew Parkhill where they discuss how the two main characters playfully challenge each other, creating a fun and energetic dynamic.

Working with Natascha McElhone, Joe Fiennes, Max Irons, and Zine Tseng was a real highlight for me. Those days filming at Appleton Manor were just magical – we really started to see the roots of Sherlock Holmes and what made him the person he becomes. It was fascinating to explore those early influences and understand his character on a deeper level.

Where was Young Sherlock filmed?

The TV series Young Sherlock was filmed in beautiful parts of South Wales, including the Brecon Beacons and Merthyr Mawr Country Estate. The estate’s village, located near Cardiff, was used to represent Sherlock Holmes’s family home, Appleton Manor.

The movie was filmed in various locations, including the South West of England and Oxford—specifically on Merten Street. Additional scenes were shot in southern Spain, which stood in for both Paris and Constantinople.

Deon Du Preez, the locations manager, described working on the series as a fantastic experience. He said it was a privilege to recreate Victorian London in South Wales, the Southwest of England, and Oxford, and to contribute to the world of such an iconic character with a talented team.

He recalled that when producer Ed Rastelli-Lewis first approached him, he wondered if South Wales, the South West of England, and Oxford together could provide enough impressive filming locations without exceeding the show’s budget.

The area boasts a fantastic range of Victorian and period settings ideal for filming, such as historic streets, public buildings, heritage landmarks, and country estates – many of which are privately owned. This provided a varied and beautiful environment for bringing the Victorian era to life, as Du Preez explained.

He explained that the biggest difficulty was the sheer size of the production. He also mentioned that Merten Street in Oxford required the most extensive changes to accurately reflect the time period.

The production team transformed a nearly three-block stretch of central Oxford into a period setting. They closed the street to traffic, filled it with market stalls, and removed all modern features. This involved a lot of planning and teamwork with three colleges, their students, and a few local hotels, as they needed time to prepare the set, film the scenes, and then take everything down – a process that took almost three days.

He highlighted Merthyr Mawr Country Estate as a particularly striking location, explaining that its fields and river were used to create the extensive grounds of Appleton Manor, Sherlock Holmes’s family home.

Merthyr Mawr, about 25 miles west of Cardiff, is a large private estate featuring a beautiful 19th-century manor house and a charming historic village. We shot scenes both in the village itself and throughout the estate’s large woodlands.

Tom Burton, the production designer, explained that they always intended to film on location rather than build sets in a studio. He and the team initially researched several countries, including France, Hungary, Turkey, Morocco, Spain, and various locations within the UK, to find the best places to shoot.

Early on, Oxford was a key part of the show and irreplaceable. As the series progressed, we found southern Spain could convincingly stand in for various locations – Constantinople due to its Moorish buildings resembling Istanbul’s Ottoman architecture, as well as Turkey and Paris. While the scripts and outlines provide direction, we were always searching for impressive locations that added depth and realism to the scenes.

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He explained how they recreated Oxford locations on the studio sets. For example, they built a replica of the Porters lodge within the Quad at Magdalen College. The studio also included sets for the corridors, professors’ rooms, and the private rooms of Moriarty, Shou’an, and Sherlock.

We designed the stage to resemble a section of the Bodleian Library, but had to adapt it for the play’s action. Since we couldn’t actually use the real library – you can’t climb on the bookshelves or alter the building! – the biggest challenge was seamlessly blending the real and set elements.

The script for ‘The Chinese Village’ presented some interesting, but difficult, logistical problems. We couldn’t afford to construct an entire village for the flashback sequences. Fortunately, we discovered the Brecon Beacons offered the vast landscape we needed, so we built a Yurt-based Chinese Village there, and it looked fantastic. However, building it during the harsh Welsh winter was a real struggle!

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Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, a global TV production company. He has a bachelor’s degree in English and Theatre Studies, and a journalism diploma.

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2026-03-04 13:05