As the temperature drops and leaves turn orange and red, the beloved Canadian television show Murdoch Mysteries returns to Kingston for the fourth time.
Murdoch Mysteries is shooting scenes for its 300th episode at St. George’s Cathedral, The Rosemount Inn, and at a house on Emily Street from October 2 to 5. For Julie Lacey, producer of Murdoch Mysteries, Kingston is the perfect place to shoot the longtime series, which takes place at the turn of the 20th century.
“Kingston has beautifully preserved its historic buildings and is one of the most stunning physical settings in the country. We’ve had the pleasure of setting a Murdoch episode in Kingston, but this season our executive producer Peter Mitchell and producer Jenny Hood are transforming Kingston into historic England for our 300th episode of the series,” Lacey says.
The Murdoch Mysteries team has ventured to Kingston’s historic Market Square, Kingston Penitentiary, Sydenham Ward, and Queen’s University to shoot various scenes of the Canadian classic. The show also filmed on the S.S. Keewatin at the Great Lakes Museum, for the season 7-episode Murdoch Ahoy.
Bringing the script, written by Paul Aitken, and vision, cultivated by Laurie Lynd, of the nautical episode to life, the show’s team transformed the passenger liner back into an opulent, early-20th century vessel teeming with prominent aristocrats.
Lacey’s favourite episodes of Murdoch Mysteries filmed in Kingston include season 15 episode The Things We Do For Love (part 2), and season 7 episode Midnight Train to Kingston. The former follows the notorious gang The Black Hand as they traverse Market Square, while the latter features Kingston Penitentiary, where Murdoch encounters his arch-nemesis James Gillies.
Lacey’s return to Kingston isn’t simply a professional venture—it’s a homecoming. Born and raised in Kingston, Lacey is intimately familiar with the arched limestone alleyways dotting the downtown core. She went to Queen’s University for her undergraduate degree, and her two sisters both work at the Kingston General Hospital.
“Personally, I love [that Kingston is] so close to the lake. And the Kingston community is such a welcoming [community],” Lacey says.
Lacey enjoys seeing Kingstonians flock to the set of Murdoch Mysteries to watch the series film. Many of them are proud to see the beauty of their hometown displayed on the big screen, she says.
You can explore more productions shot in Kingston on a Creative Kingston Walking Film Tour.
