Famous Southport Spots Featured in Movies and TV Shows

FILMS AND TV SHOWS SHOT IN SOUTHPORT YOU MIGHT HAVE WALKED PAST WITHOUT KNOWING

Southport has appeared on screen more often than many people realise.

The interesting part is that many of those locations remain entirely ordinary until someone points them out. A street corner, a building frontage, a park path. Familiar places carrying film history quietly.

Hesketh Park is one of those places.

It featured prominently in Mr Love, the 1986 film following Donald Lovelace, a mild-mannered gardener whose life takes an unexpected turn. Several scenes were filmed there, including moments around the waterfall, conservatory and lake.

A short walk away, Park Crescent adds another screen connection. The Salfordian appeared in series three of Tin Star, standing in as a care home within the series.

Lord Street itself has perhaps the strongest natural claim to film presence. Its Victorian architecture, long verandas and unusual boulevard layout continue to make it visually distinctive enough for screen work decades later.

In What’s Good for the Goose, filmed in Southport in 1969, Lord Street and surrounding areas became part of the film’s setting, including Sandown Court and nearby exterior scenes that still feel recognisable today.

Punch Tarmey’s also entered screen history when it appeared in Noble, playing the role of a fish and chip shop in the 2014 film starring Sarah Greene.

This is part of why film location hunting has grown into its own kind of tourism. People increasingly visit places because they have seen them on screen first.

Southport already holds that potential.

Its architecture, parks and changing textures offer something many towns cannot. Variety within walking distance.

The next time you pass Hesketh Park or Lord Street, it is worth remembering that these places have already played other roles before returning quietly to daily life.

About Southport’s Journey

Southport’s Journey is an independent place-led magazine documenting the people, ideas, businesses and community life shaping Southport, Birkdale, Ainsdale and the surrounding area. Across print, digital and local partnerships, we share thoughtful stories rooted in real place and lived experience.

If you have a story, event, business or perspective to share, contact hello@southportsjourney.com or visit Southport’s Journey