Warning: This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
Summary
- The Netflix series uses Little Kilton as a setting, which was invented for the UK version of the book, rather than Fairview, Connecticut, which is featured in the US version of the book.
- Various English cities were combined to film A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, ensuring the town size matched the story’s needs.
- The TV show used locations like Axbridge, Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath to bring Little Kilton to life visually.
The production team for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder blended multiple filming locations in order to create the quintessential, sleepy English town of Little Kilton, shaping the plot and setting the tone for the Netflix show. Based on the book by Holly Jackson, the murder mystery follows Emma Myers’ Pip Fitz-Amobi as she reinvestigates the 5-year-old murder of Andie Bell. Because the US and UK versions of the book include different settings, some fans of the book might be surprised to learn that the story takes place in the town of Little Kilton, England, instead of Fairview, Connecticut.
Additionally, the town of Little Kilton was invented for the UK version of the book, so questions naturally come up about where the series was filmed. It was crucial that the Netflix series use the perfect filming locations because the mystery itself relies on the town being the right size. If the town is too small or big, it throws off the number of reasonable suspects. Rather than using a single filming location, Little Kilton is an amalgamation of three English cities in Netflix’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.
Axbridge, Somerset, England
The Exteriors In Little Kilton
Most of the general scenes of Little Kilton, including the establishing shots and exterior scenes, were filmed in the town of Axbridge in the county of Somerset, England. Located about 20 miles southwest of Bristol, Axbridge was the perfect location to double for Little Kilton. The beautiful town includes streets with traditional English architecture that fit the descriptions in the UK version of Holly Jackson’s book. The town square of Axbridge is where most of the exterior shots take place.
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Another important location in Axbridge that appears in the series is the Church of St. John the Baptist. This church, made of limestone and Doulting stone, was built in the 13th century in the Gothic architecture style. In the series, Andie’s memorial is located outside this church. The scene between Pip and Max at the end of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder occurs on the steps outside of the Church of St. John the Baptist.
The surrounding landscape of Axbridge includes woods, countryside, and the River Axe, which create an idyllic and dreamy mood. This mood contrasts with the murder, drugs, and sexual crimes occurring in the town of Little Kilton. The dichotomy allows A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder to lean into the paranoia and social fear that there’s a seedy underbelly in every small town. It also helps set the show in the “small-town crime” mystery genre.
Bristol, England
The School, Caves, And Shops In Little Kilton
While Axbridge, Somerset, doubled for general shots of Little Kilton, locations in Bristol, England, are used for specific locations within the fictional town. The production team used Redmaids’ High School in Westbury-on-Trym as the Fairview High School in the Netflix series. This location is important within the story because the murder occurred while Andie and Sal were in high school, and Pip is doing the murder investigation as her EPQ.
In A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder season 1, episode 3, Pip and her friends attend a Calamity Party, which was also filmed in Bristol at the Redcliffe Caves. The location also appears in flashbacks of Andie and her friends attending the same parties. The caves add an extra air of mystery and darkness to the parties because it seems such a strange place for high schoolers to party and do drugs. Additionally, the man-made underground tunnels’ history as World War II air raid shelters adds a layer of unease to the scenes in the caves.
Other locations within Bristol seen in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder include the Costcutter Convenience Store, which doubles for the Little Kilton Corner Store; Hillgrove Porter Stores, which doubles for Ravi’s workplace; Wilson’s Bread Shop, which doubles for Wilson’s Café; and the Berwick Lodge, which doubles for the Ivy House Hotel.
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Most of these locations only appear in a scene or two, but they help shape the culture of Little Kilton. It also provides a variety of backdrops for Pip and Ravi to investigate the murder of Andie Bell, keeping the scenes interesting instead of one-note. If all the scenes occurred in Pip’s house and the school, the setting would quickly become boring.
Avon Valley Railway, South Gloucestershire, England
Unknown Scenes In A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
Of all the towns producers used for A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, South Gloucestershire appears the least in the series. The primary filming location in Gloucestershire was the Avon Valley Railway, which opened in 1869 and connects Birmingham and the South Coast. The railway has since been preserved and restored. Its picturesque railways, stations, and greenery make it a perfect addition to Little Kilton.
Bath, England
The Ward And Bell Houses
Only two locations within Little Kilton were filmed in Bath, England, but they are significant enough places that they deserve recognition. Three central characters in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder – the Wards – live in a terraced house. Because Pip is best friends with Cara Ward, she spends a good amount of time over there. The house that the production used to film these scenes is on Daisy Bank in Bath, England.
Additionally, the Bell home, which Andie breaks into, is located at 1 Trossachs Drive in Bath, England. The yellow and white paint and the brick on the Bell House in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder have a simplicity that once again contrasts the murder that happened inside. At first glance, it seems like a charming and peaceful place to live.
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The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol, England
Interiors Of A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
The last location used in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is The Bottle Yard Studios, the largest British TV and film production studio in the Western part of England. The production was based out of this location, traveling to other locations to film onsite. However, some of the interiors in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder were filmed at the studio, though it’s unclear which specific scenes. This choice was likely made so that they weren’t confined to the layout of the homes and buildings that make up the fictional town of Little Kilton.
Sources: IMDb, Atlas of Wonders, and The Bottle Yard
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (2024)
- Cast
- Emma Myers , Asha Banks , Raiko Gohara , Zain Iqbal , Jude Morgan-Collie , Yali Topol Margalith , Yasmin Al-Khudhairi , Carla Woodcock
- Character(s)
- Pippa Fitz-Amobi , Cara Ward , Zach Chen , Ravi Singh , Connor Reynolds , Lauren Gibson , Naomi Ward , Becca Bell
- Release Date
- August 1, 2024
- Seasons
- 1
- Main Genre
- Mystery
- Creator(s)
- Poppy Cogan
