Essex gains a high-profile production boost as Practical Magic 2 used a preserved vintage train and local sites for filming ahead of the sequel's release next month. Producers asked Epping Ongar Railway to move a 1960s British Rail Mark 1 coach from North Weald, Essex, to Warner Bros Studios in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, to stage a scene featuring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.
Station manager Robert Bentley, 27, said the call from Hollywood came unexpectedly. He described the experience on set, saying, "When you're stood at the studio and then all of a sudden Sandra is stood next to you, it's hard to describe the feeling." Bentley said he spoke with Bullock about the carriage's history, and that he was asked to remain for a scene, appearing as the train guard with a line of dialogue.
Bentley said the railway was selected because its countryside setting and authentic coach suited the production's needs, and that the payment for the location "was not six digits, but 'quite a high figure'." The site is no stranger to film crews; Epping Ongar Railway preserved its stations and carriages after closure in the 1990s and has been used by television makers on shows such as Man vs Baby and Death in Paradise.
Producers also filmed other scenes locally, including at St Mary and All Saints Church in Lambourne, near Abridge, a Grade I-listed building that dates back to the 12th century but was judged able to pass for a US church. The production joins other recent shoots in the county, including the Daniel Craig thriller Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, which used a church in Epping Forest.
Local officials framed the production as part of a wider push to attract large projects. Essex County Council set up the Essex Film Office in 2022 to help production companies find locations and secure permissions, and it was reported that film and TV work in the county generated £3m for the local economy since 2022. Manager Erica Gilson said she felt "hugely proud" to have worked on Mr Bates vs The Post Office, and cabinet member Jeff Bray called it "fantastic" to see A-list actors in Essex, saying, "We've got everything: wide open countryside, fantastic beaches, heritage of every kind from Roman through to Medieval - whatever you want you'll find it here in Essex."
The Practical Magic 2 shoot underlines how preserved heritage and adaptable locations can attract major studio shoots, and it sets local operators and the county film office up to market Essex to further productions as the sequel reaches cinemas next month.
