London is a city with a multitude of iconic sites, which have been used for the location of numerous film productions. However, London also offers a selection of more quirky filming locations. Here are just five of them.
Melanie the Narrow Boat
Definitely one of a kind, Melanie the Narrow Boat was hand-crafted some fifty years ago. Melanie is described as a 33 feet “Bohemian” long boat offering a truly quirky filming location. Melanie has front and rear deck space, a low-ceiling, a wood-panelled interior and an original cast iron stove and has the added advantage that it can be moved to any location on the London canal network. It can be customised according to production requirements and can be filmed as it sails the canals. Melanie is a perfect choice for capturing the scenery around the banks of London’s canal network.
ZSL London Zoo
The Zoological Society of London offers London Zoo (also known as Regent’s Zoo) as a fantastic filming location opportunity and its reputation and the number of productions it hosts are both steadily growing. As the world’s oldest scientific zoo and having one of the largest collections of animals in the UK, it provides a range of attractive and scenic backdrops and, of course, the opportunity to incorporate shots of its many species of animal. The ZSL is highly supportive of film and welcomes production crews of every size to the zoo’s location in NW1 throughout the whole of the year.
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club
A lively working men’s club that is, perhaps, more reminiscent of the North than it is of East London, Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club was first opened in 1887. The building consists of two large halls with stages and bar area and a pool room and represents an ideal opportunity to capture the ambience of the old East End. This is definitely one of the more quirky filming locations in the capital city.
1970’s Family Home in Enfield, North London
Another filming location that might be considered slightly unusual, this property has classic 1970’s décor and a wide range of furnishings from the era. This throwback to a bygone period has a kitchen with a dining area, a lounge, bathroom and bedrooms. For anyone who is considering a production requiring an authentic 1970’s property for convincing interior shooting, this house in Enfield offers a perfect solution.
Bunker 51, North Greenwich
Bunker 51 is a former cold war bunker that has now been decommissioned. Located in North Greenwich, beside the Thames Barrier, it consists of two extensive nuclear themed bunker arenas. Props with a nuclear theme are available as is a wide range of imitation firearms and other equipment. It also has a trench/mine area. Bunker 51 is an ideal opportunity to recreate the ambience of what life would have been like in a bunker during a post-apocalyptic era and is one of the more haunting of London’s unusual filming locations.
London is a city that is full of opportunities and, hopefully, this eclectic selection of its more unusual filming locations demonstrates some of the options that are available to film producers who are looking for a location that is a little different! Talk to the team at Tallboy to make your next corporate video shine.