National Trust's country house in Derbyshire stars in Netflix’s Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
The National Trust has confirmed that Calke Abbey, the ‘unstately home’ near Ticknall, plays a key role in the upcoming film Peaky Blinders The Immortal Man, which arrives in cinemas on March 6 and on Netflix on 20 March.
Set in Birmingham, 1940, the film sees Academy Award winner Cillian Murphy return as Tommy Shelby in an epic new chapter written by Steven Knight and directed by Tom Harper.
The production selected Calke for its extraordinary authenticity, filming both inside the house and on the wider estate. Unlike many historic houses, Calke remains little restored, vividly portraying a period in the 20th century when country houses faced dramatic decline.
Calke’s seemingly-abandoned spaces, peeling paintwork and layered interiors offered the filmmakers an atmospheric backdrop that required almost no alteration — with key scenes shot in the groundfloor passageways, Kitchen, Schoolroom and Night Nursery, where the wartime setting seems to rise naturally from the fabric of the building.
Beyond the house, the historic redbrick Stableyard and Riding School underwent an even more dramatic transformation. Set dressing, atmospheric lighting and the arrival of a vintage car reshaped these usually practical spaces — typically home to agricultural tools and equipment — into a moody, cinematic world that feels a world away from everyday Calke.
The Stableyard also became the backdrop for the nowiconic Tommy Shelby walk. With mist rising between the redbrick buildings and the overgrown courtyard thick with tension, Cillian Murphy’s silhouette emerges in a slow, swaggering stride — a sequence shot right at the heart of Calke’s stables and now instantly recognisable to fans.
Bringing this world to life required meticulous preparation behind the scenes. Calke’s Collection team worked closely with the production to protect the site’s historic environment, ensuring filming could take place safely within such fragile spaces.
More than 1,300 historic objects were carefully packed, moved and reinstated by the House team in a process that took over 950 hours, while floors, doorways, staircases and finishes were protected to accommodate heavy equipment and increased footfall.
Artificial frost and snow effects were used during filming in a way that was safe for the environment, although an unexpected early snowfall provided its own continuity challenge – particularly for scenes shot through the Schoolroom windows (Tommy Shelby’s writing room), where winter weather appeared earlier than planned.
Caroline Taylor, Visitor Operations Manager at Calke Abbey, said: "Welcoming the Peaky Blinders team to Calke Abbey was a remarkable experience. Seeing the estate in all its glory on screen, from the atmospheric rooms to the historic Stableyards, truly celebrates what makes Calke special. It’s a privilege to share this unique house and landscape with the film, and we can’t wait for audiences to see it brought to life.”
To celebrate the release of Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, from Saturday, March 14 visitors will be able to discover more about Calke’s on-screen transformation with new walking routes and interpretation. Visitors will be invited to follow a downloadable walking route across the estate, taking in key filming locations and discovering how familiar spaces were adapted for the screen.