Mrs. Wilson is a BBC drama with an all-star cast including Ruth Wilson, Iain Glenn, Keeley Hawes, and Fiona Shaw. The memoirs of lead actor Ruth Wilson's real-life grandmother provide the basis of the show.
The mini-series follows Alison Wilson who discovers more than she could ever imagine after the death of her husband. Alexander Wilson was a writer, spy, and secret service officer between the wars in India and in World War Two.
I am so excited to bring to the small screen the extraordinary lives of my grandparents. Theirs is a moving story.
Ruth Wilson – 2018.
Ruth Wilson stars as her own grandmother in the hit BBC drama Mrs. Wilson. Many of the filming locations of Mrs. Wilson were in Northern Ireland. Copyright BBC/WP Films Ltd.
Much of the action takes place in London between World War Two and the 1960s but many of the filming locations of Mrs. Wilson were in Northern Ireland.
Galwally Park, Belfast, Co. Antrim
Galwally Park stands in a quiet residential area of South Belfast. This area of Belfast escaped the horrors of the Belfast Blitz. These period houses provide the look of a 1960s London street where Mrs. Wilson and her sons live.
Merchant Hotel, Waring Street, Belfast, Co. Antrim
The luxurious grandeur of The Authors’ Club in the drama Mrs. Wilson is, in reality, the even more exclusive Merchant Hotel, in Belfast, Co. Antrim. During World War Two, this building was the headquarters of the Ulster Bank Ltd.
Gas Office, Ormeau Road, Belfast, Co. Antrim
There is plenty of subterfuge taking place throughout Mrs. Wilson, not least at the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service. Filming of these scenes took place in the old Gasworks Offices off Ormeau Road, Belfast, Co. Antrim. In 1943, the manager of the Belfast Corporation Gasworks was Mr. JL Hyslop.
Grey Abbey House, Newtownards, Co. Down
Grey Abbey House dates back to 1762 although the land has belonged to the Montgomery family for much longer. The Georgian stately home doubles as Alexander Wilson’s childhood home, Blakefield in the series. Due to some talented set dressers, the Co. Down house also provides the set for Wilson’s lodgings in Lahore, India. During World War Two, the electricity board occupied Grey Abbey House before Hugh Montgomery returned after 1945.
Ballywalter Park, Newtownards, Co. Down
Ballywalter Park is a Grade A* listed building belonging to Lord and Lady Dunleath. The Italianate Palazzo style mansion has been used by many TV and film productions in recent years. In Mrs. Wilson, it provides the backdrop for the restaurant where Alice and Alexander meet, for The Empire Club, and for a house in Southend where Mrs. Wilson receives some unexpected news. During the Second World War, a satellite landing ground operated nearby and Wellington bombers were hidden in trees on the estate.
Ruth Wilson stars as her own grandmother in the hit BBC drama Mrs. Wilson. Many of the filming locations of Mrs. Wilson were in Northern Ireland. Copyright BBC/WP Films Ltd.
We’ve spotted several more scenes filmed in Northern Ireland, possibly including St. Patrick’s Church, Newtownards, Co. Down, Botanic Gardens and Victoria Park in Belfast, Co. Antrim and the Ulster Folk Museum at Cultra, Co. Down. If you have noticed any others, let us know.
The filming locations of Mrs. Wilson being set in Northern Ireland means the drama follows in the footsteps of Games of Thrones, Line of Duty, The Fall, and more. The short drama series aired on the BBC in the United Kingdom and PBS Masterpiece in the United States of America.
Explore more wartime locations in Co. Antrim and Co. Down.