from July 2021
In July 2021 yet another new film studio in London was announced, called London North Studios. It’s in Mill Hill, 5 minutes from the M1 and 8 minutes from the North Circular, according to their website. The facility is run by the studio management team and the property owner, Ridgeway Properties. The first production to film here in the summer of 2021 was a drama for Sky.
This is another conversion of some industrial premises – in this instance it was the former HQ for the Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation. It was where their magazine The Watchtower was printed and distributed so it contains several large structures suitable for use as film stages. Technically of course, these are better described as ‘build spaces’ as they don’t have the normal things found in a purpose-built film stage such as high quality sound-proofing and deadening and a grid with easy access, suitable for suspending lights and scenery. However, many features and TV dramas have been filmed in premises like this so it is by no means a serious limitation.
Dan Evans has kindly written to point out that before the Jehovah’s Witnesses moved in, these premises were part of Inglis Barracks and were the HQ and central sorting office of the British Forces Post Office system – initially run by the Royal Engineers, then the Royal Logistics Corps from 1993. The BFPO left the site and moved to RAF Northolt in 2007.
The stages on offer are as follows and are called ‘studios’ by them:
studio 1 – 13,700 sq ft
studio 2 – 8,600 sq ft
studio 3 – 6,500 sq ft
studio 4 – 8,600 sq ft
studio 5 – 2,850 – this appears to be more of a workshop than a filming stage
studio 6 – 4,000 sq ft (only 12ft height)
studio 7 – 3,200 sq ft (only 12ft height) suitable as a prop/wardrobe store
As well as plenty of office space, the studios also have a 300-person dining hall, commercial kitchen and 18 hair and costume rooms, as well as five acres of outdoor space, including an acre of woodland. There are also several other areas described as ‘multi-purpose event spaces for conferences, art exhibitions, dining experiences, rehearsals, theatre, and more.’
Credits include Stath Lets Flats (C4), A Christmas No 1 (Sky), The Diplomat (Netflix), Blood (Sky), A Spy Among Friends (ITV).
