Black Doves was filmed in Covent Garden, Queen’s Walk, Denmark Street, Victoria Embankment Gardens, Leadenhall Market, the Spanish Steps, Golden Jubilee Bridges, Somerset House, the Millennium Bridge, Crystal Palace and more London and international locations.
Created and written by Giri/Haji’s Joe Barton, Black Doves is a spy thriller starring Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire, Andrew Koji, Andrew Buchan, Adeel Akhtar and Tracey Ullman.
It follows Helen (Keira Knightley), a spy whose affair has opened her up to new dangers – and Sam (Ben Whishaw), the assassin who’s sent to guard her as she tries to find out what happened. And most of the action takes place on London’s streets.
Black Doves Filming Locations
There are countless Black Doves filming locations to spot in the Netflix series, including London’s Strand, Hungerford Bridge, Somerset House, Vauxhall Bridge, Leadenhall Market, Spitalfields Market, Queen’s Walk, Paternoster Lane and Denmark Street, and Rome’s Spanish Steps.
Here’s where you can find the Black Doves locations…
Black Doves Locations List
The Strand
One of the first of Black Doves’ London filming locations is the Strand. Look out for the Coal Hole pub at 91-92 Strand in the opening scenes of Episode 1, as the assassination is reported and the situation suddenly changes for the spies.
Hungerford Bridge
Hungerford Bridge, London by Alan Hunt, CC BY-SA 2.0
Jason (Andrew Koji) makes an urgent phone call from the Hungerford Bridge, one of the Golden Jubilee Bridges. It leads from London’s Southbank to the Victoria Embankment Gardens area to the north of the Thames.
Victoria Embankment Gardens
The London assassination scene in Black Doves takes place near Victoria Embankment Gardens, situated between the River Thames and Charing Cross.
As well as being a welcome green space between the bustling streets of Westminster and the River Thames, it’s full of a weird and wonderful collection of statues, memorialising the likes of Robert Burns and Henry Fawcett, which stand alongside the York Water Bank – once the Duke of Buckingham’s waterside doorstep.
Spanish Steps
Spanish Steps. Perituss, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Look out for the Spanish Steps in Rome as Ben Whishaw’s character, Sam, answers the phone. Black Doves’ Rome filming location is found on the east side of the Piazza di Spagna, in the Campo Marzio district at heart of the historic city.
The city is known for its hills, with these 135 steps leading up to the church beyond. You can make it out in a few shots from the scene – it’s the Trinita dei Monti, a Renaissance church built in 1585.
Helen’s House
The filming location for Helen’s house in Black Doves is in Crystal Palace, South London – standing in for Highgate and Highbury, in North London.
“It’s a beautiful house, but we tried to make sure that you get a sense of stability… It would be aspirational for most people, but also had to feel very lived in and messy, with kids’ stuff everywhere. I don’t know any clean children! We tried to show a beautiful, bespoke kitchen with crap stuck all over it. It needed to be believable.”
Laura Ellis Cricks, Production Designer
The Christmas Party
Somerset House. acediscovery, CC BY 4.0
The Black Doves Christmas party scene was filmed in Somerset House’s Navy Board Rooms. Now used as an events and exhibition space, the 18th Century suite was originally used by the Navy Board to make strategic plans.
In the scene, Wallace makes a speech then stays at the party with the twins while Helen steps out for a moment.
The grand staircase Helen (Keira Knightley) walks down before she’s approached by Reed (Sarah Lancashire) is the Nelson Stair. It links up with the Navy Board Rooms, and leads down to the basement of Somerset House.
Great Windmill Street
Sam’s (Ben Whishaw) taxi passes Great Windmill Street on his way to the secret meeting in the hotel. It’s close to Piccadilly Circus, running north off Shaftesbury Avenue where it leads further into Soho.
This looks like the route the taxi is taking, and it could feasibly lead to Sam’s next destination, the hotel rendezvous.
Royal Lancaster Hotel
Lancaster Hotel, London by Roger Cornfoot, CC BY-SA 2.0
Reed and Sam meet at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, another Central London filming location in Black Doves Episode 1. Perched on the edge of Hyde Park, it’s a luxury independent hotel that boasts spectacular views. It was also seen in the Michael Caine 1969 film The Italian Job.
We get a glimpse of them as Sam finds out about Helen’s affair and they plan how to proceed.
The Millennium Bridge
Another Black Doves filming location in London is the Millennium Bridge, which opened in 2000 and links the City with the Bankside area. It fits right in amongst the Netflix thriller series’ settings which span each side of the river to either side of Westminster.
Queen’s Walk
Queens Walk
Queen’s Walk is a popular London filming location for good reason – reaching from Lambeth to Blackfriars, it offers up some of the city’s biggest landmarks from the perfect vantage point.
Along the way, Queen’s Walk passes everything from Bankside’s OXO Tower to the Palace of Westminster and Elizabeth Tower, all lined with elegant lampposts.
Those views have earned it a place in everything from romcom The Holiday to real life drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office.
And it’s taken on further significance too. Queen’s Walk is also home to the poignant National Covid Memorial Wall, which stands opposite parliament.
Regent Sounds
The secret Soho gun supplier filming location in Black Doves Episode 1 is Regent Sounds at 4 Denmark Street. It’s a real shop that’s actually famous for playing a part in music history throughout the 20th Century.
Aside from selling guitars, their recording studios have hosted the likes of the Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Elton John and many more, in their early days.
Denmark Street
Denmark Street. morebyless, CC BY 2.0
Sam exits Regent Sounds and meets his friend on Denmark Street. As you may know, Denmark Street is also the filming location for Cormoran Strike’s office in the Robert Galbraith detective series.
It’s opens out onto Tottenham Court Road, with Soho lying beyond – where we saw Sam in an earlier scene.
Vauxhall Bridge
Helen runs across the bridge before interviewing as ‘Daisy’. Crossing between Pimlico and Vauxhall, it also links Westminster with the MI6 building, officially known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) Building.
But the bridge itself is well worth a look. The statues which guard each side of the bridge each represent a different art, craft or science – and among them, you’ll find London’s smallest cathedral.
Paternoster Lane
Look out for Heatherwick Studios’ Angel’s Wings on Paternoster Lane on the edge of Paternoster Square, a filming location from Black Doves Episode 2. Designed by Thomas Heatherwick in 2002, the stainless steel sculpture is officially known as the Paternoster Vents.
Because in fact, these towering wings were designed to ventilate the surrounding buildings.
Borough Market
Borough Market. Jeremy Keith from Brighton & Hove, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0
Black Doves was filmed near Borough Market, but not actually inside the market itself. Location manager Pete Wimblett revealed that it was too restrictive to film around the busy market’s opening schedule.
Spitalfields Market
Look out for another Black Doves market location, Spitalfields Market near Brick Lane. This market in London’s East End dates back to the 13th Century, when it was on the outskirts of the city.
But after the Great Fire of London, traders started moving out to Spitalfields, and before long it was attracting the many artisans who were flocking to London. If you want to visit this location, it’s open everyday, with everything from food and drinks to vintage fashion and more besides.
Leadenhall Market
But the Netflix spy series really was filmed in Leadenhall Market – Keira Knightley was spotted filming there back in January 2024.
Located just off Gracechurch Street in the City of London, this 700-year-old market is the filming location for the Leaky Cauldron in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Of course, this London location has also appeared in countless other films and TV series over the years, including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Johnny English.