Where was Wolf Hall filmed as BBC historical drama finally returns for series two

New series of Wolf Hall is set to be broadcast on , with familiar locations set to be featured again in the historic drama.

Wolf Hall: The and the Light is based on the final book in Dame Hilary Mantel's trilogy, The Mirror And The Light, with Mark Rylance playing the lead role of Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII is played by Damian Lewis, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as secretary Rafe Sadler and Jonathan Pryce as Cardinal Wolsey.

Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light will trace the final four years of Cromwell’s life, completing his journey from self-made man to the most feared, influential figure of his time. The second series started production in 2023 and is to air weekly on BBC One, starting Sunday, November 10.

Ahead of its return on BBC One, here is where Wolf Hall series two was filmed and previous filming locations you may recognise.

Where is Wolf Hall series two filmed?

Like the first series, film crews have returned to their original filming locations for the new series. A lot of the locations chosen for filming are National Trust sites and likely chosen due to how well preserved the properties and gardens are.

Production of series two moved to Somerset, with film crews spotted at Montacute House near Yeovil in early January. The 16th-century Elizabethan mansion and gardens, which are owned by the National Trust, is used to represent Greenwich Palace and its grand exterior makes for a stunning background for the drama's key scenes.

Film crews returned to Somerset in March to film at Wells Cathedral. Mark Rylance was among the stars at the historic site, with Wells Cathedral doubling as Kent Cathedral.

Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire was used for filming in January and February for yet known scenes. The first series of Wolf Hall was filmed in part at Berkeley Castle in 2015.

Moving across Gloucestershire, the city's cathedral was also used for filming in February. Gloucester Cathedral was famously used as Hogwarts in the film series.

Haddon Hall in Derbyshire was locally rumoured to be another filming location after the stately home was closed in February. Residents at the time said they saw Thomas Brodie Sangster walking around Bakewell and surrounding area.

What other locations has Wolf Hall filmed at?

In 2015, the National Trust issued a "movie map" which guided visitors to familiar backdrops from film and TV drama. As a result of use of its own properties as film locations, it said it expected a subsequent 25 per cent increase in visits to the related venues.

The spacious gardens and interior of Barrington Court in Somerset doubled as York Place, the home of Cromwell’s mentor and friend Cardinal Wolsey.

The exteriors of Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire double as Wolf Hall, the Seymour family seat, in the TV series. Founded in the 13th century as an Augustinian nunnery, Henry VIII sold the abbey to one of his courtiers, Sir William Sharington, who converted it into a house following the dissolution of the monasteries.

The interiors of Great Chalfield Manor in Wiltshire stood in for Austin Friars, Thomas Cromwell’s home, a happy place teeming with in-laws and wards, nieces and nephews and painters.

Chastleton House in Oxfordshire was also used for filming in series one, with its small stone courtyard serving as the location for the dramatic scenes from Cromwell’s miserable childhood in Putney.

Grade I listed manor house Horton Court in Gloucestershire doubled up as the exterior of Austin Friars, Cromwell’s adult home, on screen in Wolf Hall.

Sitting on the edge of the rolling Cotswolds, the 16th-century manor house was built from the remains of a Norman hall. Horton Court also appeared on the BBC TV series Poldark.

What is Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light about?

The plot summary reads: "May, 1536. Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, is dead. As the axe drops, Thomas Cromwell emerges from the bloodbath to continue his climb to power and wealth, while his formidable master, Henry, settles to short-lived happiness with his third queen, Jane Seymour.

"Cromwell, a man with only his wits to rely on, has no great family to back him, and no private army. Navigating the moral complexities that accompany the exercise of power in this brutal and bloody time, Cromwell is caught between his desire to do what is right and his instinct to survive. But in the wake of Henry VIII having executed his queen, no one is safe.

"Despite rebellion at home, traitors plotting abroad and the threat of invasion testing Henry’s regime to breaking point, Cromwell’s robust imagination sees a new country in the mirror of the future. All of England lies at his feet, ripe for innovation and religious reform. But as fortune’s wheel turns, Cromwell’s enemies are gathering in the shadows.

"The inevitable question remains: how long can anyone survive under Henry’s cruel and capricious gaze?"