Where was Reign filmed? Discover the real castles and studios behind Mary Stuart’s epic 16th-century French court drama series.
Before The Crown made royal drama cool, the Reign series (2013–2017) served up plaid-clad heartthrobs, pop-soundtracked ballrooms, and Catherine de’ Medici giving side-eye that could melt Versailles.
The CW’s four-season historical fantasy follows Adelaide Kane as Mary, Queen of Scots, a teenage monarch navigating engagement to Toby Regbo’s Prince Francis, while Megan Follows‘ gloriously manipulative Catherine de’ Medici schemes from every shadow.
Think Gossip Girl meets The Tudors with a dash of pagan witchcraft. But here’s the kicker: you won’t find France anywhere on this location list.
The Reign series was filmed in Ireland (just the pilot) and Toronto, Canada (Seasons 1-4), where generous Canadian tax credits made long-term studio production affordable.
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👸🏽 Reign Filming Locations
Let’s pull back the velvet curtain – because the French court wasn’t French at all, and Mary’s castles were actually Irish and Canadian.
🍀 Where Was Reign Filmed in Ireland?
Before the tax credits lured everyone to Canada, the pilot episode set sail for Ireland‘s most enchanting castles and cathedrals.
🏰 Ashford Castle, County Mayo, Ireland
Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland, is a 13th-century fortress turned five-star hotel where swans glide past Gothic towers and the average room costs more than Mary Stuart‘s entire dowry.
The pure Irish grandeur of this majestic beauty sold network executives on Reign’s pilot. Its sweeping lakeside exteriors became the French court’s imposing facade. The crew arrived in 2012, probably pinching themselves that this UNESCO-worthy estate was actually available for filming.
Ashford Castle has welcomed royals (for real), celebrities (Brad Pitt), and now, fictional Scottish queens running from assassination attempts. Today, you can sleep in the same castle where Mary “lived,” minus the poison-tasting protocols.
What was filmed here:
- French court exterior shots: Majestic lakeside castle establishing views.
- Royal arrival sequences: Mary’s first approach to “France”.
- Garden promenades: Nobles strolling between plotted betrayals.
⚰️ Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Ireland
If Ashford Castle was the pretty face, Charleville Castle was the haunted soul. This Gothic Revival masterpiece in County Offaly features octagonal turrets, oak staircases worn smooth by centuries.
It also has a reputation for being spooky – resident spirits include a little girl named Harriet. The crew loved the atmospheric gloom – no need for filters when reality already looks like a Gothic novel.
Reign used its cavernous, dimly lit interiors for the French court’s creepiest corridors, clandestine meetings, and the kind of torch-lit hallways where Bash would dramatically appear from shadows.
Charleville Castle hosted the entire cast’s promotional photoshoot, meaning every poster of Adelaide Kane in a corset glaring at you from 2014 Tumblr dashboards was shot inside walls rumored to host pagan rituals.
What was filmed here:
- Dark castle corridors: Shadowy passages for secret plotting.
- Official cast photoshoots: Those iconic moody promotional images.
- Bedchamber interior scenes: Where romantic tension simmered pre-dawn.
⛪ Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, Ireland
Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin‘s oldest medieval building (founded 1030!) briefly moonlighted as the French royal chapel, because apparently cathedrals are interchangeable when you’re on a pilot budget.
For Reign‘s pilot, its echoing stone interiors became the backdrop for court assemblies, wedding negotiations, and at least one scene where Mary prayed desperately while Catherine plotted three rooms away.
The cathedral’s production credits are extensive – The Tudors filmed here too – proving that if you need pre-Reformation religious grandeur, Dublin delivers. It features stunning Norman arches, a crypt that’s now a museum, and the famous “Lords and Ladies” carved stonework.
You can still visit the “Strongbow” tomb and the mummified cat-and-rat display (yes, really) while pretending you’re escaping French assassins.
What was filmed here:
- Royal chapel assemblies: Prayers and political maneuvering combined.
- Wedding negotiation scenes: Where alliances were literally forged.
🍁 Where Was Reign Filmed in Toronto?
Enticed by generous tax subsidies, the producers moved Reign‘s production to Canada after the pilot’s Irish romance, allowing the crew to film 22-episode seasons without begging Irish weather for mercy.
🌹 Parkwood Estate, Oshawa, Ontario
You want French royal gardens? Canada says “hold my maple syrup.” Parkwood Estate is a 55-room Beaux-Arts mansion built by automotive magnate R.S. McLaughlin (founder of General Motors Canada).
Its manicured lawns, European-style fountains, and rose gardens doubled perfectly for the French court’s outdoor social scene. Every archery competition, romantic stroll, picnic with hidden daggers, and “let’s walk and talk about treason” moment was filmed here.
The estate’s greenhouse, bowling green, and iconic terrace with scrolling stone balustrades appeared so frequently that fans probably recognize it better than the actual Versailles.
Parkwood Estate is a designated National Historic Site, open for tours, and proudly displays its Reign credentials. Just don’t ask the gardeners about that time the cast fake-fought in the hedgerows.
What was filmed here:
- Archery competition scenes: Romance amid drawn bowstrings.
- Royal garden parties: Poisoned wine optional but probable.
- Romantic courtyard walks: Francis and Mary’s happiest moments.
🌲 Rockwood Conservation Area, Guelph/Eramosa, Ontario
Rugged limestone cliffs, caves formed by ancient glacial meltwater, and forest trails that look suspiciously like the Scottish Highlands? The Rockwood Conservation Area delivered everything Reign needed for outdoor drama.
This nature preserve became the French wilderness (Seasons 1 & 2), and later Mary‘s native Scotland (Season 3 & 4), hosting battle camps, ambushes, and secret meetings where prophecies were delivered.
The area’s famous “caves” (potholes carved by waterfalls) added Gothic flair. The Rockwood Conservation Area is just an hour from Toronto, making it perfect for day shoots where the crew could escape studio lights.
Today, you can hike the same trails where Mary fled English agents, though the only danger now is stepping in goose droppings.
What was filmed here:
- Battle camp sequences: Soldiers brooding before conflict.
- Secret forest meetings: Where pagan prophecies unfolded.
- Scottish wilderness doubles: Post-return-to-Scotland scenes.
🏰 Casa Loma, Toronto, Ontario
Casa Loma, Toronto‘s legendary Gothic Revival castle, was built by financier Sir Henry Pellatt in 1914, and is a tourist magnet with turrets, stables, and secret passages.
Reign occasionally borrowed its vaulted stone spaces and dungeon-like lower levels to film prison cells, castle foundations, and the kind of dank corridors where Catherine would imprison someone who annoyed her.
Casa Loma‘s 800-foot tunnel system, connecting to the stables, proved perfect for escape sequences. It’s basement once held a nightclub. Sadly, no cast party footage survives.
The castle has an impressive filmography – X-Men, Chicago, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Reign used its less-photographed corners.
What was filmed here:
- Dungeon cell scenes: Where enemies faced Catherine’s wrath.
- Castle corridor doubles: Stone passageways for dramatic exits.
🎬 Cinespace Film Studios, Toronto, Canada
Here’s the real star of Reign – Cinespace Film Studios – a massive studio complex in Toronto‘s Kipling Avenue that housed 90% of what you actually watched.
The studio became a second home for the cast, who reportedly played intense ping-pong tournaments between takes. They built permanent, stone-walled interior sets that would make a Renaissance architect nod approvingly.
We’re talking the throne room (60 feet of scheming space), Mary’s bedchamber (so much brocade), Catherine’s private chambers (where the real magic happened), and endless torch-lit hallways.
Today, Cinespace Film Studios remains a television powerhouse – The Boys, Star Trek: Discovery, and Handmaid’s Tale all filmed here. But for Reign fans, it’s the hallowed ground where Francis sighed his last breath and Catherine cackled triumphantly.
What was filmed here:
- French throne room: Where power games played out daily.
- Royal bedchambers: Romantic encounters and whispered conspiracies.
- Castle halls/dungeons: Everything between romance and torture.
📜 Reign Series FAQs
Everything you’ve secretly wondered about the show that made history its plaything.
Is the Reign series historically accurate?
Absolutely not, and proudly so. Mary and Elizabeth never met in person (the show invents dramatic face-offs). Bash is completely fictional – added for love triangle tension.
Nostradamus wasn’t a court mystic with visions. But the broad strokes? Mary married Francis, he died young (ear infection, not poison), Catherine de’ Medici was genuinely obsessed with the occult. Think of Reign as a historical fever dream in corsets.
Why did Reign move from Ireland to Canada?
Money. Ontario‘s tax subsidies and film incentives made Toronto dramatically cheaper for a 22-episode series. Plus, indoor studios meant no Irish weather delays.
Where were Reign’s forest scenes filmed?
Rockwood Conservation Area, Ontario – limestone cliffs and caves doubling as French and Scottish wilderness.
What castle was used in the Reign series?
The Reign series was filmed in four main castles:
- Ashford Castle (exterior French court)
- Charleville Castle (interior Gothic halls)
- Casa Loma (dungeon scenes)
- Parkwood Estate (gardens)
Why are the Reign costumes so modern?
Deliberate choice by costume designers! They rejected 16th-century accuracy for Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, and Free People dresses. The goal: appeal to Gossip Girl fans, not history professors. Those prom-ready gowns and leather corsets are pure fantasy.
Why does Reign use pop music?
Modern aesthetic. The soundtrack features covers by The Lumineers, Vitamin String Quartet, and Lorde. Historical drama with indie vibes – it worked.
Is there a Reign series book?
Yes! The Lily Blake book series – young adult historical fantasy following Mary’s French court dramas.
- Reign: The Prophecy (2014)
- Reign: Hysteria (2015)
- Darkness Rises (prequel e-short).
Who plays Catherine de’ Medici?
Megan Follows, Canadian acting royalty – she was the definitive Anne of Green Gables in the 1985 miniseries. Her Catherine is universally praised as the show’s best performance.
Did any Reign cast members date in real life?
Yes! Adelaide Kane (Mary) and Sean Teale (Louis Condé, season 2) dated during production.
📺 Where to Watch Reign
Ready to watch Catherine de’ Medici ruin everyone’s day? Here’s where to find Mary Stuart‘s epic saga.
- Amazon Prime Video: Available with Prime shipping benefits.
- DVD / Blu-ray: Complete series box sets.
- Other platforms: CW, Netflix, Apple TV.
Long live the queen – and the glorious, greenback-saving magic of Ontario film subsidies. Because nothing says 16th-century France like a tax form and a maple leaf. 👑
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, and no copyright infringement is intended.
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