The Fellside Café: Where is The A Word filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations
Posted by Ra Moon
The A Word is an acclaimed BBC dramedy, wrapped in the gorgeous landscape of Cumbria in the UK.
The production, revolving around the family of an autistic boy, is back for a third season after receiving very positive reviews for the first and second six-part series.
The production, revolving around the family of an autistic boy, is back for a third season after receiving very positive reviews for the first and second six-part series.
The cast features former Doctor Who stars Christopher Eccleston, Vinette Robinson (Sherlock), Morven Christie (Grantchester), Lee Ingleby (Inspector George Gently), and young actor Max Vento as Joe Hughes.
The A Word was filmed in the Lake District and Manchester. We have updated this report with the new season 3 filming locations. Contains no spoilers!
At the beginning of every episode in season one, the Polish crew picks up Joe at Honister Pass, located between Seatoller and Gatesgarth.
This has become the iconic location of the series, appearing multiple times during the show.
(You can open all the locations on Google Maps by clicking on the links below in the captions ↴)
Image courtesy of BBC - Map
The Fellside Café of The A Word
The Fellside, the stone barn which Paul converted into a gastropub, was filmed at High Bridge End Farm near Thirlmere (Keswick).
The High Tarn Fell Race from season 2 was also set here.
Image courtesy of BBC and Google Maps
Pictured below, an old Google Maps image of the cottage. During the shoot, some cyclists and walkers had occasionally popped in for a drink, leaving disappointed because this was not a real pub.
Image courtesy of BBC and Google Maps
The lake that appears in several shots in the first season was filmed at Thirlmere Reservoir.
There are also some scenes in season 2 recorded in the beautiful Lake Buttermere.
Image courtesy of BBC Maps: Thirlmere / Buttermere
The town is an amalgam of various locations. The main square was filmed in Broughton-in-Furness.
Image courtesy of BBC and Google Maps
Also, the house of Louise, Maurice's music teacher and occasional lover is near this square in Broughton.
Image courtesy of BBC and Google Maps
A few scenes were filmed at The Black Bull pub in Coniston.
Additional filming took place in the town of Ambleside and Kendal.
Image courtesy of BBC and Google Maps
The old house is the Birkrigg Cottage in Newlands Valley near Keswick.
Studio shots and some interiors were filmed in the new TV production site Space Studios Manchester.
Image courtesy of BBC and Google Maps
The exteriors of Scott's brewery for seasons one and two were filmed in the Ruskin Museum in Coniston.
However, it changed to the Grasmere Village Hall (pictured).
Image courtesy of BBC and Google Maps - Ruskin Museum / Grasmere
In season 3, the Pear Tree Primary School was filmed in the Ashgate Primary School in Manchester.
Image courtesy of BBC - Map
The clothing store from the fourth episode is the N Arnison and Sons, located in the centre of Penrith (Eden Valley). Image courtesy of BBC and Google Maps
Alison lives in a three-story house at Keepers Quay near the New Islington (Ancoats, Manchester).
Located close to the Cotton Field Marina and the Ashton Canal, this is a modern residential modular housing development (Urban Splash).
The Netflix series The Stranger was also filmed in the Grand Manchester area. You can also check out here all The Stranger filming locations.
Image courtesy of BBC - Map
The choir 'Robin Bell Room' rehearsal theatre is the All Saints Parish Rooms in Cheadle near Stockport.
Image courtesy of BBC - Map
Can you help to improve this article about the shooting locations of The A Word? To complete and correct this report, any feedback, info, or images that you may have are more than welcome, thank you!
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Ra Moon
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I’ve been looking online since the first season to try to find out the actual (Manchester?) brewery which appears as the family’s Lake District business, there’s even a tweet from the show’s US account referencing the difficulty in finding a location for it, but the link is dead!
ReplyDeleteI even asked some Manchester fellow brewers, but nothing!
The external brewery shots were filmed at The Ruskin Museum in Conistone, which has never been a brewery.
DeleteI recognised it immediately on first viewing & am certain having seen it appear numerous times since.
If you've never been, you should. Named after John Ruskin obviously, whom lived at the nearby Brantwood, which is also well worth a visit.
I believe the museum still houses Donald Campbell's Bluebird in which he broke the water speed world record before crashing & dying in same said craft on the nearby Coniston Water in 1967.
The museum also houses the boat which inspired Arthur Ransome's Swallows & Amazons.
If you should like some hints & tips on finding other A word locations, Withnail & I locations (also in Lake District) or even places that inspired Swallows & Amazons just let me know.
For season 3 the exterior of the brewery, village hall and the shops (in episode 2) were in Grasmere.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot, we found the exact location in Google maps!
DeleteI have got to season 3 yet, watching series 1 and 2 again beforehand. External brewery shots in first two series are definitely outside Ruskin Museum in Coniston. Details for a weekend trip to Conistone outlined above.
DeleteThank you, we checked the first season location and you are right. Updated!
DeleteThis is a small, general point. "Mere" means "Lake"
ReplyDeleteSo "Buttermere" is "Butter Lake", and calling it "Lake Buttermere" is like calling it "Lake Butter Lake"
Tautology.
Same with Windermere, and Windermere Town. The lake is a mere.
Thank you. Today in the Gazette- Wastwater Lake. Snowdon is another.
DeleteIn series 3 Pear Tree school was filmed at Ashgate specialist school in Manchester, not Derby as listed.
ReplyDeleteThanks, sorry for the mistake!
DeleteThe School hall in series 2 is all filmed at Keswick School, my old School. Not sure where they filmed at for series 1 and 3 as it is a different location. Hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteSeries 1 school is Borrowdale primary I think
ReplyDeleteThe clothes shop, Arnison's, in Penrith, has a plaque saying that William Wordsworth lived there with his aunt as a boy, his sister too, I think.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody out there know where the exterior shots, known as High Tarn Village Hall, for wedding of Katie&Ralph, were taken? - Series 3 Episode 5
ReplyDeleteRalph & Katie's wedding took place at All Saints Parish rooms in Cheadle Hulme.
ReplyDeleteThis was also the filming location for the choir rehearsals 'Robin Bell Room.'
Awesome, thanks a lot!
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