tellingbone

I live in WGC and I was wondering if anyone knew of any films that were made at the above studios. The only one I can recall is 'I Married a Spy'. Also, are of these titles available? Thanks in advance.

Steve Crook

As is often the case, British films often use different facilities at different studios so some films tend to be recorded as having been made at quite a few different studios.

The IMDb Location Tree is helpful for this sort of query. It will tell you all the films it knows about that were made (or partly made) at WGC Studios or in WGC itself.

The most famous one made at WGC Studios in Brighton Rock (1947).

Steve

smudge

If I recall correctly, WGC was used as an additional facility by Associated British (Elstree). Very much a 'lesser' studio, one of the other more memorable features to emerge from there was Alec Guinness' LAST HOLIDAY.

SMUDGE

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

brianl

There was at least one Gert and Daisy film made at this studio in either 1941 or 1942 titled Gert and Daisy's Weekend. At least that is the studio shown on the film's credits.
You could ask if anyone has a copy of this film in the "Looking for a Film" folder.
Hope this helps
Brianl

julian_craster

I think the Welwyn studios were closed in 1950, after a major
upgrade was made at ABPC Elstree to accomodate Warner Bros
productions such as 'Under Capricorn' .
'Temptation Harbour' (1948) was made at Welwyn, as was 'No Tears for Jennifer' starring Janette Scott and Leo Genn in 1949, which was, I think, the last film to e produced at the studio .......

alan gowdy

A book I have somewhere - London on Film - has a photo of an outdoor set at Welwyn, taken from a rooftop or possibly a low flying aircraft, which appears to locate the studio in rural surroundings. However I have read that it was actually in a heavily developed industrial part of the town. Both circumstances cannot be the case - unless of course there has been enormous building development over the years. Can anyone enlighten me?

"Don't forget... one of petrol, two of meths"

tellingbone

The studio was on Broadwater Road, I used to live about 400 yards from there. It was at that time an industrialised area but nowhere near what it has become today. Up to aorund 1992, it was the home of Polycell, the building with the curved roof was the main warehouse! The building is listed and so still extant. I will try and post some a link to some recent pics at the weekend!

alan gowdy

Excellent, thanks.

"Don't forget... one of petrol, two of meths"

tellingbone

I'm sad to say that the former Welwyn Garden City Studios site (British Instructional Films (BIF) on Broadwater Road is no more. More recently used as a base for Polycell, the site which has lain in disrepair for some years has finally succumbed to the developers and is now totally levelled. Seems that Tesco have plans to build a new superstore on the site!

Being a life-long WGC resident, I'd always assumed that certain buildings on the site were listed for preservation, clearly that was not the case.

So bang goes another piece of UK film industry history and along with it, a part of my childhood.

kelp

Seems to be the way tellingbone. Or is it that we are just getting older...? I must admit there doesn't seem to be any respect for our heritage in this Country anymore. Someone ages ago put forward a theory that if you look at the age of Government, you know, born in the sixties and seventies, it doesn't mean anything to them at all. So very sad.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR...YOU MAY GET IT!

Steve Crook

Given the amount of potential heritage in this country, only a small part of any of it survives - otherwise we'd be over-run with Elizabethan manor houses, Norman churches, Georgian town houses and so on.

It's impossible to protect everything

Steve

MikeB

Having just finished Matthew Sweet's 'Shepperton Babylon', he has a point when he says that going around an old film studio is a bit like going around an old factory - film-making does seem to take place in large sheds which are of limited architectual value.

On the other hand, having lived in Borehamwood for some years, it was sad to see so little of the old film studio's still standing - apparently the old Gate Studio's (opposite the station) have just been leveled for flats, and this building had real history behind it. Unfortunately, we have enough problems trying to get 'Elizabethan manor houses, Norman churches, Georgian town houses' listed (I speak as an archaeologist), so getting large empty buildings on valuable land near London protected is always going to be difficult. Doesn't mean we shouldn't try though...

tellingbone

It's a sad state of affairs really. A few years ago, a lot of my fellow WGC residents would have been up in arms about this, now the apathy is really obvious.

As an aside to this, another landmark local to me, a pub that has been the subject of some debate as to whether or not it should be demolished or redevelopment, mysteriously got destroyed by fire on Saturday night. That was the place I had my first pint in, now it's gone and another piece of my past bites the dust.

The same happened with Panshanger Airfield, some 2 miles from where I live. It had been used as a location in countless films and tv shows, now only the main hanger remains out of the original buildings and that's almost rusted to the point of collapse. Still no idea why the control tower and surrounding buildings were pulled down.

There is just no sense of nostalgia/history or heritage anymore. What will happen when us present day 40 somethings and our elders have passed on? I shudder to think about what is round the corner for the country.

Mr Martin

Sorry to say - its all gone. Unfortunately the Polycell building was not Listed, and the whole site has been cleared, except for the iron gates at the road side. These gates will probably not last much longer. - Very sad, but I suppose all old buildings cannot be preserved.

Mr Martin - Mrs Barrows we never open the windows !

alan gowdy

Another one bites the dust. Let's just hope that bl**dy Tesco hasn't a hand in this loss too!

"Don't forget... one of petrol, two of meths"