Beyond Paradise Filming Locations: Full Cornwall Guide

Discover every real Cornwall spot used as Shipton Abbott in Beyond Paradise. Looe, Pentillie Castle, Launceston and more – exact places, what they stand for, and why the show films there instead of Devon. Read now!

Introduction

Beyond Paradise is the Death in Paradise spin-off that follows DI Humphrey Goodman after he leaves Saint Marie and lands in the fictional Devon town of Shipton Abbott. Season 4 starts shooting in June 2025 and will air spring 2026 on BBC One and iPlayer. The funny thing is almost nothing is actually filmed in Devon. The whole series is shot in Cornwall, mostly around the south-east corner.

They picked Cornwall because the light is better, the towns look older, and the council gives better filming support than most of Devon. Looe is the main stand-in for Shipton Abbott. Pentillie Castle is Humphrey and Martha’s home. Launceston provides the high-street shots. Port Eliot is Martha’s café (at least for the first two seasons). A couple of modern university buildings in Plymouth double as the regional police HQ when they need something that doesn’t look 200 years old.

Fans keep asking where the exact spots are because the show makes everything look so perfect. People drive to Looe expecting to walk into Shipton Abbott police station and they can – it’s just the real Guildhall. Same with the houseboat on the Tamar. It’s all real places you can visit right now. Here’s the complete list, what each location is used for in the show, and a few practical things to know if you turn up with a camera.

Looe: The Real Shipton Abbott

Looe is the heart of the series. East Looe and West Looe split by the river, connected by the seven-arch bridge you see in every exterior wide shot. That bridge is in almost every episode.

The old Guildhall on Fore Street is the Shipton Abbott police station outside and in. They dress the entrance with fake signage, but the interview room, the front desk, even the holding cell are the real historic rooms inside. The building dates from 1877 and still works as the town’s working guildhall and jail museum the rest of the year.

The harbor, the banjo pier, the little alleyways with pastel houses – all of that is straight Looe. When Humphrey walks to get a pasty or stares at the sea thinking about a case, he’s usually standing on the exact spot where tourists stand taking selfies. The crew films early morning or late evening to keep crowds down, but locals still spot Kris Marshall in his linen suit buying coffee from the same cafés you see on screen.

One mistake people make is trying to park in the middle of town during summer. Don’t. Use the big car park at Millpool and walk in, same as the crew do. Otherwise you’ll circle for an hour and miss the light.

Pentillie Castle: Humphrey and Martha’s House

Pentillie Castle sits on the Cornish bank of the River Tamar, about ten minutes north of Saltash. This is where Humphrey and Martha actually live in the show. The big house you see from the driveway is the real 17th-century castle still owned by the Coryton family.

The houseboat moored at the private quay is real too – they just repaint it between seasons. Anne Lloyd’s cottage in the grounds is another real building on the estate. Most of the family dinner scenes and the quiet moments on the terrace are shot here. The estate is private but runs public tours and events, so you can walk the exact lawn Humphrey paces when he’s working out who did it.

They chose Pentillie because the river views sell the idea of a peaceful new life, even though the Cornish side is technically not Devon. The border is literally the middle of the river, so the show cheats by a few hundred metres. Nobody minds.

Launceston: High Street and Market Scenes

When the script needs a busier high street than Looe can give, they move twenty-five miles north to Launceston. The wide Georgian street with the war memorial and the rows of independent shops becomes Shipton Abbott’s main shopping area.

Launceston Castle on the hill is in the background of several shots, even though the fictional town isn’t supposed to have a massive Norman castle. The director just liked the look and kept it. The market-day scenes with stalls and crowds are filmed on actual Launceston market days – they pay the traders a fee and everyone carries on as normal while cameras roll.

If you visit on a non-filming day it still feels exactly like the show, minus the police tape.

Port Eliot Estate: Martha’s Café (Seasons 1-2)

For the first two seasons, Martha’s restaurant Ten Mile Kitchen was the old stable block at Port Eliot House in Saltash. The courtyard with the clock tower and the arched windows is unmistakable once you know.

Port Eliot is one of the oldest continuously inhabited houses in Britain – parts go back to the Domesday Book. The St Germans family still live there. The estate opened the stables to the public as a wedding venue, which made it easy for the crew to take over for weeks at a time.

They stopped using it from season 3 onward because the production wanted a slightly different look, but you can still visit the gardens and have tea in the exact spot where Martha argued with her mum in series 1.

Plymouth: The Only Actual Devon Bits

Almost everything is Cornwall, but when the script calls for South West Police Headquarters they use two modern buildings at the University of Plymouth – Portland Square and the Nancy Astor building. They stick fake police signs on the doors and film the scenes where Esther or Kelby get told off by the boss.

It’s the only time the production actually crosses into Devon. Everything else stays west of the Tamar.

Why Cornwall and Not Devon? The Real Reasons

Cornwall Council has a dedicated film office that bends over backwards for productions. Devon’s is smaller and slower. Rates for location fees are lower in Cornwall. The light on the south coast is softer because of the prevailing wind. And honestly, Looe just looks more like people imagine a perfect English coastal town than any real place in Devon.

The production tried a couple of Devon towns in pre-production for series 1 and nothing felt right. Once they saw Looe at golden hour they locked it in the same week.

Practical Tips If You Visit the Locations

Go in spring or autumn if you want quiet. Summer is packed. Looe’s main car park fills by 9 am in July. The Guildhall is open as a museum most afternoons – entry is £3 and you can stand in the actual interview room. Pentillie does house tours on selected Sundays – book online or you won’t get in. Port Eliot gardens are open daily March to September. Launceston is easiest – just park and walk. And if you see a film crew, keep back twenty metres. They’re usually polite but they’re on a tight schedule.

FAQs

Is Shipton Abbott a real town?

No. It’s fictional and set in South Devon, but every exterior you see is Cornwall, mostly Looe with bits of Launceston and the Tamar valley.

Can you visit Humphrey and Martha’s house?

Yes. It’s Pentillie Castle on the Tamar. The estate runs public tours and events. The houseboat is private but visible from the quay on open days.

Where is the Shipton Abbott police station in real life?

Looe Guildhall on Fore Street. It’s open to the public as a museum and tiny jail most of the year. The interview room is the real thing.

Why did they stop using Port Eliot for the café after season 2?

The production wanted a new look for Martha’s business in season 3. They built a small interior set and now use other exteriors. Port Eliot is still worth seeing for seasons 1-2 fans.

When is season 4 coming out?

Filming started June 2025. BBC has said spring 2026 for UK broadcast, same window as previous years. iPlayer drop will be the full series at once.

Are any scenes actually filmed in Devon?

Only the police HQ shots at the University of Plymouth. Everything else is Cornwall.

Conclusion

Beyond Paradise looks like the perfect Devon coastal idyll, but it’s almost entirely Cornwall on screen. Looe is Shipton Abbott. Pentillie is the house. Launceston is the high street. Port Eliot was the café. Two university buildings in Plymouth are the only real Devon bits.

If you’re planning a trip, start in Looe, walk the bridge, pop into the Guildhall, then drive up the Tamar to Pentillie. You’ll recognise every corner. Just don’t expect Kris Marshall to be standing there in his linen suit unless they’re shooting that day.

Which location are you heading to first? Drop it in the comments or tag us when you get the selfie outside the police station.