The Yorkshire railway line that unites ‘Peaky Blinders’, Keira Knightley, and Evelyn Waugh
When we think of iconic filming locations, the world of Hollywood comes to mind, maybe the streets of New York, London or Paris, but we hardly ever think of Yorkshire, and yet, this northern England county has long given us some pretty memorable movie moments.
For instance, the intrinsic nature of the backdrop of Bradford in the British classic Billy Liar, or the county’s essential role in Kes, as well as in Rita, Sue, and Bob Too, or even the teen rom-com Wild Child. There’s a lot of scenic beauty to be found in Yorkshire, after all, so it makes sense that filmmakers commonly retreat to the largest county in the country to find beautiful landscapes, or perhaps a gritty, windswept location.
The legacy of iconic stories and verse which have emerged from Yorkshire echoes through its villages and towns, from gothic classics like Wuthering Heights and Dracula, to the memory of the first known English poet, Caedmon, to even finding Sylvia Plath’s grave in the quiet village of Heptonstall, a short walk from the centre of Hebden Bridge.
Yorkshire is rich with artistic and literary history, so it’s only fitting that it has some cinematic lineage, too, and when it comes to iconic filming locations here, you won’t find any more frequented by filmmakers than the Keighley and Worth Valley railway line. Its stations have appeared in many movies and TV shows over the years, and as a result, uniting everything from Peaky Blinders to the work of Evelyn Waugh, Keira Knightley, and one of the most beloved children’s movies ever made.
Opened in 1867, the train line was built to serve local workers, predominantly at nearby mills, sweeping across almost five miles of the West Yorkshire valley, with its six stations open to visit, including Haworth, home of the Brontë Parsonage.
It’s Oakworth Station that you can see in The Railway Children, with Mytholmes Tunnel, between Oakworth and Haworth, also featured in the film. The 2022 sequel, The Railway Children Return, used Oakworth as a filming location, too, paying tribute to the original movie, which has since become an iconic British institution. With its well-preserved decor and classic steam trains, the line makes for the perfect backdrop for period dramas, and you can still ride on these gorgeous old trains today (although that will require you to go to Keighley, I’m afraid).
Peaky Blinders filmed most of its train scenes on the Keighley and Worth Valley line, including Haworth and Oakworth, with other scenes filmed nearby, such as at Salt’s Mill in Saltaire, so you can easily make a whole Yorkshire day trip out of visiting these locations that’ll have you feeling as though you’ve stepped back to a time far removed from today. If you’d prefer to feel more like a wealthy romantic student than a criminal, then you can channel your inner Brideshead Revisited instead, with the 2008 film version using shots of the railway line, including Oakworth station, its lush green landscapes rolling in the background.
More recently, however, the railway, as well as various other Yorkshire locations like Bradford City Hall and Roundhay Boathouse, appeared in Official Secrets, featuring British acting royalty Keira Knightley, starring as Katharine Gun, whose work as a linguist results in her leaking private documents about the Iraq War.
So, if you ever want to pretend that you’ve stepped back in time, before the days of unreliable commercial trains with terrible toilets and stained seats, get yourself to West Yorkshire, where, you can immerse yourself in period drama-esque landscapes, pretend you’re Jenny Agutter, or perhaps Cillian Murphy, and admire views that, no matter the weather, always feel deeply cinematic.
