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When adapting Maggie O’Farrell’s hit historical novel Hamnet When making a movie, the obvious choice is to use real-life locations william shakespeareThe family lived in Stratford-upon-Avon.
However, fans of the revered playwright will know that the West Midlands market town has become a hotspot thanks to the influx of tourists keen to visit heritage sites associated with the Bard.
Hoping to capture the essence of Elizabethan England without the crowds, location scouts began looking for other well-preserved locations tudor dynasty towns in the country.
Enter Weobley, Stratford’s slightly quieter twin located 60 miles away in Herefordshire. The town is famous for its Tudor-style timber buildings, winning over the production team to make it the Becomes the backdrop for the story in the 16th century.
“It was a serendipitous sliding door moment; [location scout] There needs to be all the Shakespeare stuff, but there’s no way they can go to Stratford because it’s so modern and there’s so much going on,” Joe Hilditch, chair of Visit Herefordshire, told us independent.
“And in this sleepy little village of Wembley we can transform it into something historic.”
“There’s not as much traffic, there’s not as many people, but you still have these amazing landscapes that you don’t necessarily see in other parts of the country.”
Production Filming on Webley begins in the summer of 2024, with the crew cleverly transforming Broad Street, Bell Square and Church Road by laying straw and dirt, and covering them with modern features, before Jesse Buckley (playing Agnes Hathaway) and Paul Mescal (Shakespeare) arrived on set.
Ms Hilditch said she had heard of tourists visiting Weobley, one of the county’s many “black and white” villages so named for its half-timbered houses, to piece together real-life scenes with filmed scenes. Hamnet.
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The exterior of Shakespeare’s house in the movie is a special cafe called the “Wobbly Badger”.
“When I opened the Wobbly Badger Café just before Christmas, I never thought we would get so much attention so quickly,” explains owner Hannah Richards.
“The door next to us became a major location in the film, just like Agnes’s front door. It was exciting to see key scenes filmed here. It brought a buzz to the village and made such a difference, especially in the winter.”
Outside Wembley, the production team chose a National Trust property to depict Anne Hathaway’s family farmhouse, Hughlands Farm. (Anne is also known as Agnes in historical documents, which was the name O’Farrell chose for this story).
While the actual farmhouse, now known as Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, can still be visited in Stratford today, the filmmakers chose this Cwmmau farmhouse as a replacement.
This Grade II listed building near the Welsh border was built between 1600 and 1632 AD and restored in the 20th century.
Inside, visitors can find a well-kept kitchen, complete with bread oven and stove, while massive oak beams, stone, oak and elm floors and leaded windows form the other key features of the 400-year-old house.
Accommodation can be booked at National Trust website It starts in March 2026, but demand for bookings is likely to be high, with Ms Hilditch saying people had already taken a peek along the country lane where it is set following the film’s release.
this Hamnet hollywood effect
Herefordshire hope to capitalize on the “Hamnet effect”, particularly as the production has already been embraced by critics and is winning awards.
While Herefordshire has all the key features of a popular British holiday destination – rural charm, historic villages and rolling hills – the county is often overlooked because of its better-known neighbours: Cotswolds.
Cotswolds explain It receives around 25 million visitors a year and Herefordshire Report Six million visitors.
But his quiet personality should not be underestimated.
Reporting from the Cotswolds Residents and visitors alike report overcrowding In quaint villages whose storybook charm has been shattered, views of honey-colored houses and babbling brooks are often blocked by crowds arriving in carts.
Ms Hilditch said relatively uncrowded Herefordshire was hoping to Hamnet. “I really think we can look forward to a future where people really want to immerse themselves in the Shakespearean atmosphere that Herefordshire has to offer, from the timber-framed buildings to the pastoral scenery,” she said.
Scenes from the film capture characters galloping through fields, playing in meadows, and strolling through woodlands. “It resonates a lot with Herefordshire, where there’s a lot of meadows and pastures,” Ms Hilditch explained.
“It’s not just Wembley but the feeling of the whole county that will resonate with audiences.”
To celebrate the release of the film, the Tourism Bureau has been working hard to provide events that resonate with movie fans Hamnetcharacters.
Visitors can follow in Agnes’ footsteps and take part in the popular Tudor sport of falconry: Wye Valley Falconor attend a plant medicine course with a Herefordshire herbalist Rom MacOnigal Learn about homeopathic remedies, such as the one Agnes creates in the story.
Only time will tell whether this story of love and heartbreak will have a permanent impact on visitors to this idyllic part of England.
What else is worth visiting in Herefordshire?
Herefordshire calls itself a ‘hidden gem’, but there’s plenty more to explore Hamnet Place.
Ms Hilditch recommended visitors embark on the Black and White Village Walk, which winds around the timber-framed towns of Pembridge, Eldisland and Leominster, for a Tudor-style tour of Herefordshire.
one Hamnet– Inspiration Walk Also created, starting at Wembley and winding through green fields, country lakes and flowing streams. The trail takes walkers through some of the best Tudor villages in the area, ending in Pembridge.
Other trails include the popular Wye Valley Walk, which follows 136 miles of rivers and hills from source to sea. The route starts in Hay on Wye, a small town on the border between Wales and England, famous for its Hay Festival, which attracts writers, book lovers and many big names in the arts.
Known as the “Town of Books” for its abundance of second-hand bookstores, it has become a meeting point for bibliophiles looking for new books.
Isn’t it after turning the page? The county is famous for its cider production, with its vast orchards covering the countryside. Here you’ll find Weston’s Cider Mill in Ledbury to sample the latest flavors, or you can head to a number of smaller producers such as Artistraw and Gwatkin.
Read more: Where was Hamnet filmed? The real-life locations behind Shakespeare’s stories