London is increasingly being recognised as the film capital of the world and so, as the filming location industry hots up despite the recession, we sent writer Pierre De Villiers to track down the Capital's best-known celluloid home addresses
Whether you’re looking for a mansion suitable for a Jane Austen heroine or a modest flat that’s ideal for a gritty, character-driven drama, London has the residential properties for any film shoot.“London is certainly in the world top five in terms of popular residential film locations,” says Jonathan King, director of the location company which provides locations for film productions.
“It’s very popular for the history, architecture and antiquities it has to offer. And there are so many iconic points of interest to film in location library is more of a back-up and support to the film unit.”
“It’s very popular for the history, architecture and antiquities it has to offer. And there are so many iconic points of interest to film in location library is more of a back-up and support to the film unit.”
Here are some of London’s most iconic residential film locations:
Film: Notting HillLocation: 280 Westbourne Park Road, W11 1EHWe say: One of the most famous doors in cinematic history is the blue entrance, although now black, to the flat where William (Hugh Grant) and Anna (Julia Roberts) are caught on the hop by paparazzi in Notting Hill.
According to Stuart Bennett, the Notting Hill sales manager for Foxtons, the home, a converted chapel, benefits from high ceilings, huge windows and ornate church features.
“The property is in a great spot just off Portobello Road which is very desirable for those that know the area well," Bennett says.
"Most local people who have lived in and around the area for years prefer this side of Notting Hill as it still has the old character, vibe and charm that Notting Hill used to have 10 to 15 years ago.
"Property prices have easily doubled and in quite a few cases more than doubled, especially the prime streets, and even some of the less desirable streets.”
Notting Hill is out on Blu-Ray on January 24 and a special Valentine's Day DVD edition is out on January 31.
Estimated price of the property: Between £3.75 million to £4 million.
Want your own? Also in Westbourne Park Road is this two bedroom flat for sale in period conversion with private entrance and garden. On the market with Foxtons for £475,000.
Estimated price of the property: Between £3.75 million to £4 million.
Want your own? Also in Westbourne Park Road is this two bedroom flat for sale in period conversion with private entrance and garden. On the market with Foxtons for £475,000.
Film: Secrets and LiesLocation: 76 Quilter Street, E2 7BTWe say: The Victorian terrace house of Cynthia Rose Purley (Brenda Blethyn) formed the backdrop to some of the most dramatic scenes in Mike Leigh’s 1996 film about a black optometrist who discovers her birth mother is a white working class woman.
According to Andrew Phillips of Foxtons in Shoreditch, the property at 76 Quilter Street (pictured, left) is in a very desirable location around the Jesus Green/Columbia Road area where prices have increased significantly.
Estimated value of property: £600,000 to £650,000
Want your own? Also in Quilter Street is this three bedroom Victorian houseoverlooking Jesus Green featuring open plan reception, wood flooring, fireplace, stylish kitchen. On the market with Keatons for £640,000.
Want your own? Also in Quilter Street is this three bedroom Victorian houseoverlooking Jesus Green featuring open plan reception, wood flooring, fireplace, stylish kitchen. On the market with Keatons for £640,000.
Film: A Fish Called WandaLocation: New Concordia Wharf, Bermondsey Wall West SE1 2BBWe say: Remember the hilarious scene in A Fish Called Wanda where John Cleese is caught with his pants down while wooing Jamie Lee Curtis? That was shot at the stunning New Concordia Wharf, one of the many renovated Thames-side warehouses in the Bermondsey area.
Cate Dodkin, Canary Wharf sales manager of Foxtons, says: “Shad Thames is an incredibly desirable and chic area offering warehouse living often with river views and if you are lucky a view of Tower Bridge.”
Estimated price of the property: According to Dodkin the flat where filming took place could be worth several million pounds.
Estimated price of the property: According to Dodkin the flat where filming took place could be worth several million pounds.
Want your own? Also in New Concordia Wharf is this fifth floor two bedroom apartment overlooking the River Thames. It’s on the market with Savills for £1.95 million.
Film: Shaun Of The DeadLocation: Cunningham House, Hillcrest, N6 4HAWe say: When filming his ‘zom-rom-com’, Simon Pegg used several locations in North London including Cunningham House - an attractive, red brick building with lots of green space around it- as the apartment block where his girlfriend, Liz, lives.
Katy Stern, the sales manager for Foxtons in Muswell Hill says: “Cunningham House is situated in an extremely desirable location, very close to Highgate village.
Prices in this area have also doubled in the last 10 years positioning Highgate as a very worthwhile place to invest.”
Estimated price of the property: A standard two-bed flat in Cunningham House goes for around £350,000.
Estimated price of the property: A standard two-bed flat in Cunningham House goes for around £350,000.
Want your own? Also on Hillcrest is this three bedroom Mansion-style ground floor flat featuring modern kitchen. It’s on the market with Bernard Marcus at £354,950.
Film: HellraiserLocation: 187 Dollis Hill Lane, NW2 6EYWe say: One of the most notorious addresses in film history – 66 Lodovico Street, where Clare Higgins kills off people to regenerate Sean Chapman in Hellraiser – is actually a magnificent property in Dollis Hill.
An extraordinary design and stunning views over Gladstone Park in North West London makes this one of the most talked about properties in what is an up-and-coming area.
Estimated price of property: The average price of houses in Dollis Hill Lane is around £340,000 although there’s no doubt 66 Lodovico St would be worth above this due to its unique features.
Want your own? In nearby Pine Road is this two bedroom flat with contemporary bathroom suite, wood floors and private garden. It’s on the market with Foxtons for £320,000.
Want your own? In nearby Pine Road is this two bedroom flat with contemporary bathroom suite, wood floors and private garden. It’s on the market with Foxtons for £320,000.
Words: Pierre de Villiers
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