Mick Herron, who wrote the series of books the show is based on, used to gaze at this very building on his commute home and think, “I wonder who works there...” Now, we know—it serves as the headquarters for Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) and his ragtag squad of MI5 rejects.

Slow Horses viewers will recognize this spot as the place where Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas) meets up with Lamb, away from prying eyes. But in reality, there were plenty of prying eyes during shooting. Even in the middle of the night, fans gathered on the bridge above to try and spy Oldman and Thomas at work.

In Season 3, the production team removed the Regent’s Canal bench, so Lamb and Taverner went for a memorable ice-cream stroll toward this gate instead. According to the crew, Oldman ate somewhere around 10 ice-cream cones during the shooting of the scene—and they say they wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t eaten ice cream since.

In Herron’s books, “Spook’s Chapel” in Hampstead is the discreet location where funerals for spies are held. St. Michael Cornhill was identified as the perfect church to stand in for the imagined place—and it’s where, in Season 2, the Slow Horses gather to post a plaque for Min Harper behind a pew.

The team behind Slow Horses are thrilled any time they can recreate a location from the books, and Blake’s grave is no exception. The de facto meeting spot when the Slow Horses are in trouble, this unusual nook of London is a key location in Herron’s books and the show.

Part of the fun of shooting Slow Horses on-site in London is the opportunity to use well-known landmarks like this one. As the place where Lamb and Taverner have their final exchange in Season 1, these monumental and grand steps—dating back to the 1800s—gave the moment an extra dose of drama.

The entrance to the MI5 headquarters is referred to as “The Park” because of its fictional location in Regent’s Park. Some people claim to know where the real subterranean spy center is located in Regent’s Park, which is news to Herron, who made the whole thing up.

This location plays host to a memorable foot chase in Season 3 as Marcus (Kadiff Kirwan) and Shirley (Aimee-Ffion Edwards) try to nab a member of the tiger team. With several demanding takes shot on a single very hot day, Kirwan and Edwards’ real exhaustion made the sequence even more believable.

The scene of River and Frank’s Season 4 showdown takes place on the banks of the River Thames in Herron’s book. Turns out, in real life, it’s both quite expensive and rather dangerous to toss actors and stunt performers into the river itself. Instead, the crew swapped Granary Square in for the location of this climactic moment.

This major London railway station and its grand Victorian design offered the perfect second spot for River and Frank’s confrontation. The epic, sprawling hub made for one thrilling and cinematic final chase—and gave the team the idea to utilize the station’s champagne bar as a pivotal location.