London has long been recognised as attracting world-class producers from TV and Film studios, from huge blockbusters to small independent films. In addition, it offers the most wonderful backdrops for a company photoshoot or digital interview, complimenting and enhancing a company’s brand.
By following the approved COVID-19 guidance, Filming and TV production can continue in the Capital and what better place to carry out such activity than our wonderful museums, galleries, tourist attractions and institutions. Here are just a sample of the buildings and grounds available for hire:
BAFTA Piccadilly is a certified Covid Safe venue offering spaces over two floors, making it ideal for small or larger scale filming requirements. The home of the BAFTA Members Club during the working week, BAFTA Piccadilly is available for hire from late afternoon weekdays and all day at the weekend.
Room 1 - A light filled ground floor space entered directly off Piccadilly offering a 1920’s speakeasy style vibe, with wooden floors, brick and wood panelled walls and a large bronze bar.
Room 2 - The lower ground floor offers a large and very versatile space. With no direct sunlight, this stylish ballroom style space with open kitchen can easily be transformed into a variety of places, both day and night. Little production is required to create differing moods, ambience and atmosphere.
A small separate room is available on this floor. Great as a Green Room or for more intimate filming requirements
With technicians, 4K projection capabilities and two 75” monitors available on-site, BAFTA Piccadilly is the perfect venue for location filming, interviews, live streaming and fashion shoots.
If you would like to find out more or have other event requirements, then please Tissem Lansac at: tisseml@bafta.org or call +44 (0) 20 7292 5849
The Design Museum’s iconic 1960s architecture and grade II listed roof is the perfect backdrop for your next filming project.
The museum offers a range of spaces, large and small; from the prominent triple height Atrium, to the versatile Helene and Johannes Huth Gallery, or simply a ‘room with a view’ in the Sachs Family Park Room.
Whether you’re looking for a modern space for interviews, an impactful backdrop for music videos and photography, or a unique setting for TV commercials and film, the Design Museum’s Events Team would be delighted to discuss your options further.
Please email venuehire@designmuseum.org.
Much more than just a school, Harrow has been the backdrop to many a feature film, drama and photoshoot over the past 20 years. We provided the location for Winguardium Leviosa in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and have hosted many dramas such as The Crown, Strike and Dr Foster. We have also been the scene of premium magazine shoots for GQ, Vogue, Burberry and Penguin Originals, and the subject of historical documentaries.
We are a film friendly venue with 260 acres of countryside in London and a variety of buildings dating between 1615 and 2011. There is a location for every type genre.
The School has its own unit base (up to 100 cars in size) and is only ten miles from Central London and on the Metropolitan Line.
Contact enterprises@harrowschool.org.uk or call 0208 426 4638 to find out more about our multi-venue location.
At the Horniman Museum we recently had a TV crew visit to shoot at our Bandstand for a new prime time TV advert for a major internet provider. The shoot was made up of a crew of 24, all adhering to COVID guidance and procedures.
The shoot was entirely outside in a big open space, so it was a lower risk environment and the size of the area made it easy to maintain social distancing. Filming took place during evening off-peak hours as we are able to accommodate late night filming if required.
As well as our Victorian Bandstand our other unique spaces on site include a Victorian-era Natural History gallery with original specimens and wooden cases, a magnificent Grade II listed cast iron Victorian Conservatory, and many outdoor locations within 16.5 acres of beautiful Gardens with spectacular views over London.
If you are interested in filming at the Horniman Museum and Gardens, inside or outside please contact us at venuehire@horniman.ac.uk
London Transport Museum’s is available for a range of commercial filming and photography opportunities across the Museum in Covent Garden and its little known Depot in Acton. The collection encompasses over 370,000 items including original works of art, vehicles, signs, and much more. Together these form one of the most comprehensive records of urban transport anywhere in the world, and a backdrop for a range of projects. Showing during TV breaks at the moment is the rather fun Experian advert , all of which was filmed at the Depot. And as the festive season approaches its great to look back at last year’s Christmas advert from The Outnet.
For filming and photography, we have a number of underground carriages available that include the Victoria Line (1967-2011) tube carriage with driver’s cabin access, a 1950s-present day Metropolitan line train and a beautifully refurbished 1938 stock with art deco inspired interior. The carriages are excellent for internal and external filming along with a number of buses that include original posters and advertisements. Crews have access to green room facilities, as well as free onsite parking and a dedicated onsite supervisor. Onsite power is available where possible.
To discuss any potential projects, please get in touch with the team at venuehire@ltmuseum.co.uk
The Museum of London’s creative galleries and blank canvas backdrops, alongside dedicated outside areas, make it the perfect versatile location for filming. The museum recently worked in collaboration with a booking agent to secure its first corporate virtual tour of the Pleasure Gardens gallery. The idea behind the venture was to bring the museum into clients’ homes and allow them to enjoy the galleries in a series of virtual events.
The filming took place over September in the Pleasure Gardens, which depicts a night at the most renowned of London’s Pleasure Gardens in Vauxhall complete with some of the finest costumes from the period on display. The museum’s senior curator of fashion wrote an amazing script to accompany the filming, and these events, which will be by invitation only, include a live Q&A with a curator to really bring the exclusive, behind-the-scenes experience to life.
Contact the team on 020 7814 5789 or email venuehire@museumoflondon.org to find out more about our capabilities for filming.
Image Credit: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London
From claw-biting scenes in Paddington to death-defying stunts in The Mummy, the Natural History Museum's stunning architecture has made it a popular choice as a filming location for blockbuster movies, documentaries, fashion shoots and TV ads.
The gleaming Darwin Centre, hidden corridors stacked with specimens and the cathedral-like Hintze Hall are just some of the spectacular settings the Natural History Museum can offer for your next filming project. Museum researchers and curators can also share their natural history knowledge in the form of interviews, or consulting services.
As well as more traditional filming projects, in July the Museum played host to popstar Dermot Kennedy whose livestreamed gig became the most watched event of that type outside Asia.
For more information on filming at the Natural History Museum, please get in touch with the Venue Hire team on 0207 942 5434 or by email at venues@nhm.ac.uk
The Royal College of Physicians is a fantastic location for filming. The grade 1 listed modern building overlooking Regent’s Park, houses some spectacular spaces which are well suited for TV dramas, movies and live broadcasts. Some of the iconic movies and TV series that have been filmed at the venue include Wonder Woman, Paddington Bear 2, Mamma Mia 2 and The Crown 2. In August Rt Hon Matt Hancock MP chose the venue to deliver his vision for the future of healthcare at a critical moment for the NHS and social care which was live streamed from the Seligman theatre.
With the current event restrictions in place, now is the perfect time to make the most of these fantastic spaces for your filming needs. Contact us for more information: 020 7034 4900 events@rcplondon.ac.uk
Available for filming, the Royal Horticultural Halls has recently hosted music video shooting for a top record label and fashion rehearsals for a luxury UK fashion brand.
A blank canvas venue with extensive natural daylight, it is the perfect space for filming. Home to one of the largest uninterrupted floor spaces in London the RHH can accommodate a range of briefs, with great opportunity to make the space your own. Complimented by a large goods lift and easily accessible street access both car and large build events are accommodated effortlessly.
Safety measures including COVID assured risk assessments, temperature monitoring and touch point cleaning are all in place along with adhering to the Governments track and trace policy.
For both full day and half-day rates and availability, please contact us with your event details on horthalls@rhs.org.uk or 020 7821 3650.
Image Credit: Andrew Hendry
RIBA’s stunning Art Deco building has featured in a number of high-profile films, including Goodbye Christopher Robin, Guerilla, Woman in Gold and The Man from Uncle, as well as TV drama Silent Witness and an advert for luxury vehicle brand Jaguar.
The light-flooded building at RIBA at 66 Portland Place represents the best of British architecture and its versatility with numerous indoor and outdoor spaces set across six floors is complemented by incredible features, such as its double height entrance hall, showstopping marble staircase, floor to ceiling windows, etched glass doors and carved stone in the Florence Hall.
RIBA’s most recent filming credit saw the venue feature in a short film directed by Hamblin Imagery which is due to enter film festivals this season. RIBA was chosen as it exudes the grand atmosphere the production team were looking for and its ‘magnificent staircase that was perfect for both look and filming capabilities’. Filming took place in the front lobby, staircase and majority of the first floor with the scene replicating the likes of the Cannes film festival and other such grand awards ceremonies.
As the building is not currently open to the public or staff, RIBA is able to be much more flexible with bookings. If you’d like to know more, email venues@riba.org
Royal Museums Greenwich hosts a range of filming and has been busier than ever over the last six months. Whether they are hosting large scale shoots for Amazon, Netflix or Disney at their stunning period property the Queen's House, filming drone footage at the Royal Observatory for a Channel 4 Documentary, showcasing pieces from their extensive collection at the National Maritime Museum for a German docu-feature or filling up the fashion pages of Grazia, the team at Royal Museums Greenwich really do have all the answers.
To find out more about filming and photography at Royal Museums Greenwich, contact Sophie directly at slinin@rmg.co.uk.
RSA House is a Grade ll listen Georgian Town House, hidden away on John Adam Street just steps away from The Strand in the heart of London.
The house has 11 unique and versatile event spaces to choose from for filming and press events, combining historical period features with modern and chic facilities including their funky brick exposed Vaults. RSA House is one of the only venues in London with a door similar in date and style to the iconic 10 Downing Street! Many Royal and politically based films have been shot at the house as well as programmed with the BBC, ITV and Channel 4. Famous productions include The Iron Lady, The boat that rocked, Louis Wain, The Bodyguard and The Voice Kids UK.
The venue offers a range of versatile event spaces to choose from, combining historical period features with modern and chic facilities. The whole house or individual rooms can be hired for location filming or product launches.
Please contact the RSA House events team on 020 7451 6855 or email house@rsa.org.uk to find out more.
Somerset House has elegant rooms, sweeping staircases, atmospheric lightwells, picturesque terraces, a spectacular courtyard and all manner of interesting lesser known spaces.
From our impressive series of rooftops, you'll find the perfect shot of the London skyline, with views across the city and River Thames, taking in the Southbank, the London Eye and Westminster to the east, and St. Paul’s Cathedral to the West. They also make the perfect location for high level shots, stunts and chase scenes.
Somerset House has become a leading location for major film and television series, and an iconic backdrop for major brands’ photoshoots. Our flexibility and ability to find new spaces to utilise on-site, featuring both the historic and the contemporary, means that we are always likely to have something that will raise the bar for your brief.
To find out more, contact us on 020 7845 4618 or events@somersethouse.org.uk
The elegant Georgian exterior that comprise Trinity House is situated behind a cobbled and railed courtyard, the setting for a segment of hit James Bond movie ‘Skyfall’. Indeed, the railings have featured in several filmed productions including ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’, ‘Johnny English Reborn’, the classic 70’s TV series, ‘The Professionals’, and ‘The Invisible Woman’ about Charles Dickens. More recently, Trinity House provided the location for a cover shoot for Elizabeth Hurley for the Mail on Sunday’s You magazine in 2016, and the filming of BBC’s Master Chef – The Professionals (Series 11 – Episode 14) in 2018.
Overlooking Trinity Square Gardens with direct views of the Tower of London, Trinity House enjoys all the advantages of proximity to the City of London and key transport links. There are myriad indoor filming options as most of the light and airy rooms feature high (some painted) ceilings, especially if a maritime theme is sought - the building houses a plethora of naval artefacts and treasures which attest to the history of the Corporation of Trinity House. www.trinityhouse.co.uk/events-at-trinity-house-london Email: venue.enquiries@trinityhouse.co.uk
With ornate gallery spaces, a grand staircase and contrasting contemporary glazed courtyard, there are numerous filming opportunities available at the Wallace Collection. The grand exterior of the building provides a sweeping driveway and impressive London town house façade, complimenting the interior which houses an unparalleled collection of artworks and original eighteenth –century architectural features.
The Location Hire Team are experienced in facilitating shoots at all levels, from small scale social media shoots, to medium scale fashion shoots for digital & editorial, to large scale shoots for high-end TV drama and film.
To find out more about filming and location hire, and book in a site visit, please get in touch:
Tel: 0207 563 9546
Email: events@wallacecollection.org
Our central London location, the unique settings and big spacious rooms are important factors when looking for filming locations.
At Wellcome Collection we have hosted a variety of filming sessions, from interviews and panels discussions to a more relaxed session with Lupita Nyong’o for Vogue.
Recently we welcome back Satellite PR for a filming session. Having previously hosted Satellite PR’s annual conferences in the Henry Wellcome Auditorium, and after upgrading one of their bookings to include our Reading Room for them to conduct a filmed interview, they were so impressed with the space that they decided to return, carrying out interviews for another filming project.
Across the event, 8 people attended in total, comprised of the clients, the filming crew (plus a lot of equipment) and the interviewees. Having recently been awarded the ‘Good to Go’ certification by VisitBritain and accreditation by MIA that we are a COVID-secure venue, alongside our rigorous safety measures that have been implemented, the clients’ minds were definitely put at ease.
The clients were extremely pleased with how the event ran and how all organisational aspects were taken care of by the team, assuring them that they are in safe hands should they wish to use Wellcome Collection again as a backdrop.
To book your next filming project please get in touch: venuehire@wellcomecollection.org 020 7611 2200 / 07896122430, 83 Euston Road NW1 2BE