To Sir With Love

[doojeen]

Great detective work, Christopher.

[vincenzo]

The opening sequence of the sequel (the best part of the film in my opinion). Is the same building used? (at 43 secs).....

[christoph404]

Vincenzo, I would say almost definitely that the exterior in that clip is Mulberry House as mentioned in an earlier link, the evidence would seem to point to that being used as a location in the original film for some of the scenes.

[vincenzo]

Yep, looks like Mulberry House to me too.

[marty]

I think it's pretty conclusive that the first time we see the school, it's the exterior of Johnson Street school, and also that Mulberry House is the exterior used in Vincenzo's link of the second film, but I think it's still unclear where the playground scenes are shot.

As mentioned previously it appears to be a different location from Johnson Street, but I'm not convinced that it was Mulberry House in the original film. That's not to say I'm right, buts its difficult to tie in with Mulberry House, but having said that a lot has probably changed with redevelopment over the years.

Also, I'm wondering about the interior shots of the school. From the classrooms we can see some exterior buildings, what look like dockside cranes are quite prominent in the background, so could Johnson Street or Mulberry House have been used for the interiors?

Another location I'm tying to track is the bus stop/post box seen here:
bus.jpg

Anyone have any ideas? The film suggests it's at the end of Johnson Street, but it doesn't tie in.

[Amethyst_Isle]

I think it's pretty conclusive that the first time we see the school, it's the exterior of Johnson Street school, and also that Mulberry House is the exterior used in Vincenzo's link of the second film, but I think it's still unclear where the playground scenes are shot.

As mentioned previously it appears to be a different location from Johnson Street, but I'm not convinced that it was Mulberry House in the original film. That's not to say I'm right, buts its difficult to tie in with Mulberry House, but having said that a lot has probably changed with redevelopment over the years.

Also, I'm wondering about the interior shots of the school. From the classrooms we can see some exterior buildings, what look like dockside cranes are quite prominent in the background, so could Johnson Street or Mulberry House have been used for the interiors?

Another location I'm tying to track is the bus stop/post box seen here:
Attachment 5427

Anyone have any ideas? The film suggests it's at the end of Johnson Street, but it doesn't tie in.

Johnson Street, Shadwell, London, England, UK

IMDb: Most Popular Titles With Location Matching "Johnson Street, Shadwell, London, England, UK"

[RickHolland]

Hi Marty, and everyone,

The street with the bus stop and post box is Watts St facing east toward Wapping Lane. The building on the left side of the street is now gone, but there's no question this is the site, and of course with Street View you can have look wherever you are. I've checked this one out in person, as it bugged me too. I would be surprised if that spot was ever a real bus stop!


P9260001.JPG

As for the school, I have looked at the Mulberry House pics (which were new to me), and I am certain that this is the same building that appears at 0:43 in the clip of the sequel, TSWL 2, but I don't believe it's the same building which appears in the playground scenes of the original.

Although it is clear that Johnson St was used for shots outside the school gate, the shots inside the yard have to be from a different location - one which I've yet to identify and which, of course, may no longer exist. Note bollard visible outside the doorway - it's absent from all of the Johnson Street shots.

vlcsnap-107851.jpg

Let's solve this one!

Rick

I think it's pretty conclusive that the first time we see the school, it's the exterior of Johnson Street school, and also that Mulberry House is the exterior used in Vincenzo's link of the second film, but I think it's still unclear where the playground scenes are shot.

As mentioned previously it appears to be a different location from Johnson Street, but I'm not convinced that it was Mulberry House in the original film. That's not to say I'm right, buts its difficult to tie in with Mulberry House, but having said that a lot has probably changed with redevelopment over the years.

Also, I'm wondering about the interior shots of the school. From the classrooms we can see some exterior buildings, what look like dockside cranes are quite prominent in the background, so could Johnson Street or Mulberry House have been used for the interiors?

Another location I'm tying to track is the bus stop/post box seen here:
Attachment 5427

Anyone have any ideas? The film suggests it's at the end of Johnson Street, but it doesn't tie in.

[marty]

Hi RickHolland,

Spot on with with the location being Watts St, well done for finding it :)

I'm with you on the playground location...still don't think this has been solved yet, Johnson Street and Mulberry House don't seem to fit.

[RickHolland]

Looking again at the Getty shot (which I had seen before but whose location I didn't know), Judy Geeson and the Mindbenders are have the same clothes they're wearing in the final dance scene, and it's possible that in the photo Lulu is wearing a coat over her dress. I would therefore surmise that the interior shots were from Pinewood, as it doesn't make a lot of sense to film in East London and then schlep out to Berkshire for some photos.

Geeson and Poitier also have a brief scene in the playground before the dance - is it possible that the schoolyard is nearer to Windsor than to Wapping?

Rick

[christoph404]

Thats an interesting point Rick, about the school yard being closer to Windsor than Wapping, there is nothing to identify the school yard with East London, so it could be somewhere nearer to Pinewood and of course Windsor is about 20 minutes away. The interiors are sets at Pinewood, the views out of the windows are totally artificial so no point in trying to identify anything from that, it was all at Pinewood. ( interiors that is) Im racking my brains to see if I know anyone who might know Lulu to ask her.....

[RickHolland]

That's may be worth a try, christoph404 (re Lulu) ! I wonder if there's anyone else from the production who may easier to track down, or a local Wapping historian.

Come to think of it though, the credits mention East London and Pinewood, and if Windsor had been used it should have been mentioned. I can also imagine the producers catching some flak if they had used a Windsor school as a stand-in for an East London one.

Although the schoolyard location is still a mystery, my gut still tells me it's E-something.

Rick

[Alan F]

....there is nothing to identify the school yard with East London....

No, but there's something to indentify it with Windsor.



Dagmar Road Windsor.



Honestly!! The film makers go to the trouble of putting the answer on screen and people can't be bothered to read it.

[RickHolland]

Nice job Alan F! Those cheeky bastards did indeed use the Victoria Barracks in Windsor for the schoolyard, and the mystery is solved. You can see the chimneys on Helena Street are virtually the same too, not to mention that odd-shaped corner house (a former pub?).

[christoph404]

Ah..yes well done Alan F for spotting that!.... so Windsor it is for the School Yard, the mystery is solved. Christopher Matheson had also suggested Windsor Barracks as a possible location on page two of this thread so that is confirmed.

[vincenzo]

Just found this (online) in the Feb 1968 issue of The Southeast Missourian......

Only parts of the film was made in the district in which it was set, minutes away from the Tower of London, in Wapping, where the Thames is and Limehouse was. Exterior scenes of the school itself, a depressing red-brick structure, was filmed in London's western outskirts in the disused Victoria Barracks, which once housed military guardsmen doing duty at Windsor Castle.

[RickHolland]

Great find, vincenzo! I think that the barracks have been brought back into use, and although I haven't been able any recent shots of the buildings, the aerials from Google Maps indicate a similar building footprint to what would have been around in the mid '60s.

Sounds like a trip to Windsor for a look-see is in order, although I'm not sure if the schoolyard area is accessible by the public.

[bobsterkent]

That bus stop is held onto a concrete lamp post, if you look at the brackets you will see that they are very shiney and new and also don't fit properly, so i'm guessing that the stop was put up just for the film

[RickHolland]

Here's a recent view of the "school" building, courtesy YouTube and Irish Guards Open Day.

VickyBarracks.JPG

The side of the school facing the yard can't be seen here, but it's clear that the building has undergone significant changes, if not a complete rebuild.

The full video is here, which zooms in toward the schoolyard 'entrance' at the very end.



Rick

Just found this (online) in the Feb 1968 issue of The Southeast Missourian......

[marty]

well spotted Alan F!

looks like Victoria Barracks was rebuilt, here's an aerial image:
barracks.jpg

Found a small bit of info here regarding the demise of the original barracks:

http://theroyalwindsorforum.yuku.com/topic/961

[Christopher Matheson]

That's some good work going on in this thread during the last few days. I knew the scene which turned out to be Dagmar Street wasn't near Johnson Street, but on the other hand I had no idea where it actually was and of course I could never read the street sign anyway. Good work AlanF.

Rick's picture of the school gate with the bollard outside is interesting and I think this photo probably shows the same building in the background.


I've known this book cover for a long while and just assumed it showed the other side of Johnson Street, for I remember the building having words on it. I remember the building as being a catholic church hall, but the church next to the hall is protestant. I've now looked at some street directories, which don't really indicated which building they are referring to, and it seems that the hall probably housed the 'Vaughn Catholic Club', but I'm certain the words on the building read something else. As you can see the only letters visible on the book cover are 'RVES' which mean nothing to me. Sadly the Johnson Street hall is long gone so we can't check the architecture. Was there a building in Windsor, near the 'school', with these letters on it or is really the other side of Johnson Street?