alan french

Hi philkb.
I have some personal problems at the moment, but at a more convenient date I will be coming back to you. EarlB did witness the making of part of the film which is in Warners End Hemel Hempstead. I am also familiar with that part of the location. I will come back to you. But in the meantime, Someries Road does resemble in real life the location for the shot you asked for and is in the location area. I have personal problems at the moment which are restricting my activities. But my next communication whenever that is, will be far more detailed. Please note I live in Warners End and am virtually on top of the location area. But please be patient with me. You will hear from me again. EarlB may also be interested.
Alan French.

earlb

I have just received this information from an old Hempstedian friend who's sent me this map. I've highlighted with a yellow 'pin' between two trees where the 'mock up' community centre was for the film. My friend tells me that in those days everything to the left of Galley Hill was open fields.

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

philkb

Hey guys, thanks a lot for the info and pix! I've been quite busy too, haven't even had the machine on long enough to check the forums.
Anyway, the pinned spot is close to where I pinned my location, which I thought was a little closer to Someries road, based on how in the movie the centre looks as if it's practically at the foot of the road, with barely a left turn, then a right turn, to get to it. Either way, it's great to have actually found a filming location in a movie I really enjoyed, especially it being in England and all.
A TV show I watch regularely during the season, "C.S.I Miami" has its headquarters crime lab in El Segundo, California, across the country, coast-to-coast, from the state of Florida. I found that on Google Earth too, without too much trouble, since the building has a very distinctive shape, including its roof. It just seems like fun finding actual locations where scenes in shows we like are shot.

Phil

philkb

I might add that it is interesting to see that so many of the areas used for filming are almost the same as they were way back then. One would think that there would be massive developments of some kind or other. Anywhere near where I live is so much developed that anyone returning from another state who previously lived here would have trouble recognizing a lot of things.

Phil

alan french

alan french

Hi PhilB, I am back. I am experiencing technical problems which are being investigated. Realising I had a disposeable camera with film inside which should have been developed, I decided to walk around the location site and photograph it. At the moment I am experiencing problems with the pictures and have been to the help desk. I do not know when the problem will be resolved . But it will be. Meantime please be patient.
Alan French.

philkb

No problem with being patient. I certainly am grateful for all the info you and others on this Forum have been giving me, and perhaps others who may read but not post here.
Either way, it really makes me wish I could get to England and actually experience being at those locations, and who knows? I may even get to meet one or more of you, especially since I would certainly make a beeline for Hemel Hempstead.
It just seems funny that I've known about Hemel Hempstead and Shell Haven since I was 11 years old, when I first saw the movie. It was also interesting to find that Shell Haven itself had nothing to do directly with Shell oil company. Just a coincidence of names. (Sounds a bit like Quatermass saying: ......"a coincidence of shapes"...... in regard to the domes looking like his Moon Project.)

alan french

Hi philkb.
With combination of help from this forum's helpdesk and a particular member of staff here at the Hemel Hempstead Library, there is a strong possibilty that 11 photos will appear here soon. They are not spectacular, but they are genuine. I regret that the camera ran out of film, so not everything has been captured. When they appear, I will give more information. However, I am not sure when that will be. But we are getting there.
Alan French

webmaster

Part 2.

earlb

I notice the sign in the photo say QuaRtermass Close and Road

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

DB7

I never noticed that when upping them, it's a common 'net' typo but I'd be surprised if a planning dept allowed such an oversight. Then again....

DB7

There was a glitch with one photo Alan. Two 'qp5' images were attached, one of them corrupted, but no 'qp4'. If you'd like the missing image adding just send it through again.

alan french

Hi DB7.
Thankyou very much. I will check out the said images. Unfortunately Iwill have to have assistance from the librarian who helped me at this end. So I probably will not be back too quickly.
Alan French.

earlb

From my friend Tony Rogers in Hemel Hempstead:- This picture of Alan French's shows exactly where the Community Centre mock-up was. Where the hedge in front of the trees stands today.

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

alan french

Hi.
Success at last!
I will talk through the above photos as best I can:
Photos 1 & 2: QuaRtermass Road and QuaRtermass Close. These two places are on the housing estate where part of the film Quatermass 2 was made. This I think is coincidence. It is fact that there was a murder of a little girl in the area. She lived if my memory serves me correctly at Boxted Farm and her family name was Quartermass. It is believed that the two roads are named after the family. Although some people still think wrongly think it is to do with the film. I understand EarlB's concern about the Hemel Hempstead Gazette. (In fact I paid them a visit concerning the story he refers to elsewhere) However, in this instance I believe they are correct. Particularly due to the spelling. However, by sheer coincidence, I have seen a ye olde worlde photograph taken in another part of Hemel Hempstead. The location is in Boxmoor. It features St. John's Road. There is in the picture a shop called Quatermass. Creepy isn't it? I am not in possession of the picture.

Photo3: Picture is taken at the entrance of the Gadebridge housing estate as Galley Hill emerges from the Warners End Valley. It is here that a shot of a dome is seen just over the horizon. This is when the angry workers march on the plant. Oddly enough my film and video club (Hemel Hempstead Cine Society now Hemel Hempstead Movie Makers) used to meet in the area. Perhaps that is why we moved out.

Photo 4: The camera man (ME) is standing in approximately the same spot as the previous picture. Therefore the bus stop is the same one. Appropriately, this is near where there is a sighting of at least one bus in the film on the grassy bits.

Photo 5: On the web page it says Part 2. I am standing at the top of Galley Hill in Warners End. I am facing Boxted Road. The white flats may or may not be in the film. The grounds on the right belong to Matindale School. In between is a narrow passage. Near its entrance is a present day telephone box.This passage is the path where the zombies were runnig up and down with their detectors. The footpath today grows plant (If you pardon the expression) life. In other words weeds grow in between the paving stones. Unfortunately I was unable to photograph it in close up as the camera ran out of film. Martindale School, which is the red and white building in the grounds, is in process of meging with another school and despite protests closed down last week.

Photo 6: I am standing in the same spot and looking in and down Galley Hill. This is where Professor Quatermass and Inspector Lomax are shot at whilst making a getaway in a car. The white flats are different to the ones in the previous picture. These are definately in the film. There are still today horrible cries of pain here. Just out of view but in the film is my dentist's surgery.

Photo 7: Standing at the entrance of the Gadebridge housing estate looking across to the Warners End Valley with the Warners End housing estate on the horizon. The road is Galley Hill and where the workers led by Percy Herbert were marching from that estate and toward Gadebridge.

Photo 8: Similar photograph but different position to previous shot.

Photo 9: Again similar shot to previous picture. I am probably standing nearer the spot where the bus is seen.

Photo 10: Similar shot.

Well that is it apart from one which is under query. As I said elsewhere. I had a disposeable camera containing film which should have been developed no later than last year. I am not sure what my future toward still photography at the moment is. My posh camera packed up some years ago, and I seem to buy more postcards when I go on holiday. They seem to do a better job than me. But who knows? I may take some more.
Alan French.
Frustrated photographer.