Liverpool might be famous for The Beatles and its maritime heritage, but it’s also one of the UK’s most-filmed cities. Directors from Hollywood to the BBC are drawn to its grand architecture, gritty streets, and historic docks. In fact, Liverpool filming locations have stood in for everywhere from Gotham City to 1940s New York, and sometimes even magical worlds straight out of fantasy.
If you love discovering real places that appear on screen, Liverpool is the perfect city to explore. Here are some of the most recognizable movie and TV locations to look out for on your next visit to Liverpool.
Discover More: The 10 Best Things to do in Liverpool
Superhero Favorites – The Batman and Captain America
The Batman’s Gritty Gotham
In 2021, Robert Pattinson brought a darker version of Gotham City to life in The Batman. Director Matt Reeves turned the Liverpool city centre into a moody urban landscape, with St George’s Hall transformed into Gotham City Hall and the Royal Liver Building reimagined as police headquarters. Even Anfield Cemetery appeared on screen as Batman raced through on his motorbike in a dramatic chase sequence. These now-iconic Liverpool filming locations show just how cinematic the city’s skyline can be.
Captain America’s 1940s New York
When Captain America: The First Avenger needed a convincing 1940s filming location, filmmakers headed to Stanley Dock in the city’s Vauxhall area. The brick warehouses and cobbled streets were perfect stand-ins for wartime Brooklyn. Around 500 cast and crew took over the area for one of the movie’s largest action scenes, proof that Liverpool’s industrial heritage is pure gold for movie sets.
Stanley Dock was also been used in the Sherlock Holmes film starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.
Magical Worlds: Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts
Harry Potter’s Tunnel Escape
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry and Hagrid make a daring getaway through the Birkenhead Queensway Tunnel, just across the River Mersey. The tunnel’s sweeping curves and echoing walls gave the perfect sense of speed and danger for one of the film’s most exciting chase sequences. Today, it remains one of the most recognizable Liverpool filming locations for Potter fans.
Fantastic Beasts’ 1920s New York
When the Fantastic Beasts team needed a place to recreate 1920s Manhattan, they again turned to Liverpool’s neoclassical architecture. Both St Georges Hall and the Cunard Building stood in for early-20th-century New York landmarks. Their grand façades and ornate interiors made it easy to believe you’d stepped back in time to the Jazz Age.
Literary and Historical Dramas: Tolkien and Florence Foster Jenkins
Tolkien’s Early Life
The biopic Tolkien, inspired by the early life of The Lord of the Rings author, used several Liverpool filming locations to capture the feel of early-20th-century England. Liverpool Town Hall, St George’s Hall and surrounding areas, and Dale Street each appear in key scenes, their classical architecture echoing the academic and romantic worlds of Tolkien’s youth.
Florence Foster Jenkins’ Glamorous New York
Liverpool took on full Hollywood glamour in 2016 when Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant arrived to film Florence Foster Jenkins. The city’s Business District was transformed into 1940s New York, its elegant grid of streets and historic facades standing in perfectly for Manhattan, but without the chaos of modern-day traffic.
The production also filmed in New Brighton, a seaside spot across the Mersey on the Wirral. With its promenade, art deco architecture, and sweeping coastal views, it’s a popular filming location in its own right. For travelers, these areas offer a fascinating glimpse into how Liverpool’s urban and coastal landscapes continue to capture the imagination of filmmakers.
British Hits: Peaky Blinders and The Crown
Movies aren’t the only thing to be filmed in Liverpool. It’s also proven a hit filming location for TV shows.
Peaky Blinders’ Industrial Backdrop
Though Peaky Blinders is set in Birmingham, much of the period drama was filmed in and around Liverpool. The city’s historic warehouses and Victorian terraces provided the perfect stand-ins for early-20th-century Birmingham. Locations include Stanley Dock, Formby Beach, and nearby Wirral and Southport in the greater Liverpool city region. Exploring these areas offers fans a tangible connection to the gritty drama that made the Shelby family famous.
The Crown’s Presidential Liverpool
Netflix’s The Crown has used film locations across the UK, but few places have doubled for so many global destinations as Liverpool. In Season 3, the city’s waterfront and grand civic buildings were transformed into Washington DC, complete with American flags fluttering in the breeze. The combination of Georgian facades and wide boulevards makes this one of the most convincing transformations among all Liverpool filming locations.
Why Liverpool Is a Director’s Dream
Few cities can mimic so many others while maintaining such a strong identity of their own. Liverpool’s blend of Georgian, Victorian, and modern architecture provides filmmakers with backdrops for nearly any era or setting. Add to that the city’s coastal light, compact center, and the hard work of the Liverpool Film Office, and it’s easy to see why Liverpool is now often called “the Hollywood of the North.”
For visitors, that means there’s always something cinematic to discover, from instantly recognizable landmarks to unexpected corners that feel straight out of a movie scene.
Visiting Liverpool’s Filming Locations
Want to walk in the footsteps of characters in your favorite films? Here are a few must-see sites featured on screen:
- St George’s Hall – Seen in The Batman and Fantastic Beasts; its grand interior often hosts exhibitions and events.
- Royal Liver Building – Gotham City’s police headquarters in The Batman and one of Liverpool’s most photographed icons. For a fantastic view over the city, head to Water Street for the Royal Liver Building 360 Tower Tour.
- Stanley Dock – Featured in Captain America and Peaky Blinders; home to the Titanic Hotel Liverpool.
- Birkenhead Queensway Tunnel – The setting for fast-paced chases in Harry Potter.
- Liverpool Town Hall – Appeared in Tolkien and The Crown.
- Business District – Transformed into 1940s New York in Florence Foster Jenkins.
- New Brighton, Wirral – Seaside scenes for Florence Foster Jenkins.
- Formby Beach – A haunting backdrop for scenes in Peaky Blinders.
- Liverpool Waterfront – Doubled as Washington, D.C., in The Crown.
Exploring these Liverpool filming locations is an easy way to see the city from a new angle.
Looking for more Liverpool travel tips, recommended hotels and things to do? Check out our other Liverpool posts.
Liverpool might be famous for The Beatles and its maritime heritage, but it’s also one of the UK’s most-filmed cities. Directors from Hollywood to the BBC are drawn to its grand architecture, gritty streets, and historic docks. In fact, Liverpool filming locations have stood in for everywhere from Gotham City to 1940s New York, and sometimes even magical worlds straight out of fantasy.
If you love discovering real places that appear on screen, Liverpool is the perfect city to explore. Here are some of the most recognizable movie and TV locations to look out for on your next visit to Liverpool.
Discover More: The 10 Best Things to do in Liverpool
Superhero Favorites – The Batman and Captain America
The Batman’s Gritty Gotham
In 2021, Robert Pattinson brought a darker version of Gotham City to life in The Batman. Director Matt Reeves turned the Liverpool city centre into a moody urban landscape, with St George’s Hall transformed into Gotham City Hall and the Royal Liver Building reimagined as police headquarters. Even Anfield Cemetery appeared on screen as Batman raced through on his motorbike in a dramatic chase sequence. These now-iconic Liverpool filming locations show just how cinematic the city’s skyline can be.
Captain America’s 1940s New York
When Captain America: The First Avenger needed a convincing 1940s filming location, filmmakers headed to Stanley Dock in the city’s Vauxhall area. The brick warehouses and cobbled streets were perfect stand-ins for wartime Brooklyn. Around 500 cast and crew took over the area for one of the movie’s largest action scenes, proof that Liverpool’s industrial heritage is pure gold for movie sets.
Stanley Dock was also been used in the Sherlock Holmes film starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.
Magical Worlds: Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts
Harry Potter’s Tunnel Escape
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Harry and Hagrid make a daring getaway through the Birkenhead Queensway Tunnel, just across the River Mersey. The tunnel’s sweeping curves and echoing walls gave the perfect sense of speed and danger for one of the film’s most exciting chase sequences. Today, it remains one of the most recognizable Liverpool filming locations for Potter fans.
Fantastic Beasts’ 1920s New York
When the Fantastic Beasts team needed a place to recreate 1920s Manhattan, they again turned to Liverpool’s neoclassical architecture. Both St Georges Hall and the Cunard Building stood in for early-20th-century New York landmarks. Their grand façades and ornate interiors made it easy to believe you’d stepped back in time to the Jazz Age.
Literary and Historical Dramas: Tolkien and Florence Foster Jenkins
Tolkien’s Early Life
The biopic Tolkien, inspired by the early life of The Lord of the Rings author, used several Liverpool filming locations to capture the feel of early-20th-century England. Liverpool Town Hall, St George’s Hall and surrounding areas, and Dale Street each appear in key scenes, their classical architecture echoing the academic and romantic worlds of Tolkien’s youth.
Florence Foster Jenkins’ Glamorous New York
Liverpool took on full Hollywood glamour in 2016 when Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant arrived to film Florence Foster Jenkins. The city’s Business District was transformed into 1940s New York, its elegant grid of streets and historic facades standing in perfectly for Manhattan, but without the chaos of modern-day traffic.
The production also filmed in New Brighton, a seaside spot across the Mersey on the Wirral. With its promenade, art deco architecture, and sweeping coastal views, it’s a popular filming location in its own right. For travelers, these areas offer a fascinating glimpse into how Liverpool’s urban and coastal landscapes continue to capture the imagination of filmmakers.
British Hits: Peaky Blinders and The Crown
Movies aren’t the only thing to be filmed in Liverpool. It’s also proven a hit filming location for TV shows.
Peaky Blinders’ Industrial Backdrop
Though Peaky Blinders is set in Birmingham, much of the period drama was filmed in and around Liverpool. The city’s historic warehouses and Victorian terraces provided the perfect stand-ins for early-20th-century Birmingham. Locations include Stanley Dock, Formby Beach, and nearby Wirral and Southport in the greater Liverpool city region. Exploring these areas offers fans a tangible connection to the gritty drama that made the Shelby family famous.
The Crown’s Presidential Liverpool
Netflix’s The Crown has used film locations across the UK, but few places have doubled for so many global destinations as Liverpool. In Season 3, the city’s waterfront and grand civic buildings were transformed into Washington DC, complete with American flags fluttering in the breeze. The combination of Georgian facades and wide boulevards makes this one of the most convincing transformations among all Liverpool filming locations.
Why Liverpool Is a Director’s Dream
Few cities can mimic so many others while maintaining such a strong identity of their own. Liverpool’s blend of Georgian, Victorian, and modern architecture provides filmmakers with backdrops for nearly any era or setting. Add to that the city’s coastal light, compact center, and the hard work of the Liverpool Film Office, and it’s easy to see why Liverpool is now often called “the Hollywood of the North.”
For visitors, that means there’s always something cinematic to discover, from instantly recognizable landmarks to unexpected corners that feel straight out of a movie scene.
Visiting Liverpool’s Filming Locations
Want to walk in the footsteps of characters in your favorite films? Here are a few must-see sites featured on screen:
- St George’s Hall – Seen in The Batman and Fantastic Beasts; its grand interior often hosts exhibitions and events.
- Royal Liver Building – Gotham City’s police headquarters in The Batman and one of Liverpool’s most photographed icons. For a fantastic view over the city, head to Water Street for the Royal Liver Building 360 Tower Tour.
- Stanley Dock – Featured in Captain America and Peaky Blinders; home to the Titanic Hotel Liverpool.
- Birkenhead Queensway Tunnel – The setting for fast-paced chases in Harry Potter.
- Liverpool Town Hall – Appeared in Tolkien and The Crown.
- Business District – Transformed into 1940s New York in Florence Foster Jenkins.
- New Brighton, Wirral – Seaside scenes for Florence Foster Jenkins.
- Formby Beach – A haunting backdrop for scenes in Peaky Blinders.
- Liverpool Waterfront – Doubled as Washington, D.C., in The Crown.
Exploring these Liverpool filming locations is an easy way to see the city from a new angle.
Looking for more Liverpool travel tips, recommended hotels and things to do? Check out our other Liverpool posts.
