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A courtyard can add another dimension to a London shoot location, providing a contained exterior setting that works naturally with a property’s interiors. Depending on the architecture, it might provide a clean backdrop for fashion and product photography, an intimate setting for lifestyle imagery or a transition between the house and a larger garden.
Our collection of shoot locations with courtyards covers a broad mix of London properties, from contemporary renovated townhouses to substantial period homes.
Several new additions to the SHOOTFACTORY location library combine distinctive interiors with particularly interesting outside spaces.
Location: London, N16
Abney Park is a beautifully renovated Victorian townhouse in Stoke Newington where architecture, natural light and landscaping work closely together.
Reimagined by architecture and interior design studio Magri Williams, the four-storey property combines original Victorian detailing with a restrained palette of microcement, light oak and marble. The result is a warm neutral setting that works particularly well for interiors, fashion, lifestyle and editorial photography.
One of its strongest features is the connection between the lower ground floor and outside space. A full-width rear extension wraps around a rectangular feature planter, creating an enclosed architectural focal point between the interior and garden. A six metre sliding glass door and two semi-circular rooflights allow daylight to move through the space, with foliage casting changing patterns across the microcement surfaces.
The open-plan kitchen, dining and family area centres on an oversized marble island, with the microcement flooring continuing towards the garden. Outside, a south-facing landscaped garden includes built-in seating and a fully equipped outdoor kitchen facing the feature planter.
The combination provides several related settings within a relatively compact footprint, moving from contemporary kitchen and family interiors into architectural courtyard details and landscaped exterior space.
Location: London, SW11
Period character takes a different direction at Between The Commons, a stylish Victorian location home positioned between Wandsworth Common and Clapham Common.
High ceilings and generous natural light give the house a sense of scale, with cornicing, wall beading, traditional fireplaces and carefully designed joinery providing much of its character. Light herringbone flooring runs across the large open-plan ground floor, connecting the living, games, drawing and dining areas.
The marble kitchen provides a particularly strong connection with the outside space. Fully opening Crittall bifold doors allow the kitchen to extend towards the garden, creating a useful sightline between interior and exterior settings.
Outside, a terracotta tiled patio introduces warmer colour and texture before opening onto the larger turfed garden. This gives productions the option to shoot against marble, glazing, traditional Victorian details, terracotta, and greenery within the same property.
The combination lends itself particularly well to lifestyle, interiors, food, family and fashion shoots where indoor and outdoor scenes need to feel visually connected.
Location: London, KT2
For productions requiring a much grander period setting, Cedar is a magnificent Grade II listed house set within landscaped grounds approaching an acre.
The property has been carefully restored, retaining the scale and architectural character expected from a substantial period residence. The ground floor includes an impressive entrance hall, long gallery, drawing room, morning room, formal dining hall, study, and living room.
These traditional rooms are balanced by a crisp contemporary kitchen and breakfast room, allowing productions to move between formal period architecture and a cleaner modern interior without changing location.
Across the upper floors, the substantial principal suite occupies the west wing, supported by numerous additional bedrooms and bathrooms. The property’s scale gives productions a wide selection of residential settings, plus useful space for crew and production needs.
Outside, extensive landscaped gardens give Cedar another visual identity. Formal architecture, mature planting and the scale of the grounds make it suited to shoots where exterior scenes need to carry the same sense of occasion as the interiors.
For fashion editorials, period drama references, luxury lifestyle photography and larger commercial productions, Cedar provides both architectural detail and room to work.
Location: London, E5
Chatsworth is a four-bedroom London townhouse with a more compact approach to exterior space and several unusual architectural features inside.
The ground floor combines an open-plan lounge with a double-height kitchen, where a large arched window and glass lean-to introduce plenty of daylight. A landing balcony overlooks the kitchen from above, creating alternative shooting angles across the main interior.
At the rear, steps lead upwards to a raised garden. The change in level creates a distinct separation between the house and exterior, giving photographers and filmmakers a different perspective from the conventional level garden found behind many London terraces.
Further character appears throughout the upper floors. The principal bedroom has a large en suite with a freestanding cast iron claw-foot bath, while the loft bedroom has floor-to-ceiling glazing and bifold doors opening onto a balcony with views across the city.
For productions, that means a relatively compact London property can deliver double-height architecture, glass, a raised exterior, period bathroom details, and an elevated urban outlook.
Location: London, NW6
Designed by a former Soho House designer, Chevening brings a considered residential style to its Northwest London setting.
The main living area features an open fireplace, while the kitchen connects to the living and dining areas, providing a relaxed contemporary backdrop for lifestyle and interiors photography.
The house continues across several levels, including a lower ground guest bedroom and bathroom and a basement cinema room with a projector and wraparound seating. Bedrooms occupy the upper floors, providing further residential settings for fashion, family and lifestyle briefs.
Outside, the garden adds another usable layer to the property. An outbuilding with its own toilet can be configured as an office or gym, providing an additional setting away from the main house.
The mix of styled interiors, garden space, and a separate outbuilding makes Chevening particularly useful for productions requiring several related lifestyle scenes in one location.
London courtyards and enclosed gardens can be particularly useful because they provide exterior settings without requiring the scale of a large country property.
For photography, the surrounding walls, planting, paving, and architectural details can become ready-made backgrounds for portraits, fashion, products, and lifestyle imagery. Enclosed spaces can also create more intimate compositions than a large open garden, keeping attention on the subject while still introducing natural light and exterior texture.
Properties where glazing connects the courtyard or terrace with the main living space offer another advantage. Cameras can shoot through open doors towards the garden, use exterior planting as a background to an interior scene or move between inside and outside while maintaining a consistent visual style.
Natural light will vary considerably depending on the property’s orientation, surrounding buildings, planting, and time of day. For briefs where direct sunlight, shade, or a particular direction of light matters, discuss these details with the SHOOTFACTORY team before booking.
The SHOOTFACTORY location library includes Victorian townhouses, contemporary homes, period properties and other London location houses with courtyards, patios, terraces and enclosed gardens.
Browse our current courtyard shoot locations to see the latest properties, or contact our location agency team with the details of your production. We can help narrow the selection by courtyard style, architecture, natural light, access, interior spaces, and other requirements for your shoot.
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