Where Is Brassic Filmed? Bacup & Lancashire Locations

Wondering if Hawley really exists? You’re not alone — the Sky comedy-drama’s Lancashire setting feels so real that many fans assume it’s a real town. This guide maps exactly where Brassic is filmed, from Jim’s farm to the gang’s go-to pub, and separates real streets from set-built fiction.

Main filming town: Bacup, Lancashire ·
First series filmed in Bacup: Series 1 & 2 (2019–2020) ·
Fictional setting: Hawley ·
Number of seasons to date: 6 (as of early 2025) ·
Key filming locations listed by Sky: Over 10 distinct sites

Eight key facts about Brassic’s filming, one pattern: the show leans heavily on real Lancashire locations to build its fictional world.

The pattern is clear: Lancashire’s geography is the invisible co-star of Brassic.

What village is Brassic filmed in?

The fictional town of Hawley

• Brassic is set in Hawley, a fictional Lancashire town that does not appear on any map (Sky (official broadcaster)).
• The name was chosen by creator Danny Brocklehurst to evoke a generic northern mill-town (Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference)).

The real-life filming location Bacup

• The town of Bacup in Lancashire serves as the primary stand-in for Hawley (Sky (official broadcaster)).
• Bacup sits in the Rossendale Valley on the south-eastern Lancashire border, near Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire (Sky (official broadcaster)).
• Visit Manchester’s blog confirms that Bacup’s Victorian terraces and rolling hills provide the visual backdrop for Hawley (Visit Manchester (tourism authority)).

Season-specific changes

• The first two series were filmed entirely in Bacup; later series expanded to locations in Greater Manchester, including Rochdale, Bury, and Bolton (Where Was It Filmed (production database)).
• Despite these expansions, Bacup remains the central filming hub (Manchester Evening News (regional news outlet)).

Where is Jim’s farm in Brassic?

Real-world farm location

• Jim’s Farm is a real working farm near Bacup, Lancashire (Sky (official broadcaster)).
• It appears in multiple episodes across several series as the equestrian centre run by Jim (Sky (official broadcaster)).

Episode appearances

• The farm is most prominent in the early series but returns as a key setting for character moments.
• Scenes involving horses and the farm’s yard are shot on site (Lancashire Telegraph (local newspaper)).

Accessibility for fans

• The exact address is not publicly disclosed, but the farm is visible from surrounding roads.
• Sky’s location page lists it without a street address, suggesting private access only (Sky (official broadcaster)).

The catch: fans can see the farm from a distance, but the working nature of the site means no public visiting hours.

Was Brassic filmed in Ireland?

Main filming locations in England

• No scenes of Brassic were filmed in Ireland. The entire production is based in Lancashire and Greater Manchester (Sky (official broadcaster)).
• Yacht departure scenes were filmed near Llandudno in Wales, not Ireland (Where Was It Filmed (production database)).

Irish actor involvement but not filming

• Aaron Heffernan, who plays the character Ash, is Irish — but he filmed all scenes in England (Wikipedia (biography entry)).
• No Irish filming permits were obtained for the series.

Answer: No

• Despite some cast members’ Irish heritage, the show’s setting and production remain firmly in northern England.

The pattern: Brassic stays true to its Lancashire roots — Irish talent is imported, not the location.

Where is Erin’s house in Brassic?

Real house used for exterior shots

• Erin’s house is a residential property in Bacup or the immediate surrounding area (Sky (official broadcaster)).
• The exterior — a classic terraced house with a front door and street — is an actual home on a public road.

Interior set details

• Interior scenes set inside Erin’s house are filmed on a set, not inside the real property (Secret Manchester (community blog)).
• This allows the production to control lighting and camera angles without disrupting a real household.

Neighborhood context

• The street is typical of Bacup’s Victorian architecture — narrow terraces with stone sills and bay windows.
• Fans who visit Bacup can walk past the exterior but cannot enter (Visit Manchester (tourism authority)).

What this means: Erin’s on-screen home is a real house, but her private moments are shot on a soundstage — a common trade-off for TV realism.

Where is Hawley in Brassic?

Hawley is a fictional town

• Hawley does not exist on any map. It is a made-up name designed to feel like a generic northern mill town (Wikipedia (encyclopedic reference)).
• Every scene labelled as “Hawley” was filmed in Bacup or other Lancashire locations.

Origin of the name

• The name “Hawley” was chosen by Danny Brocklehurst to suggest a town perched on a hill (haw + ley) (Sky (official broadcaster)).
• It mirrors the topography of Bacup, which sits on a hillside in the Rossendale Valley.

How Hawley mirrors Bacup

• Bacup’s architecture, pub culture, and surrounding countryside provide the visual identity for Hawley (Visit Manchester (tourism authority)).
• The show uses real Bacup streets for establishing shots, making Hawley feel authentic without requiring a real town of that name.

The trade-off: viewers get a believable setting without the constraints of a real town’s name — and Bacup gets the tourism bump.

Clarity: what’s certain and what remains uncertain

Voices from the production

Brassic is set in the fictional town of Hawley but is filmed in the real-life town of Bacup.

Visit Manchester blog (tourism authority)

Filming locations used in Brassic: Hawley, The Crow’s Nest, Vinnie’s Shack, Dr Cox’s Surgery, Jim’s Farm, The Wedding, Erin’s House, The Travellers…

Sky locations page (official broadcaster)

For fans planning a pilgrimage, the choice is clear: head to Bacup for the heart of Hawley, then swing by Manchester’s Star & Garter for a pint where the gang drinks — or miss the full Brassic experience.

Fans of the show can explore the actual streets of Bacup featured in the series through Brassic filming locations in Bacup.

Frequently asked questions