BBC EastEnders filming locations and what fans can visit in real life
Where is EastEnders filmed, and can you visit Albert Square? Explore the set’s history, Borehamwood’s free museum, heritage trail and travel directions.
EastEnders makes Albert Square feel like a real corner of London, with the Queen Vic, market and terraced houses forming a neighbourhood viewers know almost as well as their own. Its filming home, however, is in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, where Walford was built within the BBC Elstree Centre.
For fans planning a visit, there is one essential detail: the EastEnders set does not offer regular public tours. You can still explore the surrounding town’s film and television heritage, including a walking trail and free museum, but a trip to Borehamwood will not get you inside Albert Square.
Where is EastEnders filmed?
EastEnders’ Albert Square set is at the Elstree Centre on Clarendon Road in Borehamwood. It has been the programme’s production home since the soap began in February 1985, despite Walford’s fictional location in London’s East End.
The name can cause confusion when planning a trip. The Elstree Centre and nearby Elstree Studios on Shenley Road are separate production sites, so references to filming or audience tickets at one do not automatically mean access to the other.
Albert Square was only meant to last two years
One of the most surprising details about the original Albert Square is how temporary it was supposed to be. Built in 1984, the exterior set was initially intended to last just two years, yet it remained in service for decades.
That familiar brickwork was not built like an ordinary residential street. The original facades eventually became a limitation for filming, with their condition contributing to the need for a replacement using more durable brick structures.
Filming on the replacement set began in January 2022, giving the production improved filming options while preserving Walford’s recognisable appearance. The aim was to make the familiar neighbourhood work better for modern television, without losing the places viewers expected to see.
The studios were here long before the Queen Vic
The Elstree Centre’s story began in 1914, when the site was created for Neptune Films. It was converted for television use in 1960 and purchased by the BBC in 1984, ready to become the home of its new soap.
Its television history also includes The Muppet Show, Grange Hill, Top of the Pops and Holby City. That gives the area an appeal beyond EastEnders, particularly if your television memories stretch from childhood favourites to years of watching Walford.
Follow the film and television heritage trail
The Film and TV Heritage Trail is a practical starting point for exploring Borehamwood. It begins at Elstree & Borehamwood railway station, where a wall sculpture pays tribute to the people who worked behind the cameras.
From there, heritage panels run along Shenley Road and towards the studio sites, with photographs and information about the area’s screen history. Look out for the tribute to Barbara Windsor, whose connection gives EastEnders fans a particularly meaningful stop along the route.
Use the town council’s heritage trail guide to choose your route before setting off. This is a walk through public streets, so you can explore at your own pace and stop for lunch along the way.
Visit the free Elstree & Borehamwood Museum
The Elstree & Borehamwood Museum is at 96 Shenley Road and offers another way into the town’s production history. Its collections include archive photographs and material relating to the area’s film, television and wider community heritage.
Admission is free, and the museum is on the second floor of the community building, with lift access available. Check the museum website for opening times and the current exhibition, as displays change and it is not a permanent EastEnders set attraction.
How to get to Borehamwood
By train, travel to Elstree & Borehamwood station using Thameslink services from central London, including St Pancras International and Farringdon. Check the Thameslink journey planner for services on your chosen date, especially when travelling at weekends.
The station is the start of the heritage trail, making it an easy place to begin your visit. The museum estimates a walk of around 15 minutes from the station to its Shenley Road entrance.
If you are driving, use the museum postcode WD6 1EB as a town-centre reference. There is no museum car park, but its visitor guidance lists public parking at Clarendon Road, Furzehill Road and the shopping park off Theobald Street.
