If you, just like many other Range Rover enthusiasts, are wondering which stately home is used in the Range Rover advert, this is the right place for you. The short answer is that you are looking at Harewood House in Yorkshire. What you see on this 18th-century estate between Leeds and Harrogate on the A61 is some of the more eccentric scenarios a car advert has put to screen in recent years.

In 2024, the production team of Land Rover spent two days filming Theo James driving a Range Rover Sport Autobiography in Velocity Blue. This is unlike any ad you will see on your screen. The giant chess pieces, alpacas, a dressage horse, and a stone staircase that a Range Rover Sport PHEV actually climbed all make it so unique and so memorable.

Why the estate was selected over more familiar English country houses is important: Harewood House is steeped in Georgian architecture and 250 years of history, but it doesn’t come with someone else’s period drama. As a Range Rover Sport advert location, this matters a lot.

Harewood House: The Estate Behind the Campaign

History of Harewood House:

It was started for the first Baron Harewood, Edwin Lascelles, in 1759, and was completed in 1771. Lancelot “Capability” Brown designed the landscaped grounds; these are still largely intact today. The design was the work of the architects John Carr and Robert Adam.

It encompasses thousands of acres, formal terraces, parkland, a bird garden and a lake. One of the most photographed features of the property is the Victorian Terrace steps, the dramatic stone steps that are featured in the Range Rover advert.

Before Range Rover, Harewood House had been the set for TV productions and commercials. It is one of the most convenient large estates for production work in the north of England, due to its period architecture, diverse outdoor topography and proximity to Leeds and Harrogate.

Why Harewood Was the Right Choice:

This is a conscious choice by Range Rover. The campaign was a short one that was “unmistakable Britishness” in the brand’s own words, and Harewood House does not sound generic.

Unlike some of the more familiar English stately homes, which are regularly used in period dramas, Harewood House feels grand and cinematic but not instantly recognisable from a TV show or franchise.

The estate was also realistically flexible. The production team had a variety of different terrains, formal gardens, open parkland, stone terraces, and estate roads that provided enough variety to create a full story without relocating to a second site.

The Range Rover Sport had to be tested on difficult terrain to prove its ability, and Harewood had that in one boundary.

What Happens In The Range Rover Sport Advert?

The advert sees Theo James driving the Range Rover Sport Autobiography in Velocity Blue through a series of increasingly bizarre situations on the Harewood estate.

The Scenes and Where They Were Filmed on the Estate:

The campaign is based on “pockets of British eccentricity“, according to Land Rover’s global managing director, Geraldine Ingham. The following sequences are included:

• The Victoria Terrace steps: the most eye-catching feature in the advert. The Range Rover Sport ascends the grand stone staircase, shot from below to highlight the vehicle’s ascent against the Georgian façade.
• The giant chessboard is a set built on the estate grounds with 10-foot chess pieces, which James manoeuvres the Sport around.
• Open parkland driving: long shots of the vehicle driving down a valley and picking up speed as it crosses the estate’s diverse terrain, to illustrate the Range Rover Sport PHEV’s all-terrain capabilities.
• The dressage sequence: a horse and rider gallop through the morning mist while James takes a few moments to catch glimpses in the driver’s side mirror, is added to highlight the elegance of the horse and rider and to contrast with the precision of the Sport.
• The alpaca encounter is a pair of alpacas watching James do a series of tightly controlled turns, which is played for dry humour.
• The Irish Wolfhound: James’ character has a loyal Irish Wolfhound waiting with a ball, thus setting the entire story in a cross-country journey home.

The production lasted for two days. The crew was seen preparing in various areas of the estate in behind-the-scenes footage posted on Harewood House’s social media.

Theo James and the Range Rover Sport Partnership:

In October 2024, it was revealed that Theo James will be the face of Range Rover Sport. The selection of James was closely linked to the car’s Britishness; they wanted a distinctly British face and screen presence for the car.

The casting was believable, even for the short time of the brand: James is a real Range Rover Sport owner. He drives a Range Rover Sport plug-in electric hybrid car in his personal life, so the partnership was not contractual, but a real-life endorsement.

Authenticity has been a theme in Land Rover and Range Rover’s recent campaigns, which they have continued with here, with stunt driver Jessica Hawkins.

The partnership continued beyond the launch campaign of 2024. James was also featured in Range Rover’s international campaign for the launch of the brand’s first all-electric Range Rover in January 2026, continuing a long association with the brand that has seen him feature in several campaigns.

The Range Rover Sport in the Advert:

This was filmed on the Range Rover Sport Autobiography, which is a new exterior colour for this campaign. The advert was created to kick off the Range Rover Sport PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) range, as well as the colour.

Feature	Detail
Model	Range Rover Sport Autobiography
Colour	Velocity Blue (new for 2024)
Drivetrain	Plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV)
Location	Harewood House, West Yorkshire
Campaign launch	October 2024
Actor	Theo James

The Range Rover Sport PHEV is powered by a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor, delivering more than 400hp when in P460e mode. The stunt shots in the ad were not computer-generated, but real.

FAQs:

Has Harewood House hosted any other TV or film productions?

Yes. The Range Rover Sport campaign is not the first time that Harewood House has been used as a commercial and production filming location. It is one of the most convenient large estates in the north of England for shoots, with its Georgian architecture, diverse landscape and location near Leeds.

Why did Range Rover choose a Yorkshire estate over a more famous English country house?

Harewood House is a grand and cinematic place, but not immediately associated with a period drama. Existing associations are more recognisable for more recognisable estates. Harewood House provided the Range Rover Sport Autobiography campaign with a clean visual identity without having to compete with another franchise’s background.

Did Theo James do the driving himself in the advert?

It’s not confirmed whether Theo James did all the sequences himself in the advert. The Victoria Terrace staircase climb was a practical stunt that was verified by behind-the-scenes footage that Harewood House posted on social media during the two-day shoot.

Can you visit Harewood House?

Yes. Harewood House is open to the public seasonally, with the gardens and the Victoria Terrace steps, powered by the Range Rover Sport in the advert. Please visit Harewood House Trust’s website for up-to-date opening dates.

In which area of Harewood House was the Range Rover advert shot?

At 4 sites on the estate: the Victoria Terrace stone staircase, open parkland, a man-made giant chessboard on the estate, and the estate valley roads for longer driving sequences.

Conclusion:

Every Range Rover enthusiast is asking the same question these days: “Which Stately Home Is Used in the Range Rover Advert?” The Range Rover advert’s stately home is Harewood House, a Georgian house with more than 250 years of history and plenty of land to double up as a Range Rover Sport Autobiography in Velocity Blue obstacle course in West Yorkshire.

The success of the campaign is all about the location, casting, and the vehicle that was able to support all the stunts that were demonstrated on screen. At Jaguar and Land Rover Engine Specialists, we service Range Rover Sport owners daily, diagnose their issues and provide engine care for the vehicles that inspire campaigns like these.