Where was The Tudors series filmed? Discover the Irish castles, cathedrals, gardens, and estates that brought Henry VIII’s court to life.
The Tudors series (2007-2010) throws historical accuracy out the boudoir window.
Over four seasons, a dark‑haired, athletically‑built Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Henry VIII – even though the real Henry stood 6’1” with flaming red hair and a waistline that grew faster than his ego.
The plot follows Henry’s desperate quest for a male heir, his break from the Catholic Church, and his revolving door of wives:
- Catherine of Aragon (Maria Doyle Kennedy)
- Ambitious Anne Boleyn (Natalie Dormer)
- Saintly Jane Seymour (Annabelle Wallis)
- Politically disastrous Anne of Cleves (pop star Joss Stone)
- Teenage Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant)
- Survivor Catherine Parr (Joely Richardson)
Along the way, a young Henry Cavill (as Charles Brandon) flexes his way through court intrigue.
Showrunner Michael Hirst prioritized high‑stakes melodrama over textbook facts, and Ireland – not England – provided the stone walls, muddy courtyards, and drafty prison cells.
Let’s tour every single location, from Viking cathedrals to flooded moats, with all the juicy behind‑the‑scenes trivia you crave.
Table of Contents
🏰 The Tudors Filming Locations
From a king, six wives, and one very Irish conspiracy to Irish castles, prosthetic heads, and Henry’s leg ulcer – this is where The Tudors series really filmed.
⛪ Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin
When Henry VIII needed to tell the Pope “I’m out,” producers chose the vaulted stone nave of Christ Church Cathedral. Founded around 1030 by Viking King Sitric Silkenbeard, this is Dublin’s oldest building.
Season 2’s climactic religious break – Henry proclaiming himself Supreme Head of the Church of England – was filmed right here, surrounded by real 12th‑century Norman arches.
The cathedral’s massive crypt (one of the largest in Britain and Ireland) didn’t appear on screen, but the crew used the echoing acoustics to amplify Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ royal rants.
Unlike the compressed timeline of The Tudors series (years of legislative maneuvering turned into a single dramatic speech), the location itself is genuinely ancient – you can walk the same stones where Henry’s TV tantrum played out.
What was filmed here:
- Christ Church Cathedral: Henry’s break from Rome, Supreme Head proclamation.
Trivia:
- The cathedral also appeared in Reign and Becoming Jane.
- The medieval crypt houses a mummified cat AND a rat – presumably not friends.
🏛️ Dublin Castle, Dublin
Dublin Castle’s exterior courtyard and opulent State Apartments stood in for the royal courts of Whitehall and Hampton Court. Built in 1204 by King John of England to control the Irish.
Seven centuries later, it pretended to be London’s royal courts. The colonizers’ irony is thick enough to spread on toast. The Record Tower – the sole surviving medieval tower – doubled as prison cells for fictionalized political enemies.
Production loved the castle’s blend of Norman and Georgian architecture; it required minimal set dressing to look like 16th‑century London. In 1922, it was handed over to Michael Collins, marking Irish independence.
On The Tudors series, it hosted Henry’s banquets, foreign dignitaries, and at least three marriage announcements. The underground Viking excavations (yes, you can tour them) weren’t used – but they’re a great post‑watch pilgrimage.
What was filmed here:
- Dublin Castle: Royal court exteriors, banquet halls, throne rooms.
🌿 Powerscourt Estate, Enniskerry, County Wicklow
Season 3’s Pilgrimage of Grace rebellion – where 40,000 northern English protesters marched against Henry’s religious reforms – was filmed in Powerscourt’s rolling hills.
Originally a 13th‑century castle, then a 68‑room Palladian mansion. National Geographic voted it the third most beautiful garden in the world. The Tudors series used it for mud and rebellion.
Powerscourt estate’s iconic terraces, sprawling Italianate gardens, manicured lawns, and Triton Lake (complete with winged horses) stood in for aristocratic country homes where Henry schemed between wives.
The show’s costume designer, Joan Bergin, made everything more glamorous than real Tudor fashion – Powerscourt’s beauty helped sell that illusion. Today, you can visit the on‑site café and pretend you’re a bored queen.
What was filmed here:
- Powerscourt Estate: English manor backdrops, Pilgrimage of Grace battles.
Trivia:
- Powerscourt Waterfall is Ireland’s tallest and a screen legend – hosting sword fights in Excalibur, plus Vikings, Wednesday, Cocaine Bear, and Olivier’s Henry V (1944).
🚪 Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin
Those grim, stone corridors where Thomas More and Anne Boleyn awaited execution? That’s Kilmainham Gaol. The production used the gaol’s damp, echoing hallways to film Season 2’s imprisonment scenes.
Opened in 1796, this prison executed the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising. For The Tudors series, it became the Tower of London – minus the Beefeaters. The actual cells are narrow, cold, and utterly hopeless – perfect for TV tragedy.
Natalie Dormer (Anne Boleyn) filmed her final “walk to the scaffold” scenes here, though the execution itself was shot on a soundstage with her custom prosthetic severed head.
Kilmainham’s East Wing, with its Victorian architecture, served as the Tower’s more “modern” sections. After the show, the gaol became a museum – you can stand exactly where fictional Anne took her last breath.
What was filmed here:
- Kilmainham Gaol: Tower of London prison cells, pre‑execution walks.
💧 Drimnagh Castle, County Dublin
Season 1’s intimate court intrigue – Henry’s early dalliances, Cardinal Wolsey’s scheming, and Catherine of Aragon’s quiet defiance – played out in Drimnagh Castle’s narrow stone corridors and intimate chambers.
Dating to the 1240s, this Norman castle is the only one in Ireland with a fully flooded, working moat. Drimnagh provided authentic medieval atmosphere: low ceilings, arrow loops, and that damp smell of actual history. The castle’s great hall doubled as Whitehall’s lesser-known meeting rooms.
The moat? Never used on screen (too hard to keep the actors dry), but it’s a tourist magnet today. Drimnagh is also a favorite for school trips – imagine learning about the Reformation where Henry Cavill once walked.
What was filmed here:
- Drimnagh Castle: Medieval court corridors, Season 1 political scheming.
🌸 Killruddery House, Bray, County Wicklow
Season 4’s “summer royal progresses” – Henry’s annual tours of his kingdom despite his agonizing leg ulcer – were filmed at Killruddery House’s pristine gardens. The estate’s French‑style parterres, high hedges, and long ponds stood in for various English aristocratic estates.
Home to the Earls of Meath since 1618, the house itself is Elizabethan – revival, not Tudor, but viewers never noticed – the hedges did all the heavy lifting.
Its 17th‑century formal gardens are among Ireland’s oldest – and they’ve never looked more Tudor than when Jonathan Rhys Meyers hobbled through them, leg ulcer prosthetic and all.
What was filmed here:
- Killruddery House: Royal summer progresses, season 4 estate walks.
Trivia:
- Killruddery also appears in Into the Badlands (2015-2019).
⚔️ Cahir Castle, County Tipperary
The Great Hall of Cahir Castle became the Royal Banquet Hall for several festive court sequences. Think Christmas feasts, wedding celebrations, and at least one poisoning scare.
Location scouts loved the raw stone walls, towers, and battlements of this 13th‑century island fortress on the River Suir, complete with a working portcullis (a heavy vertically closing gate). The medieval defensive features provided authentic texture that studio sets couldn’t replicate.
The show’s art director, Tom Conroy, specifically requested Cahir because its “bones” were right. After filming, the crew left no trace – but locals swear they still hear Henry shouting for another turkey leg.
What was filmed here:
- Cahir Castle: Royal banquet hall, festive court feasts.
Trivia:
- Cahir was also used in The Medallion (2003) and The Escape (2016).
🏔️ Humewood Castle, County Wicklow
Humewood Castle provided dramatic aristocratic countryside backdrops – sweeping shots of Henry’s entourage traveling between estates.
A 19th‑century Gothic‑revival mansion made of local granite, featuring defensive battlements that look medieval but aren’t, it’s the architectural equivalent of a period drama wig.
The castle’s fake‑medieval towers and turrets fit perfectly with the show’s “history as glamour” philosophy. Humewood was built centuries after Henry died, but TV magic forgives all.
Because it’s a private hire estate, the production only used exterior shots and a few ground‑floor rooms. If you want to visit, you’ll need to book an event or admire it from the Wicklow hills.
What was filmed here:
- Humewood Castle: Aristocratic countryside exteriors, royal travel shots.
🏛️ City Hall, Dublin
The marble‑heavy interiors of City Hall in Dublin stood in for the high‑end, late‑renaissance halls where foreign ambassadors and courtiers walked slowly and whispered threats.
Built 1769-1779 as the Royal Exchange, this Neo‑Classical masterpiece has giant Corinthian columns and a massive central rotunda. The Tudors series pretended it was a Renaissance hall. Close enough.
The Rotunda – with its echoing dome – was used to film several diplomatic reception scenes. In real life, this building is where Dublin’s city council meets; on screen, it’s where the French ambassador called Henry a “barbarian” (probably accurate).
The vaults beneath City Hall host a free historical exhibition about Dublin’s Viking past – perfect for history nerds after their Tudor fix.
What was filmed here:
- City Hall Dublin: Ambassador reception halls, diplomatic intrigue scenes.
🌳 Parkgate Street & Phoenix Park Gardens, Dublin
Those outdoor scenes where Henry’s court strolled, plotted, and threw shade? Filmed along Parkgate Street’s manicured flowerbeds and pathways, plus various spots in Phoenix Park.
Laid out in 1864, these Victorian ornamental gardens are one of Europe’s largest enclosed public parks. The Tudors series used them for… walking and gossiping.
The greenery stood in for English palace gardens – specifically Hampton Court’s privy garden, though the real Hampton Court had far fewer Victorian flower arrangements.
The lake you see in a Season 3 conversation between Henry and Cromwell? That’s Phoenix Park’s ornamental pond, filtered to look 16th‑century.
What was filmed here:
- Phoenix Park: Court walks, gossip scenes, outdoor plotting.
🎬 Ardmore Studios, Bray, County Wicklow
Ireland’s leading film studio since 1958. The Tudors crew built massive indoor replicas of Whitehall and Hampton Court palace chambers here.
Ardmore was the show’s primary production base. Every indoor throne room, bedroom, and council chamber that wasn’t shot on location was built on it’s soundstages.
- The Whitehall replica: A 40‑foot long table, hand‑painted tapestries, and a fireplace big enough to roast a whole cow.
- The Hampton Court chambers: Fake leaded windows and a floor that creaked on cue. Season 1’s initial sets cost over €2 million.
- Anne Boleyn’s Prosthetic Head: Natalie Dormer wore a custom fake head filled with blood bags. Took six takes – the first five “looked too fake.”
- Makeup Hell: Jonathan Rhys Meyers spent four hours daily getting his “aging Henry” prosthetics – fat suits, pale skin tones, and a realistically disgusting leg ulcer. He once passed out from heat exhaustion.
What was filmed here:
- Ardmore Studios: Whitehall/Hampton Court interiors, execution scenes, throne rooms.
📜 History vs. The Show
You’ve watched Henry behead, bed, and bore his way through four seasons. Now let’s clear up what the show got right, wrong, and wildly invented.
- The Red Hair Erasure: Real Henry: 6’1″, red hair. TV Henry: dark and brooding because “modern audiences find that sexier.” Accuracy be damned.
- Sister Swap: TV: Margaret marries Portugal’s king. Reality: She married Scotland’s king (producing Mary, Queen of Scots). The show merged two sisters into one. Messy.
- The Fastest Reformation: Season 2 turns years of parliamentary battles into a few episodes. Less exciting to watch lawyers debate, apparently.
- Joss Stone’s “Ugly” Queen: TV blames Anne of Cleves’ failure on her looks. Historians blame politics and Henry’s impotence. Stone got rave reviews anyway.
- Thomas Culpeper’s Villainy: TV made him a sadistic brute (invented a rape scene). Real guy was arrogant, executed for treason, but not a cartoon monster.
- Timeline Compression: Pilgrimage of Grace took months, not days. Catherine Howard was barely a teen (the show aged her for obvious reasons).
🏰 Real Tudor Tours in London & England
While The Tudors series cleverly used Irish castles to fake 16th‑century England, nothing replaces the real thing. If this series has ignited your passion for Henry VIII’s world, you’ll want to book Tudor tours in London, England.
Walk the corridors of Hampton Court Palace, stand beneath the rafters of Westminster Hall, and trace Anne Boleyn’s final steps at the Tower of London. From London Tudor tours that dive into the royal soap opera to broader Tudor tours in England, these experiences deliver the history the show only hinted at.
Book Tudor tours:
- Royal London: Tudors & Stuarts Walking Tour
- Royal London: From Saxons to Tudors & Stuarts Walking Tour
- London: Windsor Castle & Henry VIII’s Hampton Court Palace
- London: Family-Friendly Black Tudors Thames Walking Tour
- Stratford-upon-Avon: Tudor World Museum Entrance Ticket
- Stratford-upon-Avon: Lantern-Lit Ghost Tour at Tudor World
❓ The Tudors Series FAQ
We dug through the mud, the prosthetic heads, and the leg‑ulcer corn syrup so you don’t have to.
Who were the Tudors?
The English royal dynasty that ruled 1485-1603, founded by Henry VII. Henry VIII was the second monarch – the one with the wives.
Who are The Tudors characters based on?
Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr, Thomas Cromwell, Charles Brandon (Henry Cavill), Cardinal Wolsey.
Where was The Tudors filmed?
Primarily Ireland – Dublin, County Wicklow, and Tipperary. No English castles were harmed.
Who’s in The Tudors cast?
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers as King Henry VIII
- Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn
- Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon
- Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon
- Annabelle Wallis as Jane Seymour
- Joss Stone as Anne of Cleves
- Tamzin Merchant as Catherine Howard
- Joely Richardson as Catherine Parr
- James Frain as Thomas Cromwell
- Jeremy Northam as Sir Thomas More
What is The Tudors Season 1 about?
Henry’s obsession with Anne Boleyn, his divorce from Catherine of Aragon, and Cardinal Wolsey’s downfall.
What is The Tudors Season 4 about?
Henry’s marriages to Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr, plus his physical decline (leg ulcer, obesity, mood swings).
Who is Henry Cavill in The Tudors?
He plays Charles Brandon, Henry’s best friend and professional himbo. Yes, he’s shirtless often. No, he doesn’t keep his clothes on.
📺 Where to Watch The Tudors
Henry’s dead, Anne lost her head. Where can I watch The Tudors? Here’s where to binge the chaos.
- Amazon Prime: All four seasons included with Prime subscription.
- DVD/Blu‑ray: Complete box sets with featurettes, bloopers, deleted scenes.
- Other platforms: Hulu, Paramount+, Apple TV.
The Tudors series may play fast and loose with history, but its Irish locations are 100% real.
From Viking cathedrals to flooded moats, every stone you see on screen is standing there today – waiting for you to visit and say, “Hey, that’s where Anne Boleyn lost her head (the prosthetic one).”
Now go binge.
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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