Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides (2011)

Movie poster. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow holding smoking guns in each hand with burning ships behind him.. Pirates of the Caribbean on stranger tides is written in a white panel in front,

Pirates of the Caribbean on Stranger Tides Poster © Disney

Directed by: Rob Marshall

Produced by: Jerry Bruckheimer

Starring: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin R. McNally, Geoffrey Rush

Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Kent Filming Locations: Knole

In the fourth instalment of the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean series, Johnny Depp returns as the lovable rogue Captain Jack Sparrow. On a quest to find the fabled Fountain of Youth, he is joined by veteran pirates Geoffrey Rush (returning as Captain Barbossa) and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s long time comrade, Joshamee Gibbs. Ian McShane makes his pirate debut as the murderous Blackbeard.

In this action packed tale, Jack is lured on board the ship of the notorious Blackbeard by the mysterious Penelope Cruz, a long lost love from his distant past. Racing against the Spanish and English Naval fleets to reach the Fountain of Youth; Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a whirlwind story of adventure, revenge and dangerous mermaids.

Directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago, Into the Woods), the film stars a host of acting talent including Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow, Alice in Wonderland), Penélope Cruz (Volver, Vicky Cristina Barcelona), Ian McShane (Lovejoy, Hercules), Kevin R. McNally (Legend, Dad) and Geoffrey Rush (Shakespeare in Love, The King’s Speech).

Knole Park near Sevenoaks was the Kent location used in the film. The large inner courtyard was filled with gallows intended for Gibbs.

Set in the heart of the only remaining medieval deer park in Kent, the beautiful 18th Century house has been shown off to visitors for the past 500 years. Family home to the Sackvilles’, the house was also the setting for Virginia Woolf’s novel Orlando. Within its thirteen rooms, the stately home, it contains the world renowned Stuart furniture, paintings by Gainsborough and Many 17th Century Tapestries.

Pirates of the Caribbean is not the only Hollywood film to recognise the beauty of Knole as a filming location. Costume Drama The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) was filmed there in 2006; it was the setting for many of the London night scenes. The inner courtyard was used to replicate the famous Whitehall Palace where grand arrivals and departures were depicted. The courtyard was also transformed for 2010 film Burke and Hare (2010) into a crowded market square complete with extras and stars Simon Pegg and Isla Fisher.

The film was released in cinemas in May 2011 and is now available to buy on DVD.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.