Westonbirt, The National Arboretum is a popular filming destination due to our stunning tree collection and heritage landscape. Being located only 20 minutes from junction 18 of the M4, we provide easy access for major film studios in the southwest and London.
With 600 acres of unrivalled outdoor space, Westonbirt is a diverse filming location. Known for its stunning collection of trees, every corner of the arboretum reveals a beautiful setting. It houses picturesque formality in the Old Arboretum, open meadowland on The Downs as well as natural woodland in Silk Wood. You won't be short of filming opportunities!
We also provide support if needed from a staff team who can help with movement of equipment on and around site via all-terrain vehicles to ease your filming on site.
Recently hosting TV documentaries such as BBC Countryfile, BBC Gardener’s World and featuring in Channel 4’s ‘Sarah Beeny's New Life in the Country’ and Channel 5’s ‘Secret Life of Trees’.
We have developed a photo gallery of the arboretum to offer the Film and TV industry. Explore the gallery below, and if anything catches your eye, or you would like to see more, contact the marketing team at Westonbirt.
For commercial filming enquiries, please email our national film office contact philippa.sutcliffe@forestryengland.uk and find out more about commercial filming with Forestry England.
Image Gallery
Click the thumbnail buttons below the large image to view the different images full size.
Spotlight on: Old Arboretum
The attraction of this area within the arboretum is its stunning autumn colour; from the acer collections and picturesque planting, to the bursts of spring colour from camellias and rhododendrons in the spring. Ideal backdrops for attractive, beautifully maintained woodland scenery.
Accessible via well-maintained, hard gravel paths, with support if needed from a staff team who can help with movement of filming equipment on and around site via all-terrain vehicles to ease your filming on site.
Spotlight on: Silk Wood
An area within the arboretum that comprises semi-ancient woodland, and large drives and grassy rides and woodland that is carpeted with English Bluebells in spring. In autumn, capture Maple Loop with its mesmerising, colourful acers. Location areas that are slightly off the beaten track providing a visual variety of woodland scenes.
Again, all accessible via well-maintained, hard gravel paths and grassy rides.
Coach Park hire for your location unit base
Westonbirt’s coach park is ideal to hire as a unit base for filming nearby to Westonbirt.
Accessible via a well-maintained tarmacked road, the entrance road to Westonbirt leads quickly to this spacious hard-standing area, providing an ideal unit base for your production’s needs.
There is also a substantial grass car park which can be used for crew or overflow parking, along with space to erect short term marquees for cover.
To enquire about hiring this space whilst filming on location, please contact westonbirt@forestryengland.uk and for commercial filming enquiries, please email our the national film office contact philippa.sutcliffe@forestryengland.uk
Filming, photography and drones
Anyone can take photographs with cameras and phones in the nation’s forests for fun and to share and for personal use.
To film at Westonbirt you must first apply for permission, email: westonbirt.marketing@forestryengland.uk
Drone filming
If you wish to fly a drone for filming or photography, you will require an additional approved permission.
Due to the proximity of Highgrove part of the arboretum is within a No-Fly Zone and to fly drones can require Gloucestershire Police authorisation too. As a result, our filming permission process can take up to two weeks, so please consider this in your planning.
Please note: third parties cannot give you permission to launch and land a drone at Westonbirt.
If you’d like to fly a drone at Westonbirt, The National Arboretum for commercial purposes, contact us at westonbirt.marketing@forestryengland.uk for more information.
Why you need a filming permit
We control the filming carried out on site, including drone flights, to balance the needs and safety of all our visitors and wildlife, while also protecting our woodlands for people to enjoy, wildlife to flourish and trees to thrive. We also want to ensure that everyone can enjoy their day out at Westonbirt without disturbance.
A member of our team will support you through your filming project at Westonbirt, from your initial enquiry through to the end of your filming.
Costs
If your filming is commercial, i.e. you will be selling the photos or footage, then we will charge according to our pricing structure. The income from filming permissions goes directly to caring for our woodlands and managing any impact, such as additional wear and tear, to protect the tree collection and our heritage landscape. For commercial filming enquiries, please contact philippa.sutcliffe@forestryengland.uk in out national film office. Find out more about commercial filming with Forestry England.
