Shubhabrata Dutta
Netflix’s fantasy drama series, ‘The Sandman,’ centers on Dream, an otherworldly being who controls the dreams of humans, creating and managing them with care. After he is mistakenly summoned by a man instead of the Angel of Death to save his son’s life, Dream is taken prisoner in 1916 due to his silent treatment. With him absent, the Dream realm and the Earth realm fall into chaos. While his creations in the former realm have fled to the latter, people in the real world have either lost sleep or are unable to wake up. Dream does manage to escape, but only after 100 years, in 2025, and sets off to bring back order.
The show is created by Neil Gaiman, David S. Goyer, and Allan Heinberg, based on Gaiman’s eponymous comic book series. In season 1, Dream takes on Dream Vortex, an entity that can manipulate dreams and threatens to consume the two realms. In season 2, Dream’s past catches up to him, threatening to destroy everything he has been building, including his love life. In keeping with the fantastical elements that form the world of ‘Sandman,’ the visuals offer a compelling mix of real and rendered backdrops, showcasing a dream-like worldbuilding.
The Sandman Filming Locations
‘The Sandman’ is filmed across various locations in England, specifically in Surrey, London, Oxfordshire, Dorset, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Kent, Sussex, and West Sussex. Filming of season 1 was originally supposed to commence in late May 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After a few months of delay, the shooting began in mid-October 2020 and concluded in the first week of August 2021. Principal photography for season 2 began in the third week of June 2023 but was suspended due to the SAG-AFTRA strike. It resumed in November the same year and went on for several more months before wrapping up in the second week of August 2024.
Surrey, England
In Surrey, a ceremonial county in southeast England, the crew accessed various locations and studio space for filming many scenes. Several parts of the town of Woking in northwest Surrey were used as backdrops for season 2. Dukes Court, a corporate office at Dukes Street, doubled for a central London police station. Some scenes were taped in Brookwood Cemetery, one of the largest cemeteries in Europe, located at Cemetery Pales in Brookwood. Filming at Dukes Court and Brookwood Cemetery took place over three days. The interiors of the former Debenhams store building at the Peacock Centre, part of the Victoria Place Shopping Centre, were accessed for lensing scenes over a month.
In Shepperton, the crew utilized the facilities and resources of Shepperton Studios, located at Studio Road, to film many scenes of seasons 1 and 2. The studio offers over 950,000 square feet of stage space, comprising 31 stages and two backlots. The Undercroft in Fawney Rig Manor, where Dream is imprisoned in season 1, was built in the studio. Other movies and shows that have used the studio space include ‘The Old Guard 2,’ ‘The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,’ and ‘Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.’
The woodlands of Bourne Wood, south of Farnham in Surrey, were used for some outdoor shots. It is a known filming location and has served as the backdrop for projects like ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,’ ‘Dark Shadows,’ and ‘The Witcher.’ The interiors of the Guildford Cathedral, located at Stag Hill in the town of Guildford, doubled for Dream’s Throne Room. Cranes and lighting equipment were brought in to light the scenes as per requirement, with a lot of CGI added in post-production.
The historic Macdonald Stewart Pavilion, located at Bisley Camp in the village of Brookwood, doubled for Hal’s Bed and Breakfast. The cross field in Hell, as seen in the show, is, in real life, the Hankley Common natural reserve south-west of the parish of Elstead near Farnham. It is a well-known filming spot and has served as a setting for movies like ‘Macbeth,’ ‘1917,’ and ‘Napoleon.’ Several outdoor sets were built in Frensham Little Pond, which is in the village of Frensham, near Farnham, to capture some scenes. A few shots were taped in Staines-upon-Thames, AKA Staines, a market town in northwest Surrey, as well, including those featuring an American gas station in season 1.
London, England
London, the capital city of England, was used extensively for filming both seasons of ‘The Sandman.’ The interiors of the Natural History Museum, located on Cromwell Road in South Kensington, doubled for Dream’s castle. The Greenways house, a private estate in Coombe Park, in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, became Hector’s dream house, using in-camera footage and visual effects. The steps leading up to the Old Royal Naval College, located beside the River Thames in the borough of Greenwich, served as the exterior for the scene showing Constantine conducting an exorcism at the princess’s wedding in season 1. The sequence itself was taped inside the Painted Hall, part of the college. The hall is known for over 3,700 square meters of Baroque walls and ceilings and is open for tours, visits, and for hire.
Richmond Green, a recreation area owned by the Crown Estate in the town of Richmond, became the setting for the scene where Dream meets Death. The Green Street and Old Palace Lane were used to tape a few sequences. The New Inn in season 1 is actually The New Inn on Ham Common on Petersham Road in Richmond. In Hammersmith, a district in West London, the crew lensed a few scenes at the Lower Mall, a well-known walking route by the Thames, and the Hammersmith Bridge. The Digby Mansions, located at 49A – 58A Hammersmith Bridge Road, doubled for the violinist’s house in season 1.
The library and the upper vestibule at Lincoln’s Inn, one of London’s Inns of Court, were used to film scenes involving Lucien’s library. The crew had to remove all the modern furniture, computers, and photocopiers to reshape the enormous historic space. The interior and exterior of a house in the inn’s New Square Lawn stood in for Unity Kinkaid’s townhouse. “It didn’t take much to create a period look in New Square, as the area hasn’t been altered a great deal over the years. Once the cars have all been cleared, you essentially have a blank canvas to add whatever you require,” location manager Casper Mill told Film London.
The Ashworth Centre was used as a crowd base while the 8 Stone Buildings were used to double for St. Thomas’ Hospital in the 1920s. The shots showing the entrance of the Marlens Hospital were taped in the square. A few sequences were taped at Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London’s largest public square in Holborn. “The interior of the Library is particularly adaptable. It is a vast space, with three floors of books, each accessed by cast iron galleries. Large stained glass windows cast a mysterious light over the space, meaning not only is it well suited as a stand-in for a university or large public library, but its medieval, church-like atmosphere also offers possibilities for fantasy or sci-fi,” Lincoln’s Inn filming manager Naomi Johns told Film London.
The crew accessed the Infernos Nightclub, located at 146 Clapham High Street in Clapham, to film a pub scene involving occult detective Johanna Constantine. The club is a homage to disco and pop and is known for its neon lights and large dance floor. Canary Wharf, a privately owned financial district in the Isle of Dogs, doubled for scenes set in Buffalo in New York. A few scenes were taped at the East Wintergarden venue at 43 Bank Street. It is a roof garden above the Jubilee Place shopping mall and offers over 700 square meters of event space, including for social events and exhibitions. The Sheraton Skyline Hotel, located near Heathrow Airport on Bath Road in Harlington, doubled as the Royal Empire Hotel where the Cereal Convention is held in the first season. It is a 4-star dog-friendly hotel with a range of rooms and suites, a club lounge, a bar & grill, and a conference centre.
Oxfordshire, England
The crew shifted base to Oxfordshire, another county in southeast England, where it set up camp in Joyce Grove, a country house in the village of Nettlebed. The beautiful wooden interiors of the Jacobethan-style house became the interiors of Sir Roderick Burgess’ Fawney Rig manor. It is a common filming spot for British productions and has served as a setting for ‘The Nevers,’ ‘The Imitation Game,’ and ‘Midsomer Murders.’ The county is home to the University of Oxford and is known for its historical structures that go back to the 10th century.
Dorset, England
In Dorset, several scenes were captured on the iconic Sandbanks Beach in the coastal town of Poole. Sandbanks is known for its posh neighborhoods, and the coastline is often dubbed “Britain’s Palm Beach.” The beach also doubled for one in Cape Kennedy, Florida. The production team also set up camp at a house on Avalon Street in Lilliput to shoot scenes involving Rose and Jed’s childhood home in season 1. The Durdle Door beach near the town of Lulworth was shut down for some days to film a few scenes. Poole’s Parkstone Cemetery, located on Elgin Road, served as a backdrop too.
Hertfordshire, England
A chunk of scenes in ‘The Sandman’ were filmed at Warner Bros. Studios in the county of Hertfordshire. Located at Warner Drive in Leavesden, the 200-acre facility offers 19 soundstages spread over 400,000 square feet and over 55 acres of backlot space. It boasts two of the largest tanks in Europe, one indoor and the other outdoor. There is a bespoke post-production space with state-of-the-art equipment. Some other projects filmed in the studio are ‘House of the Dragon,’ ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,’ ‘Wonka,’ and ‘Fountain of Youth.’
Buckinghamshire, England
In the county of Buckinghamshire, the crew recorded a few scenes on a wooden bridge over the Jubilee River near the village of Dorney. It accessed the courtyard of Dorney Court, a Grade I listed manor at Court Lane, to tape scenes showing the White Horse Tavern. The building dates back to before the Norman Conquest and is considered one of England’s finest Tudor manor houses. It can be rented for weddings and other social events. It is a popular filming spot and has served as a base for the show ‘Bridgerton.’ Buckinghamshire itself served as a backdrop for ‘Echo Valley.’
Kent, England
The crew also traveled to Kent to record several scenes set at Cain and Abel’s House of Mystery. In reality, it is Scotney Castle, a country house in the borough of Tunbridge Wells. The picturesque gardens, the 12th-century architecture, and the variety of flowers and shrubs make it no less than a time capsule for the public. The scene where Rose and her friend Lyta Hall travel to Sussex to meet Unity Kincaid is shot at the castle. The place is known for hosting plays, especially those of William Shakespeare.
Sussex, England
In Sussex, a handful of scenes were lensed at Seven Sisters Country Park, located at East Dean Road in the town of Seaford, and the Royal Pavilion Estate Ice Rink in Brighton, a seaside resort town. The Seven Sisters Country Park is known for its 280 hectares of chalk cliffs and open chalk grasslands, offering an almost otherworldly landscape. The Royal Pavilion Estate Ice Rink is a popular seasonal attraction, the Royal Pavilion itself being Brighton’s most iconic palace. It is a former royal residence that once belonged to King George IV. Its Mughalesque features set it apart from the other palaces and enhance the visual appeal. The palace was sold to the city of Brighton in 1850.
West Sussex, England
For a nighttime scene in season 1, the crew incorporated the cobbled streets and historic architecture of Petworth, a town in the Chichester district of the county of West Sussex. Using the ancient town, whose existence is even mentioned in the Domesday Book, which dates back to 1086, as the backdrop enabled the crew to add a sense of mystery to the aesthetic. It is known for the Petworth Park Antiques & Fine Art Fair, which takes place in the grounds of the 17th-century Petworth House, and is known for its antiques, paintings, and sculptures.
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