Where is Downton Abbey movie filmed? A New Era filming locations - from Highclere Castle to La Rocabella

Downton Abbey: A New Era is a sequel to the 2019 film based on the popular period series which chronicled the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family.

The film is sure to feature extravagant feasts, gorgeous outfits, and the odd yacht as the family witness the dawning of the Jazz Age.

As the first Downton film was a box office success, earning over £150 million off a £10 million budget - it’s no shock that a sequel was given the green light.

And with a budget many times greater than the TV series, the scope for beautiful shooting locations was much wider.

Where was Downton Abbey: A New Era filmed?

The movie sequel takes place at a range of gorgeous sites across England, Scotland, and France.

Some scenes were filmed at 6. Highclere Castle in Berkshire, the stand in for the Downton Abbey building, but much of the action takes place further afield.

Villa Rocabella, Southern France

This amazing Mediterranean villa on the southern coast of France plays a central role in the film.

Violet Crawley, who is played by Maggie Smith, finds that she is the new owner of the grand estate, and the Crawleys embark on a trip to see just what kind of holiday home she has inherited.

Wrest Park, Bedfordshire

The Wrest Park country estate has Grade I listed gardens which were used by the production as the stand in for Rocabella’s outdoor space.

A party scene in the film is shot at the garden’s orangery- the building itself does not feature in the film.

Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh

To travel to cross the channel for their holiday adventure, the Crawleys take a ferry - but these scenes were filmed on the yacht which was owned by the Queen for 43 years.

In that time the yacht travelled more than one million miles but has since been retired and is permanently berthed in Edinburgh.

Electric Palace Cinema, Harwich

The movie’s subtitle ‘A New Era’ suggests that the Crawleys are being brought into the modern (to them) era - and could be more modern to a Victorian family than the movies?

In A New Era a director shoots a film at Downton which is premiered at a local Yorkshire cinema - but the cinema where this film premiere was filmed, was actually at the Electric Palace outside of Essex.

The cinema first opened in 1911, so it is of the style that The Crawleys would have been familiar with - the cinema is still operational and will be screening A New Era when it is released on 29 April.

Belchamp Hall, Essex

This beautiful hall was chosen to provide the backdrop for the wedding between Tom Branson, played by Allen Leech, and Lucy Smith, played by Tuppence Middleton.

The couple met in the first Downton film, in which their relationship begins and they share their first kiss. By A New Era the couple, now well and truly in love, decide to tie the knot.

Belchamp Hall was the perfect wedding location because, as well as the hall looking extravagant, there is also a church on the estate.

The hall will also be recognisable to fans of Lovejoy, as it made frequent appearances in the ‘80s mystery series.