London On The Silver Screen – Famous Film Locations In The British Capital From SHAUN OF THE DEAD To The HARRY POTTER Series

What dedicated movie addict on a visit to London could possibly resist getting their photo taken in front of some of the city's famous film locations? The answer to that is – none. There have been so many movies shot in London that to get a photo of them all, you'd need a month-long vacation.

London has featured in just about every genre of film possible, from action to romantic comedy to horror and everything else in between. Dozens of A-list stars, and more than a few B-list ones, have stalked the city streets, spouting their lines while recreating the lives of their on-screen characters.

If you want to follow in their footsteps, you're going to need some comfortable shoes, drop your bags off with Bounce luggage locker in London, and grab a memory card for your camera with plenty of spare megabytes.

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Famous Film Locations in London  

Doors and Houses

Love Actually is one of the most watched romantic comedies of all time. The sugary-sweet Christmas-themed story was shot in multiple locations throughout London, and there are two that you can find quite easily.

Remember when Hugh Grant made that mad dash toward a blue door in Love Actually? That rather grand blue door with its elegant white columns is Nº280 Westbourne Park Road, around five minutes on foot from the Portobello Road Market.

Head to St Luke's Mews in the Notting Hill neighborhood of London, and you'll spot Nº27 straightaway. It's hard to miss the pink house where Andrew Lincoln decided to ruin his best friend's new marriage by declaring his love for Keira Knightly. You'll be pleased to know that, even though it's twenty years since the film Love Actually was made, both the door and the house still look as if they were painted yesterday. 

Take a stroll down Chalcot Crescent in the Primrose Hill neighborhood of London, and if you've seen the 2014 Paddington movie, you'll get a dose of movie deja vu. The clever bear knew exactly which door to knock on; they're very attractive London townhouses, but if you feel the urge to knock, don't. The inhabitants won't be amused, and you definitely won't be invited in for marmalade sandwiches.

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Museums and Historic Places

War films are not to everyone's taste, but if you enjoyed the 2017 oscar-winning movie Darkest Hour, you'll want to go down into Churchill's War Rooms. While you won't get a whiff of Sir Winston's infamous cigars, you will be able to see the chair where he and the other cabinet ministers directed the war effort in the 1940s. The Churchill War Rooms are part of the Churchill Museum which is dedicated to the life of the British Prime Minister.

Old Cemeteries can be spooky enough, so if you're of a nervous disposition, you might want to skip going to see Highgate Cemetery. The very Gothic-looking Highgate Cemetery on Slain's Lane has been open for burials since the early 19th century. 

The 37-acre cemetery is also in part a nature reserve and was one of the filming locations for the movie Fantastic Beasts – Crimes of Grindelwald. While you might see something scuttling through the undergrowth, you can rest assured it won't be a niffler.  

For a movie fix with a cultural note, you should go to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. Take a seat in front of the Turner painting called The Fighting Temeraire, and you may well be sitting in exactly the same spot Daniel Craig or Judi Dench did during the filming of the 2012 James Bond movie Skyfall. The painting is nice, if you like ships, but not quite as exciting as Ian Fleming's super spy.

The National Gallery also enjoyed the presence of Tom Hanks during the filming of the Da Vinci Code.

London's iconic Trafalgar Square has featured in far too many movies to mention them all. Walk across the square or stand next to Nelson's Column, and you'll be replicating:

• Chris Evens in Captain America - The First Avenger,
• Michael Caine in the Ipcress File
• Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting
• Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman 2017
• Daniel Craig in Spectre

If you're a fan of the cult comedy movie Shaun of the Dead starring Simon Pegg, you'll be thrilled to know the pub scenes were filmed in London at the Duke of Albany in New Cross Gate. Sadly, you won't be able to drink a pint there as the building has now been converted into apartments, but the facade still looks the same as it did in the movie.  

Covent Garden

Markets

Two markets in London have become popular filming locations: Covent Gardens and Leadenhall Market.

You'll have seen Rowan Atkinson in his role as faux-Bond Johnny English driving through Leadenhall Market. Leadenhall Market is one that has also appeared in more than one Harry Potter film.

Covent Garden was one of the chosen locations for the 2020 film Enola Holmes starring Milly Bobby Brown in a role as Sherlock's twin sister. A Street Cat Named Bob, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Mary Poppins Returns, Last Christmas, and Bridget Jones’s Diary Jones all contain scenes filmed in Covent Garden. Wander through Covent garden, and if your film memory is good enough, you'll have fun finding all of the exact same spots that were shown in the movies.

By the time you've visited the film locations in London, you'll have a memory card full of movie-worthy shots with you as the protagonist. Don't be disappointed if you don't get to see them all, there really are far too many to cram into one vacation. 

Hopefully, as well as seeing all the famous film locations in London, you'll also have time to take a look around the London Film Museum on Wellington Street and the Cinema Museum in Covent Garden before you take in a new release.