In March 2025 filming took place in the Yorkshire Dales National Park for ‘Wuthering Heights’. This new film adaptation, directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Margot Robbie (Catherine) and Jacob Elordi (Heathcliff) is now in cinemas. So, what can we tell you?
When?
Filming took place in mid-March 2025
Where?
- Old Gang Smelt Mill
The most identifiable location is Old Gang Smelt Mill. This is a scheduled ancient monument and is protected for its special historic interest. It is located here.
History
Old Gang Smelt Mill was built around 1846, incorporating elements of the 18th century New Mill, which was located on slightly higher ground about the watercourse. The site became one of the largest smelt mill complexes in the area. It processed lead ore from local mine workings using water power and peat as fuel.
Smelting activity declined after 1885 due to falling lead prices. The last ore was smelted around 1898, and the mill ceased operations between 1899 and 1903. By 1913, ore was sent to Castleside Mill in County Durham.
Architecture & Features
The main building measured 24m x 10m, with a wheelhouse, slag hearth, and three ore hearths. Outbuildings included roasting and silver hearths.
A tall square chimney and parts of the flue system remain intact. The flue originally extended to a chimney on Healaugh Crag, over 150m above the mill.
The peat store, built of limestone, is about 119m long and divided into bays by stone piers. It was designed to hold up to three years’ worth of peat fuel.
Current Status
The site is a Scheduled Monument and includes remains of the Old Gang Mill, New Mill, mine workings, a miners’ hut, and a bridge.
A bridleway for use by walkers, horse riders and cyclists passes through the site offering views of ruins, moorland, and historic mining landscapes
Finally, anyone visiting the site is asked not to touch, sit, walk or climb on the ruins or to remove anything from the site to ensure this scheduled monument is preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.
Who?
Sarah Whiteley, Senior Historic Environment Officer at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority attended Old Gang Smelt Mill for each day of filming, preparation for filming and the set removal days, to ensure the safety and integrity of the scheduled monument and to support the production crew in filming at this location. She said:
“It was fascinating, possibly one of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had in my working life, but really interesting.
“I was involved from the initial meetings with the locations team, and then headed to the site in January, February to meet with them and Historic England for discussions about Scheduled Monument Consent to film and to put props in.
“When it came to filming in March there was around five days of set-up at the site followed by three of four days of filming. The weather was unseasonably warm and sunny that week and they were working with the light a lot of the time, so a lot of the intensive filming was done in the morning, starting around 8am.
“It was really nice working with so many people who were so committed to the same goal. Everyone was so enthusiastic and committed to getting the job done well. And the cast were all ever so nice, no diva behaviour at all!”
Additionally, National Park Rangers monitored the rights of way that were closed – for the safety of the public during filming – to allow for set dressing and movement of vehicles/plant before and during filming.
Important Location Information
The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority have two statutory purposes. To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife, and cultural heritage of the area, and to promote opportunities for the public’s understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of the park. It is important, therefore, that anyone planning to visit any of the filming locations are aware of the following:
- Almost all the land in the National Park is in private ownership, including the locations used for filming. Please respect the land, respect the community and respect each other when visiting locations. We recommend reference to the Countryside Code.
- These locations are remote, and in some of the higher moorland areas of the National Park, and great care should be taken before attempting to visit these areas.
- Weather conditions at these locations are changeable, at all times of the year, and visitors should dress for ‘four seasons in one day’.
- The use of a paper map and compass is strongly advised in these locations.
- There is no public transport available to Old Gang Smelt Mill and there is no car park. There are just 5/6 spaces in which to park ‘off road’ at Surrender Bridge, where the walk into Old Gang Smelt Millbegins. The walk to the Old Gang Smelt Mill location from Surrender Bridge is an uphill 1 mile walk along a stone track. Surrender Bridge is located here.
- For wheelchair users, you will need an all-terrain 4×4 wheelchair for the walk into Old gang Smelt Mill from Surrender Bridge. It’s not a route suitable for a manual chair. There’s a steep climb (1 in 10) to start with, but the surface of the track is good.
- Further information on taking care in the National Park is here.
There is a 5.5-mile circular route – along a bridleway – that starts and ends at Surrender Bridge. This route takes in Old Gang Smelt Mill and continues across Reeth High Moor before dropping onto Bouldershaw Road. It is then a downhill walk back to Surrender Bridge. The walk is available on the National Park Authority’s free walking app, here.
Additional Information
Additional scenery and props were transported into the locations by the production crew that have long since been removed. In addition, special effects have been used to add additional features to the landscape. Visiting these locations now will simply reveal the raw beauty of these moorlands and the abandoned lead mine works. The unit base used for filming was located just north of the village of Langthwaite.
