A team of volunteers who look after a Lake District abbey have said they are thrilled to see it feature in a new Peaky Blinders film.
Calder Abbey, in Calder Bridge, has been used as a location in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, which is out today in select cinemas, starring Oscar winning actor Cillian Murphy, Rebecca Ferguson and Barry Keoghan.
Filming took place at the abbey in 2024 and saw it welcome around 200 members of crew as well as cast members including Cillian Murphy and Packy Lee.
The duo filmed key scenes for the new film on site – some shots of which have also featured prominently in the trailer.
Calder Abbey is privately owned and looked after by caretaker Miss Groves and a team of 10 volunteers, who are aiming to eventually reopen the Grade I listed building to the public.
For the past four years the team have been maintaining, preserving and protecting the site, where they now run public tours every weekend.
Buster Evans, 33, of Calder Bridge, who is site manager at the abbey, said the team were first approached by a location scout for filming nine months prior.
He said: “A scout originally got in touch with us at the start of 2024 after they saw our Facebook profile. It was the atmosphere and the intrigue of the site that made them want to come and film here.
“They were looking for somewhere that embodied the movie and replicates Mr Shelby’s (Cillian Murphy’s character’s) life at that time, somewhere quite rugged and in need of a little TLC.
“But it was quite a long process to get the filming to happen, it was nine months of negotiating, having people come up and check out the site and photograph it.
“It was only really me that knew for the first seven to eight months. I was told to keep it quiet and we had to sign non disclosure agreements.
“But I knew it was going to be an amazing opportunity for the site and too good to pass up.”
For two weeks the quiet abbey – which is one of only three monasteries in Europe that are also connected to a manor house – was transformed into a bustling film set.
Scenes were shot in both the abbey house’s front vestibule, stairway and the galley and the abbey’s presbytery, south transept and nave.
Buster said: “I was on site for the whole filming process just to make sure everything was coordinated between Netflix and what our caretaker Miss Groves wanted to protect the abbey’s interests and make sure everything ran smoothly.
“Being an ancient site we have to follow Historic England guidelines and that means certain work can’t be done and no long lasting damage can be done.
“It was very different seeing the site go from the peaceful and tranquil place it is to having 200 people on site for two weeks.
“But being on site when it was all happening was an amazing experience that I will never forget.”
Buster said the team got to meet actors and crew on set and after filming finished, they were treated to a preview of some of the scenes filmed at the abbey.
He added: “When they finished filming it was actually the end of filming for the whole film, so they invited us to a little preview down at Sella Park Country House Hotel.
“They showed us clips and how they’d put it all together which was pretty special because getting to see the abbey and its charm captured that way, it just looked amazing.
“The team did a really good job to capture the abbey in the best possible light.
“I also met director Tom Harper and there was only Cillian and Packy Lee on site during the filming, but I got to meet them too.
“I did have a good drink with Packy at the preview.”
The abbey has also been given a funding boost as a result of the team agreeing to let Netflix film there.
Buster said: “We got enough funds to help pay for essential work and maintenance and it’s gone a long way with materials and costs and it’s helped with a lot ground work and basic fencing.
“We have a lot of people who try to break into the house and site, so security is really important, because we don’t want anyone to have an accident here.
“But our end goal is to open to the public, so we’re trying to preserve right now to make that happen.
“It is going to require a massive amount of funds to get us to where we want to be in the end and it’s a big job, but we’re hopeful we’ll get there.”
Buster said they are also hoping to eventually run Peaky Blinders tours to show people where and how filming took place and give people a chance to get pictures.
He added: “We are hoping to do some Peaky Blinders tours to show all the behind the scenes of filming, we’re just waiting to get all the nods of approval.
“We do want to share and show that whole process with everyone and hopefully in the future we’ll be able to do events like themed nights and things too.”
Buster first got involved with the abbey four years ago after he started doing some voluntary work to help maintain the grounds.
He has since become the main driving force behind giving the abbey a presence on social media and recruiting volunteers to help preserve it.
He added: “I started by just helping our caretaker Miss Groves maintain the grounds on a voluntary basis.
“I used to walk my dogs locally and she asked me if I could help out with some groundworks, so I started doing that.
“I noticed the state of disrepair it was in and for me the priority was to help assist and get more attention and do more stuff here
“It led to me being site manager and right now its all about protecting the site. But in the future we would love to offer paid roles.
“But being around this place it’s hard not to fall in love with it. It’s just beautiful. I love history myself, I’m from Barrow originally and I grew up around Furness Abbey and the two do have a big connection.
“Monks from Furness came to Calder to help set up the abbey and we also have some amazing tombs here from Knights of the Christian crusades that are quite unique.
“That history is really important and in the future we would also like to get the site excavated.”
Buster added that in the meantime, the volunteer team are very excited and proud to see the abbey feature in the new film.
He said: “I am incredibly proud and I know our caretaker Miss Groves is too but we also hope it’s a source of pride for the whole of West Cumbria.
“We want people to be proud of it and the abbey and the heritage we have. It’s a pretty big film, it’s the first Netflix film out at the cinema, so we’re hoping the movie will match the anticipation.
“We’re hoping the abbey will get more attention so people will come and see what we’re doing here and how important it is to us and for our area as a whole.
“But I’m definitely going to go watch it, it will be really exciting to see it on the big screen.”
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man is set in Birmingham during World War II, following protagonist Tommy Shelby’s (Cillian Murphy) return from exile.
As war looms, Tommy is forced back to confront his past and his son, Duke Shelby (Barry Keoghan) who has taken over the family business.
The film is out now in select cinemas including Everyman, Picturehouse, Showcase and Curzon.
Screening locations in Cumbria include Rheged Centre Cinema, near Penrith, Lonsdale Cinema in Penrith, Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal and Zeffirellis in Ambleside.
The film will also release on Netflix on March 20.
Calder Abbey run private tours of the abbey every weekend and bookings can be made via messenger on its Facebook page here.
People interested in volunteering at the abbey can also get in touch via the Facebook page.
