Please Sir! Fenn Street School

[midwinter]

can anyone tell me where the forest scenes are filmed,they stay at the woodbridge rural centre,i happen to live in woodbridge[suffolk],and it looks like rendalsham forest,does anybody know exactly where?

[David Brent]

One of the locations used for the 'Please Sir' film was the Black Park Country Park at Wexham, Buckinghamshire.

I would suspect that the forest scenes where in that area.



Dave.

[midwinter]

many thanks.

[Tonch]

Can anyone tell me where the exteriors of Fenn Street School were shot? The second series showed the playground overshadowed by huge cooling towers IIRC.



Also, where was the street crossing at the start of the film version, where class 5C carry off the lollipop man? The camera pans up and away to show a London skyline but I'm not sure which area?



Hope someone can help!

[Mark O]

Any chance of a pic?........I recall opening scenes in Please Sir where the schoolkids walk along the walkways of the flats some reside at, definitely one of the inner London boroughs.

[Alan F]

Can anyone tell me where the exteriors of Fenn Street School were shot? The second series showed the playground overshadowed by huge cooling towers IIRC.



Also, where was the street crossing at the start of the film version, where class 5C carry off the lollipop man? The camera pans up and away to show a London skyline but I'm not sure which area?



Hope someone can help!

I once read somewhere that the school was in Barretts Green Road, Harlesden. Looking at a couple of maps this would seem to fit as there was a school in Barretts Green Road (later a college, now demolished) with a power station nearby that had three cooling towers, also now demolished.



The crossing scene from the film was in Chalcot Road, Primrose Hill. If you look at the end of the rooftop panning shot you can see the Camden Roundhouse.

[vincenzo]

Some sources say the playground in the opening credits of the series was Gibbons Road School (later Sladebrook High) in Brentfield Road, Church End (near Willesden).

[bartonbank]

Some sources say the playground in the opening credits of the series was Gibbons Road School (later Sladebrook High) in Brentfield Road, Church End (near Willesden).

No school of that name is listed there now. There is, however, a school there now called The Swaminarayan School. Anyone have a screenshot from the series as it is not that far from where I live

[vincenzo]

No school of that name is listed there now.

Apparently Sladebrook closed in August 1990. It is indeed the Swaminarayan School now.

[Ady]

This is from the first episode, where "sir" travels in on his first day by bus, conversing with passengers, who turn out to be his class, "5C"







The very first shot, (after opening sequence ) is this bus; then inside bus where we can clearly see (through upstairs window), a good row of shops with names :- ( in order )

- houses, then side road, then - Atlas Building Society , "297" BBS - British Building Supplies , "GEORGE R(id)OUT" (?) , VG Foodstore , Georgies Continental , Kent & Ord - estate agents , PARRY'S , then cuts-away to a shot of Sharron's leg!



Where's this then, AlanF ? !! ( the road; not Sharron's leg)



Ady - ps I'd forgotten how good John Alderton was in this series . :-)

[SainT]

The information given by vincenzo is correct. The school used for fictional Fenn Street Secondary School in the opening credits was Sladebrook High School

240-250 Brentfield Road, Neasden, Brent, London, NW10 8HE.

Sladebrook High School closed on 31-Aug-1990.



This former school is now called Gwenneth Rickus Building.

GEOGRAPH BRITISH ISLES: Gwenneth Rickus Building, Brentfield Road, NW10

GEOGRAPH BRITISH ISLES: Gwenneth Rickus Building from Brentfield Park NW10



Please Sir

My old school was Sladebrook High, Brentfield Rd, Willesden, NW10 where they filmed some of the series. The building is almost exactly as it was and I think its some sort of council office now. The school in the film, I'm sure its the one in Goodson Rd, Leopold Rd, NW10, and the flats are round the corner in Curzon Crescent NW10.

Ken Stuart."



The Swaminarayan School is located immediately north from Sladebrook High School / Gwenneth Rickus Building. The address is 260 Brentfield Road, Neasden, Brent, London, NW10 8HE.

GEOGRAPH BRITISH ISLES: Swaminarayan School Entrance, Brentfield Road, NW10















Greg

[Tonch]

I'd like to thank everyone who has contributed so helpfully to my enquiry. (I have pressed the "Thanks" button - sometimes instantly acknowledged on screen, other times not ?). I am really most grateful to you all. I knew the knowledgeable gang here on Britmovie wouldn't disappoint!



I can remember some of those b&w first series episodes, but not the opening credits...so was amused to notice that one of those cooling towers I do recall from series two puts in an appearance as shown in the above posts!



Any chance at all of some further screenshots - this time from the second (colour) series...? I remember the bit with the Frankie Abbott character wanting his football returned from Mr Hedges...and those gigantic, omnipresent cooling towers again!

[Alan F]

Where's this then, AlanF ? !!

The bus passing the camera (easy) I can’t find despite following the 18 route from Paddington to Sudbury and back several times. The bus interior (difficult) is Harrow Road, starting outside No 269 and heading up the hill into Wembley















Atlas Building Society is now Bank Of India, 297 is N.K.N Halal Meat & Grocery, BBS and George Ridout are now The Speakeasy, VG Foodstore is Gurkah Valley, Georgies Continental is Arena (Greek restaurant). Kent & Ord is Livingstones (still an estate agent, you can never get rid of them), Parrys is Hodders (law firm).



This one is Stonebridge bus garage in Brentfield, now a sports centre.

[Ady]

*x$$£**!!! But , but , - - AlanF - I was being facetious when I said "where's this" - I didn't expect you to come up with the answer ! ; and so quick ! - well done!

Ady.



( Ady orders a "AlanF is my hero" Tee-shirt from Alan's fan club. )

[Johnk]

Can anyone tell me where the exteriors of Fenn Street School were shot? The second series showed the playground overshadowed by huge cooling towers IIRC.



Also, where was the street crossing at the start of the film version, where class 5C carry off the lollipop man? The camera pans up and away to show a London skyline but I'm not sure which area?



Hope someone can help!

This scene is Notting Hill top end of Golborne Road heading towards Ladbrook Grove. All redeveloped now so you will not see it as it was.Also same location for scene in Smashing Time with Rita Tushingham.