Pubs that have hosted films — and will host yours
Victorian gin palaces, Gothic working men's clubs and decorated bar rooms that have featured in productions — and what it takes to book one.
Pub interiors have been central to British drama since the medium existed. They are credible social spaces, they provide a defined architectural frame, and — crucially — the best Victorian and Edwardian examples have survived with a density of authentic detail that would cost a fortune to recreate. The challenge is that working pubs are working businesses, and fitting a production crew into a pub that opens at noon means negotiating access around the operating schedule.
Crown Liquor Saloon, Belfast
The Crown Liquor Saloon on Great Victoria Street is managed by the National Trust and is one of the most ornately preserved Victorian gin palaces in the British Isles. The tiled exterior, the private snugs with their decorative screens, the carved woodwork and the mosaic floor create an interior that reads as authentically 19th-century without any dressing. It is the most-photographed pub interior in the UK and appears regularly in productions that need a formal Victorian bar.
Filming is coordinated through the National Trust’s filming office, not directly with the pub management. Lead time: 6–8 weeks. Robinsons Bar nearby is an alternative, more accessible option for Belfast bar filming — a well-preserved Victorian pub that handles production enquiries directly.
American Bar Belfast on Dock Street is a smaller, quieter option — an intact Victorian bar that provides an atmospheric interior for period or noir work at a lower day rate and with simpler access logistics.
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, London
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club is probably the most-filmed venue of its type in the country. The Gothic Revival building — with its soaring ceiling, stained glass, original timber gallery and period furniture — has appeared in Kneecap, Peaky Blinders sequences, countless music videos, and fashion editorials. The club still operates as a functioning entertainment venue; filming goes through their events coordinator. The combination of extraordinary Gothic interior and the genuine social history of the building gives it a character that no purpose-built location replicates.
Day rates: approximately £600–1,500 depending on areas used and duration.
Glasgow: Oran Mor, Gravitas and Gael & Grain
Glasgow’s Merchant City and West End contain a cluster of bar venues with exceptional interiors.
Oran Mor is a converted Victorian church in the West End — the nave ceiling has been painted by Alasdair Gray in a series of murals. The main hall functions as a theatre and live music venue; the bar areas retain the ecclesiastical bones of the original building. For anything that needs height, scale and unusual decorated interior, it is one of the more distinctive bar-related filming spaces in Scotland.
Gravitas in the Merchant City is an ornate Glasgow bar venue that has been used for fashion and commercial production. The decorative interiors work for period drama and contemporary aspirational shoots alike.
Gael and Grain is a whisky bar with a well-dressed traditional interior. For productions needing a Scottish bar that reads as authentic rather than themed, it is a useful option.
The booking reality
Most pubs and bar venues are available for filming during their closed hours — typically Monday to Thursday before noon, or overnight. The access window is short compared to a dedicated location hire.
The practical sequence for booking a pub:
- Contact the venue manager directly — not through a platform in most cases, as most pubs don’t list on location hire sites
- Establish the closed hours available for filming
- Agree a hire fee (typically £300–1,000 for a half-day for an independent pub; higher for managed premises or notable venues)
- Confirm the location release and your insurance documents
Some pubs have become accustomed to production enquiries and have streamlined the process. Others will take weeks to respond and change their minds multiple times. Build contingency into your pre-production schedule.
Why this category works for indie productions
Bar and pub interiors at the lower end of the market represent genuine value for small productions. An independent pub with a good Victorian interior that is closed on Monday mornings can often be hired for £200–400, well below the cost of any comparable dedicated location. The owner gets useful income; you get an authentic space with no construction cost.
The production that comes prepared — with a clean crew, a clear schedule, and leaves the bar in the same condition they found it — will be remembered and will get first call next time.