IT was once home to Alexander Drummond of Midhope, whose brother Robert was tasked with overseeing the construction and repair of Scotland’s palaces and castles by Royal appointment.
However, the A-listed 16th century derelict tower house that survives today is now better known to Outlander fans as Lallybroch, the beloved childhood home of main protagonist, Jamie Fraser, played by Sam Heughan.
While once it might have been overlooked on Scotland’s tourist trail, Midhope Castle, in Abercorn, near South Queensferry, has become a must-see location for fans of the time travelling TV drama, which is based on the Diana Gabaldon books.
The castle ranked second in a UK poll, which calculated how many times a film or TV show was mentioned in Tripadvisor reviews of a historic location.
Outlander was name-checked in 84% of reviews of Midhope, which is located on a private estate and was close behind St Mary’s Church in Bampton, Cotswolds, which recorded the highest proportion (85%) of TV show-related reviews.
READ MORE: Filming can take place in Scotland during lockdown
The whole village was used to film the fictional village of ‘Downton’, with St Mary’s church hosting several pivotal on-screen events including Lady Edith’s infamous jilting at the altar by Sir Anthony Strallan.
Other Scottish locations that made it into the top ten included Doune Castle, the 14th century courtyard castle, which has one of the best preserved great halls in Scotland and was heavily featured in the 1974 comedy classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The film was cited in 54% of reviews.
The formidable castle also set the scene for Winterfell in the pilot of TV blockbuster Game of Thrones and served as Castle Leoch in Outlander.
Glenfinnan Viaduct has always been recognised as an outstanding feat of technical engineering but it is now better known as the ‘Harry Potter bridge’ to fans.
READ MORE: Outlander star Sam Heughan inspires fundraising drive for Lyceum Theatre
The movies were mentioned in 52% of reviews of the majestic Lochaber landmark while Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, where Harry and Ron crashed the Weasley family car, referenced the connection in 38% of reviews.
Of those who recently visited Christchurch College in Oxford, the Potter films were mentioned in 41% of reviews. Both Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and The Chamber of Secrets were filmed in the historic building.
The BBC TV series Sherlock was referenced in 67% of reviews of Speedy’s Sandwich Bar and Cafe on Euston Road in London.
The producers used the flat above the car and transformed it into 221B Baker Street, home to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
Highclere Castle in Hampshire has also seen visitor numbers soar after the 17th century country house was used as the exterior shot for Downton Abbey. The hit drama was mentioned in 61% of Tripadvisor reviews of the attraction.
Perhaps, unsurprisingly, Game of Thrones featured heavily in the list, with two further name-checks in the top ten.
The multi award-winning fantasy blockbuster was referenced in 39% of reviews of The Dark Hedges in Belfast.
The mystical birch-tree-lined road was famously featured in season two, where Arya Stark was seen walking down the road after escaping from King’s Landing.
READ MORE: Excitment builds for new Game of Thrones book
The show was also mentioned in 39% of reviews of Ballintoy Harbour in County Antrim, which was used as the primary filming location for Lordsport, the main port of Pyke, one of the Iron Islands that is home to Theon and Yara Greyjoy.
Shannon Keary, Digital PR Manager at holidaycottages.co.uk, which compiled the research, said: “It’s really exciting to see that so many of our favourite TV shows and films were filmed right on our doorstep.
“The UK has so much to offer in terms of natural beauty, wonderful history, and grand buildings, and it’s great to see that so many producers also feel the same – choosing these UK locations as the backdrop for so many popular TV shows and movies.
“And if you’re a fan of any of the TV shows and movies listed above and want to visit (when you can!), we hope our research will help people see which locations to put on their bucket list for once lockdown and travel restrictions are lifted.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here