Where was Call the Midwife filmed? Explore the real locations behind Poplar, from Chatham’s cobbled streets to Nonnatus House and its studio sets.
Poplar may be in London, but Call the Midwife takes a scenic detour across southern England. The BBC drama follows midwives, nurses, nuns and doctors caring for families in postwar East London, based on Jennifer Worth’s memoirs and created by Heidi Thomas.
Jenny Agutter, Helen George, Linda Bassett, Laura Main, and Stephen McGann lead the ensemble, with Vanessa Redgrave narrating as the older Jennifer Worth. Behind the scenes, Chatham’s Historic Dockyard becomes Poplar’s streets, Longcross Studios houses Nonnatus House, and other historic sites fill in the gaps.
And yes, many of those tiny newborns are real. The production uses genuine babies for birth scenes, with silicone “jelly babies” filling in during rehearsals. So the show’s secret ingredient is part period drama, part location wizardry and, apparently, a truly impressive supply of nappies.
Table of Contents
🍼 Call the Midwife Filming Locations
Here’s where the real Poplar hides, from cobbled Kent streets to the studio home of Nonnatus House.
⚓ The Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent
The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent is where Call the Midwife gets much of its cobbles, character and postwar East End atmosphere.
The historic buildings, waterfront and industrial streets are dressed as fictional Poplar, with the Ropery Buildings and Thunderbolt Pier appearing throughout the series.
The Fitted Rigging House becomes the Lisbon Buildings and a homeless shelter, the Admiral’s Offices double as Poplar Maternity Home and the London Hospital, while the Tarred Yarn Store has played a boxing ring, Chinese laundry and derelict building.
Anchor’s Wharf and the Dockyard Railway become Poplar Docks, while HMS Cavalier doubles as several fictional vessels. And the Dockyard has range beyond midwifery – in Spider Man: Brand New Day, it doubles as the Punisher’s hideout.
One day it’s postwar Poplar, the next it’s superhero territory.
Book a tour:
- Call the Midwife Location Tour in Chatham
- Chatham Historic Dockyard: Call the Midwife Tour
- Chatham: The Historic Dockyard Chatham Annual Ticket
What was filmed here:
- Historic Dockyard Chatham streets: Poplar’s cobbled streets.
- Grosvenor Hotel: Poplar’s recurring hotel exterior.
- Chummy’s Hill: Chummy’s bicycle riding scenes.
- Ropery Buildings: Poplar’s streets and cycling scenes.
- Thunderbolt Pier: Poplar’s Thames waterfront.
- Fitted Rigging House: Lisbon Buildings and homeless shelter.
- Admiral’s Offices: Poplar Maternity Home and London Hospital.
- Tarred Yarn Store: Boxing ring and Chinese laundry.
- Commissioner’s House gardens: Engagement scene.
- Anchor’s Wharf: Poplar Docks scenes.
- Dockyard Railway: Poplar Docks railway sequences.
- HMS Cavalier: Several fictional vessels.
🏫 St Joseph’s Missionary College, Mill Hill
St Joseph’s Missionary College in Mill Hill, North London (now permanently closed), served as the exterior of the fictional Nonnatus House during the first two series. Its institutional architecture gave the fictional convent an authentic appearance without requiring an enormous purpose built set.
When the property was redeveloped, production needed a new solution. The story conveniently helped solve the problem when Nonnatus House was destroyed after an unexploded wartime bomb was discovered.
Production subsequently moved to Longcross Studios, where a permanent version could be built and maintained. So technically, Nonnatus House has had a property history almost as dramatic as its residents.
What was filmed here:
- St Joseph’s Missionary College:Nonnatus House’s early exterior.
- Convent grounds: Nonnatus arrivals and departures.
- Main entrance: Nurses entering and leaving Nonnatus House.
- Exterior walkways: Early Nonnatus House sequences.
🏠 Chiltern Open Air Museum, Buckinghamshire
Chiltern Open Air Museum in Buckinghamshire has provided additional period settings for Call the Midwife, including its reconstructed 1940s prefab house. It’s collection of relocated and reconstructed historic buildings gives productions something incredibly valuable – architecture that already looks old.
It saved the production from having to make every brick, window, and roof look convincingly vintage – because nothing says postwar Britain quite like a prefab, and apparently nothing says television magic quite like filming one in a museum.
What was filmed here:
- Chiltern Open Air Museum 1940s prefab house: Postwar domestic scenes.
- Chiltern Open Air Museum grounds: Exterior scenes.
- Historic buildings: Additional period settings.
🏙️ London Filming Locations
Poplar may be fictional television territory, but some of its streets are genuinely London. The production has used several real London streets when it needed an authentic period streetscape.
Theed Street, Roupell Street, and Whittlesey Street in Waterloo have all appeared in the series. Theed Street was particularly useful for exterior shots of terraced houses.
The opening titles also feature genuine London locations, including Saville Row in Silvertown and a ship filmed at King George V Dock. These locations provide a useful contrast to Chatham. rather than transforming a historic dockyard into London, the production occasionally films in the city itself.
Book a tour:
What was filmed here:
- Theed Street, London: Terraced Poplar house exteriors.
- Roupell Street, London: Period East End street scenes.
- Whittlesey Street, London: Poplar exterior scenes.
- Saville Road, London: Opening title road footage.
- King George V Dock, London: Opening title ship.
🎄 Christmas Special Filming Locations
The Christmas specials occasionally send the Call the Midwife crew beyond its usual Poplar playground. The 2018 Christmas Special used West Wittering Beach in West Sussex for a special group outing where the characters took a trip to the coast.
The 2019 Christmas Special took the Call the Midwife cast to Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, using its dramatic coastal scenery and historic landmarks to create the special’s remote island setting.
Filming included St Clement’s Church in Rodel, Eilean Glas Lighthouse on Scalpay, and the atmospheric Calanais Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis.
Book a tour:
What was filmed here:
- West Wittering Beach, West Sussex: Group outing to the coast.
- St Clement’s Church, Rodel: Christmas special church scenes.
- Eilean Glas Lighthouse, Scalpay: Val and Lucille’s lighthouse visit.
- Calanais Standing Stones: Outdoor Christmas special scenes.
🌴 South Africa Filming Locations
The Season 6 storyline set in 1962 was filmed on location in South Africa, giving the production a completely different backdrop from its usual Kent, Surrey, and London settings.
The special followed the nuns and midwives as they travelled abroad, allowing the production to recreate the landscape and atmosphere of apartheid-era South Africa rather than trying to make its usual English locations do yet another geographic impersonation.
Book a tour:
What was filmed here:
- Cape Town: Main South African location filming.
- Western Cape: Period exterior sequences.
🎥 Longcross Studios, Surrey
Longcross Studios in Surrey is where Nonnatus House gets its permanent postcode. It became the production’s main studio home after the move away from St Joseph’s Missionary College.
The permanent exterior environment for Nonnatus House and surrounding Poplar streets, including Hendy Street, Fred Buckle’s allotments, and interior sets are filmed here. The studio may not look like East London from the outside, but television has never been particularly bothered by geography.
What was filmed here:
- Manor House: Nonnatus House exterior.
- Nonnatus interiors: Convent rooms and corridors.
- Poplar street set: Permanent neighbourhood exteriors.
- Hendy Street: Recurring residential scenes.
- Fred’s allotments: Recurring outdoor sequences.
- Local shops: Period storefront scenes.
❓ Call the Midwife FAQs
Here are the answers to the questions viewers ask after spotting that suspiciously familiar cobblestone.
Is Call the Midwife based on a true story?
Yes. Call the Midwife is based on Jennifer Worth’s memoirs about her work as a nurse and midwife in London’s East End, although the TV drama fictionalizes some characters, events and storylines.
Where was Call the Midwife set?
Call the Midwife is primarily set in Poplar, East London, although the fictional streets and Nonnatus House are recreated across several locations in southern England.
Who are the Call the Midwife sisters in arms?
The original real life inspiration came from the Sisters of St John the Divine, who worked among families in London’s East End. Nonnatus House itself is fictional.
Where was Call the Midwife filmed?
Call the Midwife was filmed mainly at The Historic Dockyard Chatham in Kent and Longcross Studios in Surrey, with additional filming at historic locations including St Joseph’s Missionary College and Chiltern Open Air Museum.
Where was Call the Midwife filmed in 2025?
The 2025 production continued filming around Chatham and Longcross Studios for its familiar Poplar settings, while the 2025 Christmas special ventured to Hong Kong for its overseas storyline.
Was Call the Midwife filmed in South Africa?
Yes, the series ventured to South Africa for a Season 6 storyline set in 1962, giving the drama a change of scenery before returning to its familiar English locations.
Was Call the Midwife filmed in Scotland?
Yes. The 2019 Christmas Special was filmed in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, including St Clement’s Church in Rodel, Eilean Glas Lighthouse on Scalpay, and the Calanais Standing Stones on the Isle of Lewis.
Where was Call the Midwife filmed in 2020?
Production of Call the Midwife was affected by pandemic restrictions in 2020, with filming adapted to accommodate social distancing and additional safety measures.
How does Call the Midwife film births?
The production of Call the Midwife uses real newborns for many birth scenes, while highly realistic silicone babies are used for rehearsals and situations where filming a real infant would not be practical.
Are the babies in Call the Midwife real?
Yes. Many of the newborns seen in birth scenes are real babies, although prosthetics and visual effects are also used when necessary.
How long can babies work on Call the Midwife?
Newborns can film for about 15 minutes at a time, with regular breaks, while birth scenes can take several hours to complete.
Who is Chummy in Call the Midwife?
Chummy, played by Miranda Hart, was one of the show’s early fan favourites and became particularly memorable for her famously disastrous attempts to master bicycle riding.
Who is Trixie in Call the Midwife?
Trixie Aylward, played by Helen George, is one of the show’s longest serving characters and has grown from a young midwife into a senior member of the Nonnatus community.
Who’s in the cast of Call the Midwife?
- Jenny Agutter: Sister Julienne
- Helen George: Trixie Aylward
- Linda Bassett: Phyllis Crane
- Judy Parfitt: Sister Monica Joan
- Laura Main: Shelagh Turner
- Stephen McGann: Dr Patrick Turner
- Cliff Parisi: Fred Buckle
- Annabelle Apsion: Violet Buckle
- Zephryn Taitte: Cyril Robinson
- Georgie Glen: Miss Higgins
- Rebecca Gethings: Sister Veronica
- Daniel Laurie: Reggie Jackson
- Renee Bailey: Joyce Highland
- Natalie Quarry: Rosalind Clifford
- Molly Vevers: Sister Catherine
- Vanessa Redgrave: Jennifer Worth, narrator
How many seasons of Call the Midwife are there?
There are 15 completed seasons as of 2026, with Season 15 set in 1971.
What is Call the Midwife Season 15 about?
Season 15 moves into 1971, bringing the Women’s Liberation Movement, changing medical practices and major personal challenges into Poplar.
What happens in Call the Midwife Season 15 Episode 1?
In Season 15 Episode 1, Sister Catherine takes on her first solo patient, while several of the nurses become involved with a women’s liberation meeting.
Is Call the Midwife ending, and is Season 15 the last season?
Season 15 marks the end of Nonnatus House as a maternity home, but Call the Midwife itself is not ending, with the Sisters in Arms prequel continuing the franchise.
What is Call the Midwife: Sisters in Arms?
Sisters in Arms is a three part prequel set in Poplar in 1939, following younger versions of familiar characters as the Second World War begins.
Where is Sisters in Arms filming?
The Sisters in Arms prequel is being filmed at Longcross Studios in Surrey, returning to the established studio environment used for Call the Midwife.
What are some other films like Call the Midwife?
- Philomena (2013): Warm historical drama about compassion.
- Brooklyn (2015): Romantic historical story of migration.
- All Creatures Great and Small (2020): Heartwarming veterinary drama.
- Land Girls (2009): Wartime women forging friendships on farms.
- The Crimson Field (2014): Nurses facing wartime medical and personal crises.
📺 Where to Watch Call the Midwife
Here’s where to find this much loved British period drama.
Whether you’re here for Trixie’s wardrobe, Chummy’s bicycle disasters, emotional births or the mystery of why Kent keeps pretending to be Poplar, Call the Midwife has turned its filming locations into characters of their own.
Disclaimer: This fan-created article is provided for entertainment purposes only. We don’t guarantee the accuracy of any of these facts and don’t recommend making important life decisions based on them. All referenced titles, names, and related intellectual property are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.
- Where Was Call the Midwife Filmed? Poplar Unpacked - August 17, 2026
- Where Was Spider-Man Filmed? Across the Spiderverse - August 16, 2026
- Where Was The Hunger Games Filmed? All Movie Locations - August 15, 2026
Discover more from Ahoy Matey Blog
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.