Discover the real London locations behind the Apple TV series Slow Horses, from Slough House in Barbican to the streets of Smithfield, King’s Cross and Holborn.
London has appeared in countless films and television series, but few capture its everyday character quite like Slow Horses.
Based on Mick Herron’s novels and starring Gary Oldman as the wonderfully unpleasant Jackson Lamb, the Apple TV spy drama follows a group of MI5 agents who have been sent to Slough House after making mistakes that damaged their careers.
Forget the polished world of James Bond. Slow Horses takes us through ordinary London streets, old cafés, overlooked corners, concrete walkways and buildings that most tourists would probably walk straight past.
And that is exactly what makes its filming locations so interesting.
On our latest trip to London, we decided to visit some of the real places used in the series. Most are within walking distance of one another, although a few require a longer walk or a short Underground journey.
Here is where we went, what we discovered and how you can follow the same route.
1. Slough House – Aldersgate Street, Barbican
Location: Around 126 Aldersgate Street, London EC1A 4JQ
Our first stop was probably the most recognisable location in the entire series: Slough House.
The fictional headquarters of MI5’s unwanted agents is located on Aldersgate Street, just across from Barbican Underground station.
What makes this location particularly interesting is that it was also the area Mick Herron had in mind when writing his books. The production team considered alternatives but eventually chose to film in the neighbourhood described in the novels.
The building is surprisingly easy to miss if you are not looking for it. There is no large Slow Horses sign, just an ordinary London street with cafés, restaurants and offices.
The entrance looks slightly different in real life. The door is purple, although it appears much darker on screen.
Nearby, the Gate Grill café is transformed into the Chinese restaurant regularly visited by Jackson Lamb. The production changes the appearance of the shopfront to make it fit the fictional world.
Look up towards the offices above Vecchio Parioli, the Italian restaurant next door, and you will recognise the exterior of Slough House.
One detail worth knowing: the real interiors of Slough House are not filmed inside this building. The production uses studio sets, while the Aldersgate Street location provides the exterior.
It is a perfect example of how television combines several places to create one fictional address.
2. Barbican Estate – Concrete London at Its Best
Location: Barbican Estate, London EC2Y
Just across the road from Slough House is the Barbican Estate, one of London's most distinctive architectural developments.
Completed in stages between the 1960s and 1970s, the estate is known for its Brutalist architecture, elevated pedestrian walkways, residential towers and unusual combination of concrete buildings, gardens and water.
For Slow Horses, it provides a very different backdrop from the grand streets and historic landmarks usually associated with London spy stories.
The series uses the area's bridges, passages and walkways for several scenes, including encounters involving River Cartwright and James "Spider" Webb.
Even if you have never watched Slow Horses, Barbican is worth exploring.
One moment you are beside a busy main road, and a few steps later you are surrounded by elevated walkways, quiet residential spaces and unexpected views of the City.
It is one of the parts of London we particularly enjoy walking around.
3. Barbican Launderette – An Unexpected Filming Location
Location: White Lyon Court, Barbican
Not every filming location needs to be spectacular.
Sometimes a completely ordinary place becomes memorable because of the scene filmed there.
The Barbican Launderette is one of those locations.
Jackson Lamb meets former intelligence operative Sam Chapman here, using a place that looks exactly like somewhere you might find tucked away in a London residential estate.
The launderette has been part of the Barbican neighbourhood for decades and retains much of its old-fashioned character.
It is not a specially constructed set. It is a real working launderette.
And that is part of the appeal of visiting Slow Horses locations. The production makes everyday places feel important without completely changing what they are.
4. Beppe’s Café – Jackson Lamb’s Breakfast Stop
Location: 23 West Smithfield, London EC1A 9HY
If there is one character who appreciates a proper, uncomplicated breakfast, it is Jackson Lamb.
Beppe’s Café near Smithfield Market is one of the real cafés featured in the series.
Located in an area historically associated with London's meat trade, it has the atmosphere of an old-fashioned London café rather than a fashionable brunch destination.
Smithfield itself is worth exploring. The area has a long history, and its streets still contain traces of London's commercial and industrial past.
For us, this is exactly the kind of London that makes the series enjoyable.
Nothing is particularly glamorous, but the surroundings feel authentic.
5. The Back Entrance to Slough House – St John Street
Location: 16 St John Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1M
Here is a detail that might surprise viewers.
The front and back entrances of Slough House are not part of the same building.
While its main entrance is filmed on Aldersgate Street, the recognisable rear staircase and service-yard scenes are filmed on St John Street, a short walk away.
In the series, these locations appear to be connected.
In reality, they are separate places.
It is a small piece of television trickery, but seeing both locations makes you appreciate how carefully the production constructs the geography of Slough House.
For fans of the series, this is one of the most enjoyable places to recognise.
6. St Pancras International – Slow Horses Goes to King’s Cross
Location: Euston Road, London N1C 4QP
From the Barbican and Smithfield area, we headed towards King’s Cross.
St Pancras International features prominently in the fourth season of Slow Horses.
The station is one of London's most impressive railway buildings, famous for its Victorian Gothic architecture and enormous train shed.
For the production, filming in a busy working railway station presented obvious logistical challenges.
The location team nevertheless used the real station for important scenes rather than replacing everything with a studio set.
The contrast between its grand historic architecture and the fast-paced action of Slow Horses works particularly well.
Even without the television connection, St Pancras is worth visiting for the architecture alone.
7. King’s Cross and Granary Square – The Lighterman
Location: 3 Granary Square, London N1C 4BH
King’s Cross has changed enormously over the past two decades.
What was once an industrial area filled with railway infrastructure and warehouses has become a neighbourhood of restored buildings, public squares, restaurants and pedestrian spaces.
Granary Square is one of the best examples of that transformation.
For Slow Horses fans, this area is particularly interesting because of the fourth-season finale.
The production filmed a major confrontation around The Lighterman, a modern pub overlooking Granary Square and Regent’s Canal.
Interestingly, the sequence was originally intended to take place elsewhere in London, but the team decided that King's Cross offered a better setting.
The result is one of the series' most recognisable location sequences.
We also explored the nearby pedestrian areas, including the illuminated King's Cross tunnel, which is worth seeing as part of a wider neighbourhood walk.
8. Conway Hall – A Political Rally in Slow Horses
Location: 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
Our final Slow Horses filming stop was Conway Hall in Holborn.
This Grade II-listed building opened in 1929 and has a long association with public lectures, debates and political events.
In the fifth season of Slow Horses, it becomes the location of a political rally held by the fictional politician Dennis Gimball.
The production used both the building's interior and exterior, temporarily transforming the surroundings with campaign material and signage.
What makes this location especially interesting is its real history.
Conway Hall has hosted political meetings and public debates for generations, so its appearance in a fictional political storyline feels particularly appropriate.
It is also a reminder that London filming locations often have stories extending far beyond the television programmes in which they appear.
A Few More Stops Along the Way
Although our main reason for visiting London was to explore the Slow Horses filming locations, we also made time for a few places we regularly return to.
We stopped for coffee at the Rosewood London hotel and walked through Lincoln’s Inn Fields, one of our favourite quiet corners of central London.
The square is home to Sir John Soane’s Museum, an extraordinary collection of art, architecture and objects inside the architect's former home. It is somewhere we would definitely recommend visiting.
We also stopped at Sounds of the Universe, one of our favourite music shops, where we managed to find a few anime soundtracks that are not always easy to come across.
Before catching our train, we picked up salads from The Salad Project for the journey home.
These places are not part of our Slow Horses filming route, but they are part of how we like to spend a day in London.
None of the places mentioned in our video are sponsored. They are simply places we enjoy visiting and genuinely recommend.
How to Visit the Slow Horses Filming Locations Yourself
You do not need an organised tour to explore many of these locations.
Our suggested order is:
Slough House – Aldersgate Street
Barbican Estate and its elevated walkways
Barbican Launderette – White Lyon Court
Beppe’s Café – West Smithfield
Slough House rear staircase – St John Street
St Pancras International
Granary Square and The Lighterman
Conway Hall – Red Lion Square
Allow around half a day for the full route, depending on how much time you spend at each location and whether you stop for photographs.
You can walk much of the route, or use public transport between the Barbican and King’s Cross if you prefer.
All the main exterior locations can be appreciated from public areas, although access to individual buildings and businesses will depend on their opening hours.
Why We Love Exploring Filming Locations
One of the things we enjoy most about visiting filming locations is discovering parts of a city we might otherwise overlook.
Slow Horses is particularly good for this.
It does not rely on London's most famous attractions to establish its atmosphere. Instead, it makes use of real streets, ordinary buildings and neighbourhoods with their own character.
And once you have seen these locations in person, watching the series becomes a slightly different experience.
You start recognising corners, shopfronts and walkways that previously seemed completely unremarkable.
If you enjoy Slow Horses, London architecture or simply discovering less obvious corners of the city, this is a walk worth doing.
Watch our Slow Horses London filming locations video on YouTube to see the streets and buildings for yourself.
And if you enjoy exploring London through television, film and local discoveries, you can find more of our stories here at Nine Years & Counting.
Thank you for joining us, and see you on our next adventure.
Gosia & Julian
Nine Years & Counting
