Francois Duhamel
Francois Duhamel

The film lover’s tour of central London

Some of the greatest movies were made right on our doorstep. Here we map out a guide to those cinematic locations in central London

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Given its iconic landmarks, red buses and stunning architecture, it’s no wonder that countless movies have filmed on location in London. The city is brimming with countless spots perfect for film locations, whether it's Hamleys (‘Eyes Wide Shut’) or the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in Kings Cross (‘Batman’). 

Of course, massive film franchises such as James Bond and Harry Potter have filmed in London, the latter producing many walking tours so that muggles can visit those famous wizarding hotspots. 

However, for those film lovers who fancy taking a movie meander through the capital, we've put together a map of some famous film locations in London. Below you'll also find the location that each number on the map relates to. So, from the chapel in ‘Love Actually’ to (formerly sordid) Soho backstreets, get your clogs on and explore. 

[Click here for a zoomable map.]

1. The station from ‘The Ipcress File’

Where: Marylebone station 

What...
A scientist is kidnapped from the terminus during the film’s opening sequence. The fact that the station is quiet and picturesque has made it a popular filming location. Look out for it in Beatles classic ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ and the 1978 version of ‘The Thirty Nine Steps’.

2. The chapel from ‘Love Actually’

Where: Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair

What...
Speaking of The Beatles, this is where a choir belts out ‘All You Need Is Love’ during the romcom’s cringe Keira Knightley wedding sequence.

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3. The casino from ‘Dr No’

Where: Les Ambassadeurs Club, Mayfair

What... 
Inside is the baccarat table where Sean Connery famously first spoke the immortal line: ‘The name’s Bond… James Bond.’ The Beatles also had a boogie on its dancefloor in ‘A Hard Day’s Night’.

4. The toy shop from ‘Eyes Wide Shut’

Where: Hamleys, Regent Street

What...
Dr Bill (Tom Cruise) and his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman) take their daughter shopping for toys and discuss their lovemaking plans at the end of Kubrick’s final movie.

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5. The mansion from ‘Phantom Thread’

Where: Fitzroy Square, Marylebone

What...
The regal home and couture house of Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) can be yours for a mere £15 million.

6. The doorway from ‘Naked’

Where: 18 Brewer Street, Soho

What...
One of the doorways David Thewlis’s Johnny loiters in during Mike Leigh’s gritty drama is found right in the heart of Soho. It has been trading as Italian deli Lina Stores since 1944. 

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7. The alleyway from ‘Peeping Tom’

Where: Newman Passage, Fitzrovia

What...
It’s here where serial killer Mark (Carl Boehm) claims his first victim. The newsagent’s where he sells pictures of the slaying is around the corner at 29 Rathbone Place.

8. The cinema from ‘An American Werewolf in London’

Where: Piccadilly Circus

What...
A bloodbath ensues during the screening of a blue movie at the old Eros Cinema, after tourist-turned-werewolf David meets apparitions of all his victims. It’s now a Gap store.

 

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9. The strip club from ‘Mona Lisa’

Where: 11 Walker’s Court, Soho

What... 
The place where devious crime boss Mortwell (Michael Caine) barks out orders. This used to be strip club Raymond Revuebar. It’s now home to nightclub The Box.

10. The bar from ‘Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon’

Where: 41 Dean Street, Soho

What... 
This biopic of figurative painter Francis Bacon is largely based around Dean Street members’ club The Colony Room, with the film featuring exteriors of its bar. The film is as booze-soaked as you’d expect, although the club itself closed in 2008. It is now the restaurant Duck Soup

 

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11. The theatre from ‘Wilde’

Where: Palace Theatre, Soho

What... 
Oscar Wilde’s play ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’ opened at the St James’s Theatre. However, the iconic location was demolished in 1957, which meant the imposing Palace Theatre in Cambridge Circus stood in for it during this Stephen Fry-starring biopic.

12. The Gotham Globe offices from ‘Batman’

Where: St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, King’s Cross

What The Ladies’ Smoking Room is where the Gotham Globe is based in Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’. The hotel’s gothic stairwell also appeared as Arkham Asylum in ‘Batman Begins’

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13. The art gallery from ‘Skyfall’

Where: Trafalgar Square

What...
This is where Bond (Daniel Craig) and Q (Ben Whishaw) first meet to discuss business, boats
and dangerous gadgets.

14. Diagon Alley in ‘Harry Potter’

Where Great Newport Street, Covent Garden

What The entryway to the famous wizarding thoroughfare is here. The Death Eaters zoom to it in ‘The Half-Blood Prince’. However, in ‘The Philosopher's Stone’ the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron was filmed in Leadenhall Market in the City of London. 

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15. The alleyway from ‘Night and the City’

Where: Goodwin’s Court, off St Martin’s Lane, Covent Garden

What...
Conman Harry Fabian (Richard Widmark) struts down this narrow passage as he makes his way to a club. This 1950 noir masterpiece captured Soho at its darkest.

16. The bank from ‘Sexy Beast’

Where: Victoria House, Holborn

What... 
This is the maximum security bank that Ray Winstone and his team of gangster robbers target by drilling through the wall of a nearby building. Riches await.

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17. The masonic meeting room from ‘Sherlock Holmes’

Where: Freemasons Hall, Great Queen Street, Covent Garden

What... 
Mark Strong’s villain Blackwood holds a meeting here where he threatens most of the people in attendance in Guy Ritchie’s 2009 adaptation.

18. The hotel from ‘The Long Good Day’

Where: The Savoy, Charing Cross

What... 
This is where the mafia stay when they visit London as they talk business with dodgy cockney gangster Harold (Bob Hoskins). Keep an eye out for Pierce Brosnan’s cameo as a hitman.

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19. The courts from ‘Bridget Jones's Diary’

Where: Royal Courts of Justice, Charing Cross

What...
Bridget gets her first big scoop as a TV journalist here, and uses her charm to score an interview with Colin Firth’s shit-hot lawyer.

20. The church from ‘The Da Vinci Code’

Where: Temple Church, Tudor Street, Blackfriars

What... 
This is where Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) searches for the knight’s tomb in the Dan Brown adaptation. It was built in 1185 by the Knights Templar – they used it as their London headquarters.

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21. The cathedral on ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’

Where: St Bartholomew the Great, Barbican


What...
This magnificent church has been a regular movie location down the years. In ‘Prince of Thieves’ it doubles for Nottingham Castle. Hugh Grant’s Charles jilts Duckface (Anna Chancellor) here in ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’, the cad.

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