Berwick-upon-Tweed Town Walls

Summary

Elizabethan town walls enclosing a Georgian market town on the Scottish border — the only town in England with largely complete Elizabethan fortifications, used in multiple historical dramas.

About this location

Berwick-upon-Tweed is an English market town on the north bank of the River Tweed, one mile south of the Scottish border. The town is enclosed by Elizabethan fortifications — the Berwick ramparts, built between 1558 and 1569, are the most complete surviving Elizabethan defensive walls in Britain, running 1.8 kilometres around the town with bastions at intervals. The interior of the walls contains Georgian terraces and streets, a medieval town plan, and the 18th-century racks (the first purpose-built racks in England). The River Tweed and three successive bridges — the medieval, the 1624, and the 1928 bridge — are all visible from the walls.

The combination of complete Elizabethan fortifications, Georgian interior townscape, and a riverside setting makes Berwick one of the most film-useful historic towns in northern England for period production. It has appeared in historical drama and documentary productions; its position on the border means it can read as English or Scottish depending on framing. The rampart walk is freely accessible public land managed by English Heritage.

Northumberland County Council handles street filming permits. English Heritage manages the fortifications and racks; they have a commercial filming programme. The town is compact and walkable; the racks and the main Georgian streets are within 500 metres of each other. Berwick station (East Coast Main Line) is within the walls and gives direct rail connections to Edinburgh and London.