12 replies to this topic

[Iceskater101]

Hi!

Me and a friend might be planning a trip to London/England and I was curious if there were any James Bond exhibits or places to go and see. I definitely want to go and see the MI6 building for sure but what else?

 

 

Thanks!

 

[Major Tallon]

Hi,

 

There are approximately one zillion of them!  Well, that's a slight exaggeration, but I'll list a few.  A group of us from our Bond tour group covered 58 of them in four days when we were in London back in 2012, but I'll list only a representative sample.  Most of the locations I'm going to list are free, though you'll probably want to see the "Bond in Motion" exhibition at the London Film Museum in Covent Garden, and there's a fee for that.  So here are a few.  I'm listing the relevant Tube stations in a parenthetical at the end.

 

1.  02 Center/ "Millennium Dome" (TWINE) (Tube:North Greenwich)

2.  College of Arms (OHMSS) (Mansion House)

3.  Lift cage from DAF, Ludgate House, 107 Fleet St (Blackfriars)

4.  10 Trinity Square ("Skyfall") (Tower Hill)

5.  Entrance to the underground car park at Smithfield Market ("Skyfall) (Barbican/ Farringdon)

6.  The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square ("Skyfall") (Charing Cross) ("The Fighting Temeraire" is in the Sackler Room; hope it won't make you feel melancholy)

7.  Bench across from the island in St. James Park where, in Fleming's Moonraker, Gala dumps Bond (St. James Park)

8.  Ian Fleming Blue Plaque, 22 Ebury Street (Victoria)

9.  Buckingham Palace Canada Gate (DAD) (Green Park)

10. Door to Q's lab, Westminster Bridge (DAD) (Westminster)

11. M's flat (formerly John Barry's home), 82 Cadogan Square (Sloan Square)

12. Bond's flat (not specified in any book or film, but widely acknowledged) 30 Wellington Square (Sloan Square)

13. Sotheyby's ("Octopussy") 34-35 Bond Street (Bond Street)

14. Les Ambassadeurs, 5 Hamilton Place ("Doctor No") (Hyde Park Corner)

15. Langham Hotel, 1C Portland Place ("GoldenEye") (Oxford Circus/ Regent's Park)

16. St. Sophia Cathedral, Moscow Road ("GoldenEye") (Bayswater)

 

I'm sure others, particularly some of our British posters, will have some excellent suggestions as well.  But please remember that London is one of the great cities of the world, with many locations of cultural and historical interest.  But who am I to talk?  On my last trip to Rome, I went looking for locations from the short story "Risico." 

 

Anyway, have a great trip!

[Toxteth_OGrady]

Hi,

 

I'm planning a similar trip later in the year.  Perhaps these guides will help:

 

http://www.mi6-hq.co...don_guide1.php3

 

http://www.mi6-hq.co...don_guide2.php3

 

http://www.mi6-hq.co...don_guide3.php3

[Iceskater101]

Okay so for your list, are these places where they filmed certain Bond scenes?

[Major Tallon]

Yes!

 

Here's some detail, linked by item number to my previous list:

 

1.  Climax of Bond's battle with the Cigar Girl, where he leaps from the fishing boat to the tether of the hot air balloon.

2.  Bond meets Sir HIllary Bray to prepare for his trip to Piz Gloria.

3.  Bond has punch-up in with Peter Franks.

4.  Exterior of Mallor's office.  M arrives here to get her initial dressing down; Bond races to the parliamentary inquiry inside for his shoot-out with Silva.

5.  Bond is driven to MI6's "new digs."

6.  Bond meets the new Quartermaster.

7.  The setting for the last chapter of Moonraker.

8.  Not a film location.  One of several homes in London where Ian Fleming lived.

9.  Scene where Gustav Graves lands in his parachute and meets the press prior to "becoming a knight."

10. Supposed secret door at the end of Westminster Bridge that provides access to Q's lab.

11. Shown in SF when M pulls up outside a building, goes inside in the rain, and finds Bond.

12. Supposed location of the flat off the King's Road in Chelsea, alluded to in the novels, where Bond lives.

13. Scene where Bond emerges from the (world famous) auction house after bidding for the Faberge egg against Kamal Khan.

14. Not shown in the film, the London club where Bond is gambling against Sylvia Trench.

15. Used as the frontage for the supposed Europa Hotel where Bond meets Xenia in the steam room.

16. A Russian Orthodox church, called "Our Lady of Smolensk" in the movie, where Natalya meets Boris after her escape from Siberia.  When I was there in October, 2012, the building was being renovated, and access was possible only shortly before the scheduled time for services. 

 

Have fun; see a lot!

[Iceskater101]

Wow that's awesome! I have to keep this list in mind when I go traveling!
 

[Toxteth_OGrady]

Tallon - is it possible just to walk in off the street to Ludgate House to see the elevator, or is there any sort of security that has to be negotiated?

[Major Tallon]

When our little group went there in October 2012, we just walked into the building, went to the lift cage, and took a ride.  No prior arrangements.  Of course, we're respectful and well behaved and don't cause any disruption.

[Matt_13]

Last month I visited the Bond in Motion exhibit in Covent Garden. Absolutely worth the price of admission. Seeing vehicles I grew up watching in person was a pretty surreal experience, and seeing a real Aston Martin DB5 for the first time (they have the one used in Goldeneye) was something else. It's not a particularly big display, but the film history in that room should not go unseen if the opportunity exists, especially for us fans. If you get the chance absolutely make the journey. You won't be sorry.

[Iceskater101]

How long is the exhibit around for?

[PPK_19]

How long is the exhibit around for?

 

Until December 31st, Iceskater. I was there today, here are a few select pics. I won't post them all since I don't want to spoil the experience for you. I took pictures of everything, it was brilliant!

 

 

 

[Goodnight]

When our little group went there in October 2012, we just walked into the building, went to the lift cage, and took a ride. No prior arrangements. Of course, we're respectful and well behaved and don't cause any disruption.

Major Tallon knows all the secrets, but don't tell anyone that.
I can't wait for next years death march.

[Major Tallon]

We're looking forward to it!  See you then.