Home > Entertainment > Homes From British TV Crime and Mysteries
Photo Credit: Tripadvisor (Laurie Goodlad)
Homes From British TV Crime and Mysteries
This is a companion page to my British TV Crime and Mysteries page, and contains an overview of some of the actual homes shown in those series. The homes that I have chosen to highlight are from series that I have personally enjoyed viewing, and have been intrigued by the homes or the locations. Each offers a very distinct and different type of design, as well as varying levels of privacy.
It should be noted that all of the homes are private residences, and there was some thoughtful consideration about privacy, and whether to disclose the actual locations. As all of the homes are well known and the locations are easily ascertainable from numerous sources, the decision was made to include the actual locations. If you do visit any of the locations, such as to take photographs of the exteriors of the home, some basic common sense and courtesy should be exercised to respect the privacy of the home owners.
Vera: DCI Vera Stanhope's House
Photo Credit: Simon Richards
HOUSE NAME: Snook House (The Snook)
GOOGLE MAPS: Lindisfarne, Northumberland, England
Vera is one of the more popular and beloved series, and is personally one of my favorites. The primary character is Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Vera Stanhope, who is portrayed by Brenda Blethyn. During the first episode of the series, viewers learn that her father had passed away only weeks prior. Vera begins to clean out belongings from the home, and decides to move into the home, which then becomes a prominent fixture throughout the series. There are numerous scenes showing the exterior of the home, including aerial shots, as well as the nearby small hills and beach.
The actual home is located on the island of Lindisfarne, which is also known as Holy Island, in Northumberland, England. From a historical standpoint, Lindisfarne is known for the monastery which was raided by the Vikings in the year 793, which has been dramatized in series such as Vikings and The Last Kingdom. The small island is about 3 miles wide and about 1.5 miles long in size, and has a population of about 150. It about 0.8 miles off the coast of England, and the only vehicular access to the island is via a causeway road. This island is accessible only during low tide, as the causeway floods over in high tide.
The home is privately owned. It is the sole home in an area called The Snook, and is part of the Lindisfarne Nature Reserve, which includes nature preserve land and sand dunes along the shore. The home is called Snook House, and nearby there is 35 foot tall tower called Snook Tower. The tower does appear in Vera, such as during aerial shots, and the first episode depicts a young couple living in the tower. The history of Snook House and Snook Tower is not thorough, but the buildings date from the 1800s, and they are listed as Grade II buildings on the National Heritage List.
Would I want to live there? Possibly. The solitude of being the only home in that part of the island and the beauty of the scenery seem to be intriguing. Obviously, there are concerns with the isolation that would come with the tide, and I also wonder how much sand would get kicked up during a storm. There also seem to be concerns with water and utilities, which are mentioned in some of the comments in one of the links. There is a nearby wind turbine visible in a couple of brief shots of Vera, so my assumption is that might be how the house obtains power.
Further reading and photos:
Shetland: DI Jimmy Perez's House
Photo Credit: Tripadvisor (Laurie Goodlad)
HOUSE NAME: The Lodberrie
GOOGLE MAPS: 20 Commercial Street, Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland
Shetland is very popular series, and one of my favorites. The primary character is Detective Inspector (DI) Jimmy Perez, who is portrayed by Douglas Henshall. DI Perez is a police detective based in in Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland. Shetland is a series of islands located about 110 miles away from mainland Scotland. Methods of getting to Shetland from the mainland include a two hour flight or a twelve hour ferry. The house is probably one of the most recognizable of any British TV crime and mystery series. It is widely featured throughout the series in numerous scenes, including the street in front of the house, the rocky shore on the east side of the house, the sandy shoreline on the west side house, a small nook at the rear of the house which overlooks the water, and aerial views.
The actual home is privately owned, and located in Lerwick. The home is an area known as the Lodberries, which is a series of building and homes along the waterfront, and the home as known as "the" Lodberrie. The home is said to have been built in 1772 by a merchant named George Linklater.
The photo above shows the east side of the home, which appears throughout the series, including on the rocky shore in the foreground that continues downward into the water. Note how part of the home is built and actually sits in the water. The rear part of the home faces and sits fully in the water, as well as the west side of the home, which is shown in the photo below. The west side also appears in many scenes from the series, including the stairs down to the sandy beach. There is a small nook in the rear of the home, which is barely visible in the photo. There is an episode where Perez and his daughter Cassie sit and talk there.
Photo Credit: Tripadvisor
There would seem to be concerns with having a home not only along the waterfront, but actually sitting in the water. The above photo shows when the tide is out, and that sandy beach becomes completely covered when the tide comes in, and the waterline against the house would rise higher. The stone walls seem to show water marks and stains from waves crashing against the house during storms. Below are two example videos from Instagram that show waves crashing against the east side of the house, and my assumption is the waves would be even worse during more severe storms.
Would I want to live there? Shetland is quite intriguing to me, and I would love to visit there one day, but I would have some serious reservations about the house. There would seem to be two major concerns with the home. First, from a financial standpoint, the upkeep of three stone walls being water facing and actually in the water would seem to be staggering. Second, from a practical standpoint, I'm not sure what it would be like with waves crashing against it.
Further reading and photos:
Case Histories: Jackson Brodie's House
Photo Credit: Google Maps Street View
HOUSE NAME: Carlton Terrace Mews
GOOGLE MAPS: 30 Carlton Terrace Mews in Edinburgh, Scotland
Case Histories was an enjoyable crime and mystery series. The primary character is Jackson Brodie, who is portrayed by Jason Isaacs. Jackson Brodie is a former police detective, who now works as a private detective in Edinburgh, Scotland. His house is shown throughout the series, including scenes shot both outside and inside the actual home. The actual home is privately owned, and located in Carlton Terrance Mews in Edinburgh, Scotland. For those not familiar, a mew typically refers to a building that was a former stable which as been converted to a home or apartment.
Would I want to live there? Possibly. While I've not been to Edinburgh, I've previously visited Glasgow. The concept of a mew is intriguing, particularly having the floor to ceiling doors that would open to the front of the house. The privacy level would be completely different than Vera's home or Jack Irish's home.
Further reading and photos:
Jack Irish: Jack Irish's House
Photo Credit: realestate.com.au
HOUSE NAME: Independent Hall
GOOGLE MAPS: 182 Fitzroy Street in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia
Jack Irish is an enjoyable crime and mystery series. The primary character is Jack irish, who is portrayed by Guy Pearce. Jack Irish is a criminal defense lawyer in Melbourne, Australia, and he also gets involved in a number of shady arrangements and situations. His house is widely featured throughout the series, including exterior shots from the street, and many scenes were filmed inside the actual home.
The actual home is privately owned. It is named Independent Hall and is located in Fitzroy, Victoria, Australia. The building dates from the 1880s, and was originally a church hall. The structural design of home is very unique and could loosely be described a mini castle. The reason being is that the two story home is separated into a front part and a rear part, and in between them is an open air courtyard. The front and rear parts are connected by two story walls on each side of the courtyard. The ground floor is shown in the diagram below on the left side, which contains an entrance door and garage, and above it is a third bedroom. What is intriguing is that the walled in courtyard seems to offer an immense level of outdoor privacy, as will be shown in the photos further below.
Photo Credit: Domain Group
The photo below is from the perspective of walking through the entrance door, stepping into the courtyard, and facing the rear of the home. There are two story walls on the left and the right, which are covered with plantings. During the Jack Irish series, there were not as many plantings and the walls were more visible.
Photo Credit: Domain Group
The photo below is from the perspective of standing at the rear or main living portion of the house, and facing toward the front of the house. On the left is the garage and garage door, on the right side is the entrance door to the street, and above it can be seen a third bedroom. The two story walls are now white, but they were reddish brown during the Jack Irish series.
Photo Credit: Domain Group
Below a video tour of the home which shows the entire home, both the interior and exterior, as well as an aerial view.
Would I want to live there? The actual home, probably not. One detractor of the actual home is the frequency of graffiti appearing on the sides and front of the building, and particularly experiencing that with a price tag of USD $2.6 million when it was last sold. The conceptual idea of the construct of the home intrigues me beyond belief, and having the privacy of two story walls and a private open air courtyard!
Further reading and photos:
Summary
This was a fun and interesting article to compile, particular based on the number of British TV crime and mystery series that I regularly watch. Another home that I wanted to highlight was that of DCI Banks, but I've been unable to determine the actual location. If you know of any particulars, please let me know, but I've not been able to find anything via multiple searches. Should you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact me.