Exploring the Filming Locations of the Beloved Holiday Movie and the Cottage’s Story
Kate Winslet and Jack Black in The Holiday.
Credit :
Moviestore/Shutterstock
Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday is more than just a seasonal romantic comedy; it’s a cinematic escape that continues to resonate with audiences. Released in 2006, the film follows two women, Iris (Kate Winslet) and Amanda (Cameron Diaz), as they swap homes across continents in an attempt to outrun their heartbreak. What begins as an impulsive holiday decision evolves into a heartfelt narrative of second chances, featuring unexpected love found in both the English countryside and sunny California.
Cameron Diaz reflected on the film’s aspirational qualities in a 2020 interview with Vulture, stating, “It’s set in the real world, but it’s like, ‘Who’s getting on first class, and flying, and taking this cute little cottage in the middle of England?’ Who gets to do that? You always wish that was you. You want to go do that.”
Filming for The Holiday commenced in early 2006 in Los Angeles and concluded the following June, with about a month spent in England to capture scenes in Iris’s countryside cottage. Despite its fantasy elements, the film features real locations, from idyllic English villages to sun-drenched Californian streets.
Iris’s Cottage in Holmbury St Mary, Surrey
‘The Holiday’ (2006).
Sony Pictures Entertainment
In The Holiday, Iris is depicted living in a picturesque cottage named Rosehill, an enchanting setting nestled in the English countryside. However, this cottage was not an actual location; instead, it was a set constructed in Shere, Surrey, inspired by Honeysuckle Cottage, a real home located in a village nearby.
In a November 2024 appearance on BBC Radio 2’s The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Jude Law, who portrays Graham, Amanda’s love interest, described Meyers as a "bit of a perfectionist." He noted that she was unable to find the ideal cottage during location scouting, prompting her to design one herself. “She just hired a field and drew it and had someone build it,” he explained.
While interior scenes were filmed on custom-built sets in Los Angeles, the exterior shots were swiftly constructed in Surrey over mere weeks. Benjamin Greenacre, the location manager, recalled the impressive speed of the cottage’s construction in a 2017 video. “It started off as a field and four wooden pegs… Within four days, you could actually see the cottage,” he stated, noting that the landscaping took an additional four weeks to create the illusion of a garden that looked established for centuries.
The White Horse Pub in Shere, Surrey
Cameron Diaz in The Holiday.
Simon Mein/Sony/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
Key romantic moments between Amanda and Graham unfold in The White Horse, a quaint pub in Shere, Surrey, where the filmmakers shot these scenes in their charming surroundings rather than on a soundstage. The nearby village of Godalming also features prominently, serving as the shopping destination for Amanda’s excessive grocery run.
Production designer Jon Hutman noted that they discovered Shere almost serendipitously, stating, “Once we found the perfect site, production began just up the hill from St. James Church and down the road from the 16th-century White Horse Tavern.”
Cornwell Manor in Oxfordshire, Cotswolds
Cameron Diaz and Jude Law in ‘The Holiday’ (2006).
Columbia Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Many village scenes in The Holiday were filmed in Surrey, with locations including Shere, Godalming, and Wonersh. The serene Cotswolds, a favored English getaway for Amanda, is briefly featured but holds significance in the storyline.
Cornwell Manor, an expansive 2,000-acre estate near Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds, served as the setting for the lunch date between Amanda and Graham. While the manor is not typically open to the public, it is available for private events.
Southern California Locations
‘The Holiday’ (2006).
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Amanda’s impressive mansion in California was designed by celebrated architect Wallace Neff, who is known for creating homes that have attracted Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Aniston. This property, built in 1928, boasts seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms, located on Orlando Road in San Marino.
Additional California locations include Iris’s friend Arthur’s (Eli Wallach) home, filmed in Brentwood, and airport scenes shot at the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Huntington Library. Interior scenes for both Iris’s and Amanda’s homes were filmed on a sound stage in Los Angeles, separate from the outdoor shoots in the U.K.
Reflecting on the filming process, Jude Law remarked on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show about the unique shooting schedule, indicating that while they filmed in winter in the U.K., the interior scenes were captured in Los Angeles months later.
