Today, a ride with the lovely Fridays peeps with the gentleman that is, Ross leading. Ross could quite easily make a fortune guiding people around London on his themed rides as they are that good. Today was all about movie locations and braving the heat, I made my way to Hyde Park corner bright and early.
Although not featured on the ride, seeing the London Eye was very apt as it has been used quite a few times as the backdrop for various films. The most notable for me being, Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix, 2007.
I arrived at Hyde Park well inside the agreed meeting time. Traffic lights were green, the roads seemed quieter than usual and my G-Line just glided along effortlessly. After a quick coffee from the nearby cafe I waited for the others to arrive, which did not take long. We were soon off in search of movie locations and they came thick and fast.
Genevieve, 1953
The first location took us to SW7 and Rutland Mews and Genevieve. This was a 1953 comedy where two veteran cars take part in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Rutland Mews is where the car - Genevieve - is parked and where owners Alan and Wendy (played by Kenneth More and Dinah Sheridan) live.
Skyfall, 2012. 82 Cadogan Square
82 Cadogan Square was the former address of the John Barry, composer of the the Bond theme and the scores for 11 Bond films. In the film Skyfall, Barry's former residence is used as the home of M, played by Dame Judi Dench. The location was used perhaps as a mini tribute to Barry who passed away the year before.
Set in London, Repulsion is a psychological horror thriller starring Catherine Deneuve who has an apartment in South Kensington. Despite being critically acclaimed, I had not heard of it or seen it. I suspect I probably never will as I am not sure that its plot of a a Belgian manicurist living in London really grabs me!
A Fish Called Wanda, 1988. 69 Onslow Gardens
Now this is a film I have seen many times and mainly as it has my favourite Python and world traveller, Sir Michael Palin in it. In a famous seen, Sir Michael's character, Ken who is a hitman, is tasked with the business of getting rid of an eye witness to a robbery played by Patricia Hayes. Outside this house instead of killing Hayes character, her pet dog is squashed to death when Ken shoots a bullet at a rope carrying a heavy load of building materials.
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| Ride leader Ross doing his thing |
Notting Hill 1999. Portobello Road.
Much of the filming for Notting Hill took place on Portobello Road. It is a location I know well and I have very vivid and fond memories of going there early every Saturday morning with my late dad to stock up on fruit and veg and have a look at some of the antiques on offer. It still has its market, still sells fruit and veg and does have antiques but alas it has changed greatly. It is a bit of a tourist trap nowadays.
The famous front door leading to the flat that Hugh Grant's character shares with his flatmate had a line of people waiting to be photographed in front of. The original door was auctioned off for charity and the current one is an exact copy. It all brought back some very happy memories.
Alfie, 1966. 29 St Stephen's Gardens
On of the locations used for Alfie, starring Sir Michael Caine as his residence. As with so many areas in London, it has changed quite considerably over the years.
A Hards Day's Night, 1964. Marylebone Station
In this film where the Beatles showcased, they can be seen running into Liverpool Lime House Station and then running out of Marylebone Station. Both scenes were filmed at Marylebone. There are lots of lots of locations associated with the Beatles nearby to this and if you click
HERE you will find a blog post dedicated to just that.
The King's Speech, 2010. 33 Portland Place
Build between 1776- 1779, Portland Place was laid out by Robert and James Adam. It was the High Commission for Sierra Leone between 1958-1998. For The King's Speech it was used as the as the home of the then Duke and Duchess of York as their home in 145 Piccadilly. A stunner of a house, it is one of the few that remains intact and not converted into apartments.
Senate house looks very 1930s America and has been used in both Batman Begins and Dark Knight Rises. It has been used in many other films and television show over the years as well. It is part of University College London (a wonderful establishment) and frequently used where an American city skyline is needed but without the need to go there.
Once we had reached the end of the ride - on a very hot day - I said my goodbyes and after about 25 minutes of cycling, I was home and glad of a cold drink waiting for me. Later that evening, I inflicted ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ on the Orangettes.
My G-Line performed well and increasingly I seem to be using this and my Brompton Electric. My other two have not really had much of an outing this year.
As always, it was a great ride and I really enjoyed it all. Many thanks to Ross.
Until next time, stay safe out there people!
