From sweeping period romances to spy thrillers and cult classics, Kent has been the setting of many movies over the decades.

With its stately homes, British landmarks and rolling hills, it is no surprise the county has played host to wizards, superheroes and a secret agent with a licence to kill.

We’ve compiled a list of flicks that have been filmed in each district, with a map to show which areas are favoured by tinseltown.

Ashford

With film studios linked to Netflix, Amazon and HBO set to open in Ashford, there’s hope the area could become a hotbed for movie production but, as of now, Hollywood film crews have barely visited this part of east Kent.

However, there are a few exceptions. Ammonite, released in 2020, is loosely based on the life of the acclaimed fossil hunter Mary Anning in 1840s England, and stars Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.

Romney House in Charing features in the film as a meeting place for Winslet and Ronan’s characters to carry out a recital.

Kent and East Sussex Railway in Tenterden can be seen in the 1996 film Jude which stars Christopher Eccleston and, again, Kate Winslet.

A period piece about a self-educated stonemason who has an illicit affair with his cousin, the railway was used for scenes where Eccleston and Winslet are on a train – intercut with scenery from the North of England.

The village of Pluckley gets a good run out in 2011’s Age of Heroes which is based on the life of James Bond author Ian Fleming, focussing on his wartime experience.

Pluckley and the surrounding area were used for many driving scenes in the movie, which features Sean Bean and Danny Dyer.

Canterbury

Canterbury and its surrounding towns, such as Whitstable, are tourist magnets, but not as many films have been made in the district as you might expect.

However, given the striking vista of Canterbury Cathedral, it is not surprising the internationally recognised place of worship features in several cult classics.

Two standout movies which made use of the Cathedral are Last Orders and A Canterbury Tale.

Starring Michael Caine, Helen Mirren and Ray Winstone, Last Orders filmed across in the county in 2002 – with the Cathedral being just one of the attractions the characters visit on their travels.

Meanwhile, A Canterbury Tale, made by legendary filmmaker Michael Powell, stars Eric Portman and Sheila Sim.

The ending of the 1944 film sees a parade of soldiers march through the city before stopping at the Cathedral.

2011’s Johnny English Reborn sees Rowan Atkinson reprise his role as a bumbling secret agent who is tasked with saving the nation’s fortune once more.

In the comedy, the Chestfield Tunnel on the A299 Thanet Way appears as a French motorway when traffic was cleared to make way for Johnny in his Bentley.

In Venus (2007), Peter O’Toole plays a veteran actor who takes his troublesome great-niece, played by future Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker, under his wing.

The Old Neptune Pub in Whitstable was featured at the end of the film as the two characters share a drink in the charismatic boozer.

Dartford

Dartford may not have seen many movie stars drop by – but it has appeared in one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

The QEII Bridge can be spotted during a pivotal chase scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, released in 2010.

The titular wizard, played by Daniel Radcliffe and Hagrid, Robbie Coltrane, are pursued by Death Eaters, leading to his beloved pet owl, Hedwig, dying.

Meanwhile, crime film The Corrupted, which stars Sam Claflin and Timothy Spall, makes the most of the eerie atmosphere at Dartford Marshes.

And further out, Laredo Town, in Fawkham, a showcase of the wild west, was used during a fantasy sequence in Finding Neverland.

The 2004 picture depicts author J.M. Barrie's friendship with Sylvia Llewellyn Davies, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.

Dover

With its iconic White Cliffs, seafronts and historic fortress, Dover has much to offer film-makers.

Dover Castle has two very memorable pictures to its name – although the genres couldn’t be further from each other.

2000 cringe comedy Kevin and Perry Go Large and the 2015 superhero showing Avengers: Age of Ultron both made use of the medieval setting.

In the opening sequence of Kevin and Perry, Harry Enfield dreams of saving Anne Boleyn from execution, while the castle appears as the entrance to the secret Hydra Research Base in the Marvel blockbuster.

The Port of Dover is a particular hit with film crews, as has been used for more than 50 years by directors.

In the first Johnny English film, released in 2003, the port can be spotted towards the end of the film, where Rowan Atkinson travels to France to try and put a stop to villain Pascal Sauvage plans.

Back in 1971, Sean Connery’s James Bond flick Diamonds are Forever used the port for the scene where Bond outwits diamond smuggler Peter Franks at passport control.

Further afield, Benedict Cumberbatch stars in the 2022 biopic The Electrical Life of Louis Wain which includes scenes on Deal seafront.

At Discovery Park in Sandwich, Brad Pitt famously took over the area to film post-apocalyptic horror World War Z, which came out in 2013. The offices and laboratories are where Pitt tries to find a cure for the zombie pandemic.

Folkestone and Hythe

With its cosy, quirky cafes and sweeping coastal vistas, Folkestone and Hythe has been used in several British productions.

Littlestone Golf Club plays a key part in the 2021 hit The Phantom of the Open, which recalls the real-life tale of a fraudulent golfer trying to make his way onto the pro tour.

Ashford-born Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins star, and the golf club is used as Rylance’s character competes in the 1978 British Open qualifiers, disguised as a Frenchman called Gerard Hoppy.

Charles Dickens’ tale Great Expectations was remade in 2012 and The Church of St Thomas A Becket in Fairfield on Romney Marsh was used by crews for the adaptation.

In a pivotal scene, protagonist Pip first meets convict Magwitch at the church, an encounter which sets up the rest of the plot.

Saltwood Castle features in 2011 rom-com, My Week with Marilyn, which stars Eddie Redmayne as aspiring filmmaker Colin Clark, and Michelle Williams as the movie legend.

It is the original Clark family home and features as such at the beginning of the film.

Also on the Marsh, St Clement Church in Old Romney was used during filming of 1963 Disney film The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, based on the Doctor Syn series.

Gravesham

Another one for the cult classics rather than the blockbusters, Gravesham has still made plenty of appearances on the silver screen.

Cobham Hall doubles as the girls school where brattish American teen Poppy Moore is sent in popular 2008 comedy Wild Child.

The school makes another appearance in Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, which features Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz as a teenage spy.

The Gilt Hall doubled as the Queen's gift room at Buckingham Palace and can be spotted at the end of the movie.

Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams lead the lineup of the 2008 film Incendiary which has scenes filmed at the Met Police Training College.

The facilities near Gravesend were used to shoot the scenes at the football stadium after an incident with a bomb.

And while this film isn’t out yet, Barry Keoghan, known for Saltburn and The Banshees of Inisherin, had Gravesend residents very excited earlier this year.

He was recording scenes in King Street for a movie called Bird which is believed to be coming out in 2024.

Maidstone

Understandably, the film offering in Maidstone is somewhat overshadowed by the studios which have housed popular TV programmes over the years.

The Carer, a 2016 British-Hungarian comedy starring Brian Cox, made good use of locations on the outskirts of the town, such as Sutton Valence Prep School.

Leeds Castle played host to film crews in 1986 for historical drama Lady Jane which retold the story of Lady Jane Grey who was played by Helena Bonham Carter.

The Ringlestone Inn in Harrietsham was used in vampire flick The Thompsons back in 2012, as the pub owned by the blood-sucking Stuart clan.

Medway

In an area as large as Medway, it’s no wonder filmmakers have often chosen to make use of the extensive locations on offer.

Victoria & Abdul, Les Miserables, Red Joan, The Phantom of the Open, Enola Holmes 2 and Pokemon: Detective Pikachu are just a handful of the movies filmed in Medway.

Perhaps deserving of its own article though is The Historic Dockyard at Chatham which has seen so many crews take over it’s hard to know where to begin.

Living and Operation Mincemeat, released in 2022 and 2021 respectively, are two of the more recent flicks filmed on site, and crews for 1999 James Bond caper The World is Not Enough, also visited the area.

Both Sherlock Holmes films, starring Robert Downey Jr and made in the mid-noughties, were filmed in part there.

Outside of the dockyard, Fort Amherst was used as both General Ramsay's Operations HQ and the Calais Garrison in 2017’s Darkest Hour. The film starred Gary Oldman as wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Parts of Fort Amherst were transformed into escape tunnels used by the French Resistance in Paris in 2011 film Sherlock Holmes – A Game of Shadows.

Sevenoaks

Thanks to its array of stately homes and leafy surroundings, Sevenoaks has hosted movie stars such as Chris Hemsworth and Saoirse Ronan.

Enthralling racing tale Rush chronicles the 1976 Formula 1 season which saw legends James Hunt, played by Hemsworth, and Niki Lauda, Daniel Brühl, battle it out to become champion.

The Brands Hatch circuit in Longfield is used in racing scenes, and is the backdrop for Hunt convincing other drivers to take to the wheel in treacherous conditions.

The famous track was used again this year for Brad Pitt's as-yet-untitled Formula 1 film which is expected to be released in 2025.

Mary Queen of Scots, which came out in 2018 and starred Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan, featured scenes shot in Sevenoaks.

Penshurst Place’s courtyard and Baron's Hall double Fotherighay Castle where Mary – played by Ronan - is executed.

And in Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, former archbishop’s Palace Knole has a brief cameo.

The Boat That Rocked came out in 2009 to mixed reviews, but had a stellar cast, including Bill Nighy, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Nick Frost.

The production used Squerreyes Court as the home of a government minister played by Kenneth Brannagh who is trying to shut down a pirate radio station.

Swale

Home Farm in Perry Wood has been the most popular filming location in Swale – with two features standing out.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon face off as Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse in The Current War, a 2019 drama about the battling inventors.

The exterior of Home Farm was used to show Edison’s house.

Juliet, Naked came out in 2018 and starred Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke and Chris O’Dowd.

The American-style house was used as Hawke’s mancave, as well as his ex-wife’s house.

Elsewhere, the iconic Kingsferry Bridge which links the Isle of Sheppey to the mainland was used for the upcoming film The Beekeeper.

The thriller follows a man's brutal campaign for vengeance after his friend and neighbour falls victim of a phishing scam.

Played by Jason Statham, he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organisation known as The Beekeepers.

Thanet

Perhaps surprisingly, Thanet has entertained a large number of crews over the years – and has even managed to get a Bond film on the list.

Pierce Brosnan’s final outing as James Bond in 2002 saw crews come to Kent to film the divisive Die Another Day.

Manston’s runway doubles up as a cargo base used by the film’s villain Toby Stephens.

Elsewhere, Empire of Light came out in 2022 and features Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward and Colin Firth in 1980s Kent.

Shot almost entirely in Thanet, Dreamland doubles up as the Empire Cinema in which the main characters work.

Based on the infamous Hatton Garden Robbery, in which a crew of retired crooks pull off a major heist in London’s jewellery district, 2018’s King of Thieves features a scene at Margate Station.

It serves as the meeting point for Michael Caine and Charlie Cox following the heist.

Other honourable mentions include The Calling and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Claire Foy, and released in 2021.

Tonbridge and Malling

Casino Royale, released in 1967, starred David Niven in a spoof on the James Bond franchise, with Sean Connery playing the leading man at the time.

Mereworth Castle was used as the home of 007, which villains SMERSH blow up at the start of the film.

The original home of the Boleyn family, Hever Castle has been used to host various films linked to Henry VIII and his second wife, such as 1969’s Anne of the Thousand Days.

The castle is used for scenes in which Richard Burton’s Henry VIII pursues Anne.

And in 2008’s Inkheart, which starred Brendan Fraser and Helen Mirren, the castle lake and Italian gardens doubled as the exterior for Mirren’s Tuscan villa.

Mr Toad’s Wild Ride came out in 1996 and had an all-star cast, including Steve Coogan and multiple members of the Monty Python gang.

The Old School, now the post office in Chiddingstone, features as the Welcome Inn where Toad, played by Terry Jones, dines before stealing and crashing a motorcar.

Tunbridge Wells

Although Matthew Macfadyen couldn’t quite capture the hearts of the public like Colin Firth’s Mr Darcy 10 years prior (a tricky feat), the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice was well-received.

Groombridge Place doubled as the Bennets’ family home and was used for both the interiors and exteriors.

On the subject of Colin Firth, 2018 film The Mercy tells the true story of Donald Crowhurst, played by Firth, an amateur yachtsman who went missing during his attempt to win the 1968 Golden Globe Race.

Bewl Water features as the Teignmouth inlet where Crowhurst sails locally alone and with his family.