West sites to feature in new series of Wolf Hall

Wells Cathedral in Somerset doubled as the Palace of Whitehall for the second series of Wolf Hall

Viewers from the West Country will be able to spot some very familiar backdrops when the second series of Wolf Hall begins on Sunday.

The BBC series follows the rise and fall of Tudor statesman Thomas Cromwell, and is an adaptation of the novel written by Dame Hilary Mantel, who died shortly before filming for series two began.

Locations in Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire feature prominently in the six-episode series, which begins on BBC One at 21:00 GMT on Sunday.

Alice Kennard, owner of Forde Abbey in Chard, Somerset, said it had been "totally taken over" by about 250 cast and crew members when filming took place.

In the upcoming series, Wells Cathedral, Somerset, doubles as the Palace of Whitehall, where Henry VIII married his third wife, Jane Seymour.

Montacute House in South Somerset will return as Greenwich Palace, the site of Anne Boleyn's arrest and her husband's main seat in London, after providing the backdrop for jousting scenes and hosting the royal tent in the first series.

Meanwhile, Great Chalfield Manor, near Melksham, Wiltshire, was transformed into Austin Friars, the home of Thomas Cromwell, played by Sir Mark Rylance.

Horton Court near Chipping Sodbury, Gloucestershire, also features in the new series, serving as Cromwell's study, as well as Gloucester Cathedral.

Filming also took place at Gloucester Cathedral in February 2024

The award-winning Wolf Hall returns after a break of almost ten years, with the first series airing in early 2015.

Rylance, Damian Lewis, Timothy Spall, and Thomas Brodie-Sangster are among the stars that arrived at Alice Kennard's 900-year-old property, Forde Abbey, to shoot the new series.

Mrs Kennard said it was "fun" and "all consuming" to welcome the cast and crew.

"They were just lovely," Mrs Kennard said.

"They actually turned our great hall into Hampton Court, which was an interesting one, and they used the cloisters.

"We're very lucky because the house is nearly 900 years old, we span a huge range of history and have got bits that are suitable for all those kinds of periods they were looking for."

• Series two of Wolf Hall begins on BBC One at 21:00 GMT on Sunday and will also be available on iPlayer.