Planning · Charity · Netflix
265 The Ridgeway: The PBCC Hall That Became a Netflix Set — and Was Sold to Harrow Council for £11 Million
The Harrow Gospel Trust vacated its West Harrow meeting room in 2017 and applied to build 178 homes on the site. Nearly 3,000 residents objected. Planning was refused in July 2021. The building was sold to Harrow Council for approximately £11 million — then used as the principal filming location for Netflix's Unchosen, a six-part drama directly inspired by the Plymouth Brethren, which reached number one in 69 countries on its April 2026 release. The room that once held PBCC worship services now hosts Harrow Council meetings.
Originally published 22 February 2021
Updated June 2026
Category Planning · Charity
Read time 7 min
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Major Update — April 2026
Unchosen: Netflix's #1 Global Drama Was Filmed Here
Netflix released
Unchosen on 21 April 2026 — a six-part psychological thriller set within a secretive religious community called "The Fellowship of the Divine." The series reached
#1 in 69 countries, making it one of Netflix UK's biggest 2026 launches. Creator Julie Gearey confirmed the series was inspired by real high-control religious communities. The Sunday Times reported it
"borrows from the Plymouth Brethren and other ultra-conservative groups." Asa Butterfield, who plays Adam in the series, reportedly studied documentaries about the Plymouth Brethren in preparation for his role. Multiple film and television publications have identified the filming location as
the former PBCC gospel hall in Harrow — the same building at the centre of this investigation. The same room that Harrow Council now uses for full council meetings appeared on screen worldwide as the claustrophobic meeting hall of a PBCC-inspired religious sect. See the show on
Netflix →
The Building History
265 The Ridgeway is a substantial meeting room in West Harrow, built for the Harrow Gospel Trust after planning permission was granted approximately 20 years ago. The PBCC community used it as a place of worship and assembly from the late 1990s until 2017, when they vacated the premises.
Late 1990s
Planning permission granted · Hall built
Harrow Gospel Trust obtains planning permission for a new meeting room in West Harrow. The building is constructed and enters use as a PBCC place of worship and assembly.
2017
PBCC vacates the building
The Harrow Gospel Trust ceases to use the hall for worship. The building falls vacant.
2019–21
Planning application for ~195 homes, revised to 178 Contested
The Harrow Gospel Trust submits a planning application to convert the site to residential development — initially ~195 homes, later revised to 178. Nearly 3,000 local residents object via an online petition. The Harrow Times covers the dispute extensively.
July 2021
Planning permission REFUSED Refused
Harrow Council refuses planning permission for the 178-home development. The community campaign is successful.
2022–24
Building sold to Harrow Council — ~£11 million Sold
Following the planning refusal, the Harrow Gospel Trust sells the building to the London Borough of Harrow for approximately £11 million. The council acquires a substantial asset for civic use.
2025
Used as filming location for Netflix's Unchosen Netflix
The building is made available for "short-term film-related work." A flyer offering the site for this purpose circulated online. Netflix's production team uses the meeting hall as the principal interior filming location for Unchosen — a drama set within a PBCC-inspired religious community.
21 Apr 2026
Unchosen released — reaches #1 in 69 countries Netflix
Netflix releases Unchosen worldwide. It reaches #1 in the UK and #1 globally, becoming one of Netflix's biggest 2026 launches. Millions of viewers worldwide see the former PBCC meeting room as the fictional "Fellowship of the Divine" hall.
Ongoing
Harrow Council holds full council meetings at the building In Use
London Borough of Harrow holds its full council meetings at 265 The Ridgeway. The LB Harrow Facebook page documented the first full council meeting there: "Tonight for the first time, Full Council was held at 265 The Ridgeway while we wait for the chamber refurbishment."
Netflix Unchosen — The Show
Unchosen
Netflix Original · #1 Globally
Creator / Writer
Julie Gearey
Directors
Jim Loach · Philippa Langdale
Cast
Asa Butterfield · Molly Windsor · Fra Fee · Christopher Eccleston · Siobhan Finneran
Production
Double Dutch Productions
Premise
Rosie (Windsor), a devoted wife in "The Fellowship of the Divine" — a strict, isolated community banning technology, music and contact with outsiders — is disrupted by an escaped convict (Fee)
Inspiration
Confirmed: inspired by real high-control religious communities. The Sunday Times: "borrows from the Plymouth Brethren and other ultra-conservative groups"
The filming connection: Multiple publications — including The Tab, Grazia and LADbible — identified the filming location as the former PBCC gospel hall in Harrow. The layout, doorway and features of the fictional "Fellowship Hall" match the Harrow building. A flyer offering the site for "short-term film-related work" was circulated. Asa Butterfield confirmed to Elle magazine that he studied documentaries about the Plymouth Brethren in preparation. The production has not officially confirmed the Harrow address, but the evidence from multiple investigative sources is consistent. It is reported that ex-Brethren members were consulted by the show's producers.
The National Pattern
The Harrow case illustrates a pattern documented across multiple PBCC communities in the UK. The strategy — as identified in our investigation — typically runs as follows:
The PBCC Planning Strategy — as Documented
Obtain planning permission for new meeting hall
→
Build and occupy the hall
→
Vacate (relocate to new/larger hall)
→
Apply to convert for residential or commercial use
→
Realise profit on the development
In Harrow, the strategy was interrupted by sustained community opposition and planning refusal. The charitable trust nonetheless extracted significant value: selling the building to the council for approximately £11 million. The building was acquired with public funds, used as a Netflix film set, and now serves as a council chamber. The community that spent years opposing PBCC residential development now meets for democratic debate in the same room where the PBCC held worship.
Note on the address: The original Brethren Exposed investigation referred to "256 Ridgeway." Harrow Council's Facebook documentation and multiple press sources refer to "265 The Ridgeway." Based on the Harrow Council documentation and filming location reporting, the address is most likely 265 The Ridgeway, West Harrow.
Disclaimer: Planning application details are from Harrow Council records. The sale price of ~£11 million is reported, not confirmed via published council accounts. The filming location is identified from multiple press and social media sources — not officially confirmed by Netflix or the production company. The address discrepancy (256 vs 265 The Ridgeway) reflects the original investigation's numbering versus Harrow Council's usage; the most likely correct address is 265 The Ridgeway. Originally published by Brethren Exposed, 22 February 2021. Updated June 2026 with Netflix Unchosen information.
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