Carlton Hill Studios

[SonofBob]

I was exploring Carlton Hill yesterday, trying to identify the large house that is/was the studios. My father (Bob King) worked there, possibly towards the end of the war, certainly in the few years after. We lived just round the corner and one of my earliest memories is going with him to the studio. The little porter's desk at the front door was too much like an ice-cream kiosk for me to resist, and the porter would always let me go inside and play at selling ice-creams. Aaaooooh! I really don't know what work he did - he was fresh out of the Navy, where he had been instrumental in setting up their film and audio-visual unit, and so maybe he did some of that work at Carlton Hill?

I'd so much appreciate any info from anyone who worked there or knows where it might be written about. Father died twenty years ago now - if only (how often do we say that?) I had asked him more about his early working life. Later he started Little, King and Partners, and then Cine-Europe.

[Stephen Pickard]

Hi SonofBob, all I can find at the moment is some brief information which can be found at this link:
http://www.britmovie.co.uk/forums/br...specs-50s.html

[Moor Larkin]

Also:

http://www.britmovie.co.uk/forums/br...ml#post2052722

[SonofBob]

Many thanks for that, and apologies for delayed response. It confirms my suspicions about the location of the studios. But more interesting is to see that Ernest Roy was managing Director. He was my Godfather, so must have been roped in for my Christening in 1947 at St.Mark's just round the corner. I never remember ever actually meeting him, but always knew the name, and my parents appeared to have lost touch with him. Some Godfather! Never even a birthday present (sob...)

[Simon Mills]

Good morning SonofBob,

I don't know if you're still checking this thread as it's now almost a year since you started it, but coincidentally I've recently started reading an early draft of my father's memoirs/autobiography (call it what you will) and he has very fond recollections of his days at Carlton Hill Studios. He started working in the British Film Industry in 1946 and, more interestingly, he includes a few passages on his initial interview before getting the job at the studio with -- you've probably guessed by now -- Mr. Robert King! A few weeks later he started in the studios Filmstrips department, before rising to the exalted rank of tea boy and then clapper loader.

I've still got a lot of editing to do but surprisingly my Dad seems to recall his days at Carlton Hill very well before he was forced to leave in 1950 for his National Service; he has very fond memories of the studio and when I asked him if he could confirm whether or not the attached image of 72 Carlton Hill (taken from Google Map) was the old studio he said that it was.

Carlton Hill.jpg

One day I'll drive by and get a better photo.

Regards,

Simon (SonofAlec)