Outlander Season 7 Episode 10 whisks Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Young Ian (John Bell) all the way back to Revolutionary War era America, namely the iconic city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. We’ve already visited colonial North Carolina and New York in the Starz show, but Philly is inextricably tied to this era of American history. It’s a place known for the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, cobblestone streets, and the exploits of one Ben Franklin. In short, Philadelphia is not a place Outlander could easily recreate on location in Scotland. And they didn’t.
Outlander actually left their “base camp” in Scotland to create colonial Philadelphia in Season 7 Episode 10 “Brotherly Love,” but that doesn’t mean they were on location in Philly, either.
Philadelphia marks a key turning point in the Outlander saga. Claire is separated from Jamie (Sam Heughan), but reunited with fan favorite Lord John Grey (David Berry), who is fretting over the health of his nephew. Young Ian is hoping to become reunited with spirited young Quaker Rachel Hunter (Izzy Miekle-Small). Oh, and Outlander‘s timeline is about to dovetail neatly into key events from the Revolutionary War, including Washington’s encampment at the nearby Valley Forge.
So where did Outlander journey to in order to capture the look of Lord John Grey’s home on an 18th century version of Philadelphia’s Chestnut Street (which is now the home of high-rise office buildings)? Where exactly is Claire running her errands? Where did Outlander go to recreate Philadelphia in the 1770s? Here’s what you need to know about Outlander‘s Philadelphia filming locations…
Outlander Filming Locations: Did The Starz Show Go to Philadelphia?
While Claire and Young Ian might have journeyed from Scotland all the way to Philadelphia in Outlander Season 7 Episode 10 “Brotherly Love,” the show’s production stayed closer to home…but they still left Scotland.
“That was Liverpool,” Outlander executive producer Matthew B. Roberts explained to Decider. “So thank you Liverpool for providing us the streets of Philadelphia.”
Liverpool, of course, is a coastal city in England, most famous for being the birthplace of the Beatles.
“The nice thing about the UK is a lot of the elements that moved from Great Britain to the colonies, you know, that’s where they came from. That was their origin,” Roberts said. “So when we search around, we can ultimately sometimes find what we’re looking for in the UK…brick and stone are just everywhere.”
So, no, Caitriona Balfe did not get to visit the real Philly for those scenes. No cheese steaks were enjoyed by the Outlander team. However, Roberts admitted that Outlander‘s cast and crew still had a lot of fun.
“It was also a bit of a mini vacation for the crew and the cast to go down to Liverpool and spend spend a week there filming,” he said. “It’s always nice to take our little sojourns away from base camp.”
Most of Outlander is shot on location in Scotland, with interior sets shot at Wardpark Studios.
