Netflix’s ‘The Irregulars’ is a Sherlock Holmes spinoff that follows the adventures of the eponymous group of teenagers who help doctor Watson solve supernatural crimes that threaten London. Interestingly, Sherlock Holmes, in this world, is a drug-addled character who only takes credit for their accomplishments. Created by Oscar-nominated writer Tim Bidwell, it is apparently one of his oldest and most cherished ideas that he has wanted to bring to the screen.
Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the show is a fast-paced crime thriller set in a gorgeously grimy vintage London that evokes memories of Netflix gems like ‘Peaky Blinders.’ In case you’re wondering about where ‘The Irregulars’ is filmed, we have got you covered.
The Irregulars Filming Locations
Filming for the first season of ‘The Irregulars’ began in early December 2019 and continued till January 2020, at which time production had to be briefly paused due to a cast member’s injury. Filming was once again halted between March and August due to the Covid 19 pandemic and resumed in August for another month to finish off shooting the scenes that had to be put on hold. The show is shot largely in Cheshire County and the cities of Manchester and Liverpool in England, with the prison scenes being shot in Wales. Let’s take a closer look at these filming locations, shall we?
Liverpool, England
Season 1 of the ‘The Irregulars’ was filmed in multiple locations across the city of Liverpool in Merseyside county, England, between September 2019 and February 2020. These included the Palm House, an iconic Victorian glasshouse in Sefton Park, as well as St George’s Hall and St. George’s Plateau, which is part of Liverpool’s historic city center. Falkner Street in the Georgian quarter of the city in Edge Hill was also used as one of the filming locations for the show. A few scenes were shot on Hope Street and Castle Street.
In mid-January, filming on Ormond Street had to be postponed following an accident on set, which resulted in one of the lead actresses getting injuries on her face due to a fall on the cobbles. The locations filmed in Liverpool are used to depict London of the 19th century (which is when the show is set), possibly because it has a lot of the same architecture that pre-World War London would have had. Some scenes of ‘The Irregulars’ are also filmed at Stanley Dock, which has previously featured in ‘Peaky Blinders,’ ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ and even in Robert Downey Jr.’s ‘Sherlock Holmes.’
Filming for the new Netflix Sherlock Holmes show "The Irregulars" in Liverpool yesterday. pic.twitter.com/LB09q4rzEu
— Sarah Schiffling (@MissLogOps) September 10, 2019
Cheshire County, England
Multiple locations across Cheshire County are used for filming on location. Night scenes in the grounds of the historic Dorfold Hall in the town of Nantwich were some of the first scenes to be shot in early December 2019. This was followed by filming in the historic city of Chester, near the Chester Cathedral and in one of the city’s suburbs – Hoole.
The city of Chester is a walled cathedral city in Cheshire that dates back to the Roman era in 79 AD. A few scenes of the first season were also shot at Abbey Square. After a five-month delay caused by the Covid 19 outbreak, filming resumed in the town of Ellesmere Port, where the outdoor grounds of the Waterways Museum served as one of the shooting sites.
Other Locations in England
The historic Wentworth Woodhouse, located at Wentworth, Rotherham S62 7TQ near the town of Rotherham, is used for shooting and was even partially restored by the show’s filming crew. The servant quarters and the grounds, as well as the Green Dining room, which is infamous for having traces of arsenic in the wallpaper, are all used for filming.
The area outside the slaughterhouse in the grounds of Wentworth House, which had been unceremoniously tarred over the years, was excavated to reveal the original cobblestones of the house, which also feature on the show. The Grade I listed country house has been previously used in the production of the film adaptation of ‘Downton Abbey’ and the BBC period drama ‘Gentleman Jack.’
The Gladstone Pottery Museum in the town of Longton, as well as the historic Castlefield area near the center of Manchester city, are used to film exterior and street scenes of the period mystery thriller.
Ruthin, Wales
A portion of the filming also took place in North Wales in March 2020 at the Ruthin Gaol Museum, which is a former “Pentonville” style prison. This style of prison was popular in the UK starting from the early 19th century and consisted of a bicycle wheel-shaped building structure with a central area connecting multiple separate wings which radiated outwards. Ruthin Gaol ceased to be a prison in 1916, but the production team made it look like its former self by making some changes and filling it with “inmates” for the shoot.
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