Popular Locations
To film on the streets of London, where you can access some of the most popular
locations in the capital, you need to gain permission from the relevant authority.
There is a Borough Film Officer allocated to each of the 33 London boroughs, please
apply to them directly with questions and for filming permissions. Please refer
to the interactive map of the London boroughs to access relevant contact details. If filming on a 'red route' you will need
to apply to Transport for London (TfL).
There is also police support available for each borough. The Metropolitan Police Service Film Unit (MPSFU) provides a single point of contact and an integrated, streamlined service for
filming requests requiring police assistance across the capital.
Where filming/photography is taking place across a borough or boroughs, without
specific times or locations and your shoot falls outside of the Metropolitan Police
presence criteria, please contact the filmunit@met.police.uk in order that your information is disseminated to the relevant people. Where
you are informing the Metropolitan Police of filming/photography with less than
1 days notice, contact the borough police station giving all the relevant information to assist in preventing police interventions.
The impact of failing to inform relevant authorities could result in unnecessary
police resources being deployed and disruption to the community and to your filming.
This is particularly important when you are filming on Westminster and Lambeth
boroughs and the City of London, or any other location that may have iconic, religious
or government buildings.
Please note: filming the exterior of a building does not infringe its copyright. You do not
need copyright from the building's owner to film its exterior (although you will
still need to obtain permission from the relevant authority or property owner
based on where you have physically placed your camera in order to shoot). However,
a building could be considered to represent an individual, company or institution
and film-makers should therefore be careful not to use this association either:
(a) to endorse or exploit any product or service; or (b) in a way that might defame
such individual, company or institution.
It is possible to film some of the popular London Landmarks from several angles and this will affect the authority which you will need to
contact for permissions. Film London's dedicated Locations Department have compiled
some useful information about some of these key sites, as follows:
- Big Ben and Houses of Parliament
- Leicester Square
- Lincoln's Inn
- London's Bridges
- The London Eye
- London's Transport Network
- Malet Street and Russell Square
- Piccadilly Circus
- Tower Bridge
- Trafalgar Square
- Transport for London
- The United Grand Lodge - Freemasons Hall
- Victoria House
- Waterloo Place Unit Base Parking
- Woburn Walk
Big Ben and Houses of Parliament
Big Ben is the colloquial name of the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster in London, and an informal name for the Great Bell of Westminster, the largest bell in the tower and part of the Great Clock of Westminster. The clock tower is located at the north-western end of the building - the home of the Houses of Parliament.
The 320 foot high Clock Tower is named after its enormous bell. It was cast in 1858 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in East London and to this day is one of the largest bells they have ever cast.
Big Ben resides in the City of Westminter. Several potential camera positions for Big Ben, with contact details, can be found in the documents below:
 [Acrobat PDF] | Big Ben Camera Positions (PDF) |
Leicester Square
Leicester Square in Central London is famous for its cinemas, though it is also home to bars, nightclubs and restaurants. There are four cinemas on the square (and several others close by), including one establishment which claims to have the biggest screen in the world. Leicester Square is traditionally home to London's red carpet movie premieres.
The square is pedestrianised with pavement cafes and bars. The centre of the square is a small gated park area featuring statues of Shakespeare and Chaplin, among other notaries. The square is always busy and is particularly crowded in the evenings and at weekends, although the park area is locked at night.
Applications to film in Leicester Square should be made to: Special Events & Filming Team, Westminster City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QP. The team can also be contacted on 020 7641 2390 or by email filming@westminster.gov.uk. Further information can be found on the following website: www.westminster.gov.uk/filming.
The download load below is a floor plan of the area which may be of use to film-makers:
| [Acrobat PDF] | Floor Plan of Leicester Square (PDF) |
Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest of London's formal green squares. The size of a small park it
includes tennis courts and a restaurant. The square is surrounded by imposing
institutional buildings some dating back to the 1700s.
Situated close to the Royal Courts of Justice the square has had a long association
with London's legal community many of whom have offices around the square. Most
of the square is in the borough of Camden, the south quarter is in the City of
Westminster.
The document below outlines the main borough boundary, as well as the location
of the pay and display meters, ticket machines, other parking bays and key filming
contacts:
| [Acrobat PDF] | Lincoln's Inn Fields Filming Contacts (PDF) |
London's Bridges
London Bridge was the first bridge built across The River Thames and there has been a crossing at or near its present site for nearly two thousand
years. The most recent bridge to be built is the Millennium Bridge, completed
in 2002.
The boundary line for boroughs on either side of The Thames runs through the
middle of the river - splitting authority over London's bridges in two. However,
for filming purposes the majority of boroughs have agreed that one will take responsibility
for an entire bridge. Furthermore, some of the bridges are also 'red routes' for
which TfL are the Traffic Authority.
Below is a document explaining who is responsible for filming enquiries on bridges
across London and the Borough Film Services contacts and TfL contacts concerned:
| [Acrobat PDF] | London Bridges Filming Contacts (PDF) |
The London Eye
The London Eye is a truly amazing feat of design and construction.
Originally conceived by architects David Marks and Julia Barfield as an entry for a millennium landmark competition, the project took six years and the expertise of hundreds of people from five European countries to turn it into a reality.
Find out more about the The London Eye.
Several potential camera positions for The London Eye, with contact details, can be found in the documents below:
| [Acrobat PDF] | London Eye Camera Positions (PDF) |
London's Transport Network
London's transport facilities offer a wide range of popular locations which regularly
feature on the big screen.
Film fans will recognize the Tube, London buses, black cabs and river taxis in
recent productions such as 28 Weeks Later and The Good Shepherd.
We also recommend checking the Transport for London section.
Each type of transport has its own filming contact and welcomes requests to film:
- London Underground has a dedicated film office which handles hundreds of requests each year and which facilitated the likes of Creep.
- River services along The Thames offer excellent views of the major icons and landmarks (as seen in The World Is Not Enough).
- London's City Airport accommodates all types of productions, whilst also being close to the City and Canary Wharf.
- Network Rail maintains nearly all of the capital's mainline stations such as King's Cross and Waterloo which feature in The Bourne Ultimatum.
- Eurostar offer trains to France from St Pancras.
- East London and the City is well served by Docklands Light Railway (DLR) - one of the first light rail systems in Britain. Today DLR is a 31km railway with 38 stations and 94 vehicles, with one of the world's safest and most advanced automatic train control systems.
| [Acrobat PDF] | Contacts for London's Transport Network (PDF) |
Malet Street and Russell Square
Russell Square surrounds Bloomsbury Square in Camden - a large garden square
which was developed in the late 17th Century and is surrounded by terraced houses
mainly from the 18th and 19th Centuries (some of which are now offices).
The eastern side of the square is occupied by Victoria House (see separate map
for Victoria House).
Malet Street is just around the corner, situated next to Birbeck College. Technical
vehicle parking is available at both these locations, within walking distance.
The document below outlines the location of the pay and display meters, ticket
machines, other parking bays, and key filming contacts in the area.
Piccadilly Circus
For many years, Piccadilly Circus - at the junction of five busy streets - has been a famous landmark of London. Regency facades sit alongside advertising video displays and neon signs, a particularly impressive sight at night.
The fountain and it's statue at the centre of the circle have become an iconic emblem. The statue is popularly named after the Greek god Eros. It was actually intended to depict Anteros, the brother of Eros, and has since been renamed The Angel of Christian Charity.
The name 'Piccadilly' originates from a 17th Century frilled collar named piccadil. Roger Baker, the tailor who became rich making piccadils lived in the area. The word 'Circus' refers to the roundabout around which the traffic circulates.
The download below shows a basic map of this area, including the location of all immediate underground stations. Please mark intended position for filming on this Film London provided map. This can be sent to the Special Events Film Office in Westminster, along with a Filming Application Form, to highlight your intentions whilst shooting in this area (see the interactive London boroughs map here for full contact details):
| [Acrobat PDF] | Floor Plan of Piccadilly Circus (PDF) |
Tower Bridge
Adjacent to the Tower of London, Tower Bridge is one of London's most famous
and distinctive landmarks and probably the best known of all London's bridges.
The original design for the bridge was by Horace Jones, later taken over by Jones'
chief engineer John Wolfe-Barry after his death in 1887. Construction ran from
1886 till 1894.
Tower Bridge is considered as a masterpiece of Victorian engineering, the centre
of the bridge 'opening' to allow for the high levels of river traffic during the
period.
The bridge crosses the Thames between Tower Hamlets to the north and Southwark
to the south. However, filming on the bridge itself is controlled by the City
of London film office - for details please download our London's Bridges document.
Several potential camera positions for Tower Bridge, with contact details, can
be found in the documents below:
| [Acrobat PDF] | Tower Bridge Camera Positions (PDF) |
Trafalgar Square
Named after Admiral Nelson's famous naval victory, Trafalgar Square is one of the largest pedestrianised areas in the centre of London. The square is home to the impressively tall Nelsons column, with bronze lions at it's base and two large decorative fountains.
The square has a busy calendar of events and political gatherings but is also available for filming.
Two bodies have responsibility for the area as indicated on the floor plan below. The GLA for the centre (contact the Squares Management Team on 020 7983 6561 / 020 7983 4813 or email trafalgar.square@london.gov.uk) and Westminster City Council for the surrounding areas including the north terrace (contact the Special Events & Filming Team on 020 7641 2390 / filming@westminster.gov.uk).
Please note: the paved passageway between the main building and the Sainsbury's Wing of The National Gallery is the responsibility of The National Gallery. For any enquiries about this area please contact Daragh Kenny on 020 7747 5996 / filming@nationalgallery.co.uk.
Find out more about Trafalgar Square.
| [Acrobat PDF] | Floor Plan of Trafalgar Square (PDF) |
Transport for London (TfL)
Transport for London (TfL) was created in 2000 as the integrated body responsible
for the capital's transport system. The primary role of Transport for London,
which is a functional body of the Greater London Authority, is to implement the
Mayor of London's Transport Strategy and manage transport services across the
capital.
Transport for London is the highways authority that oversees the Strategic Road
Network within London, primarily red routes and restricted zones. If filming on
these roads it is necessary to speak to the Area Team contact:
Rob Kozicki
Engineer, Central Area
Directorate of Road Network Management
TfL Surface Transport
Tel: 020 7126 1285
Email: robkozicki@streetmanagement.org.uk
Red routes also run across a number of iconic Thames bridges. For filming on
these stretches of road it is necessary to contact both Transport for London and
the local Borough Film Service.
We also recommend checking the London's Transport Network section.
The United Grand Lodge - Freemasons Hall
Freemasons Hall was built as the ceremonial and administrative headquarters for
the United Grand Lodge and frequently hosts film shoots.
Its location is on the very edge of Camden, leading into Westminster. It sits
on the corner of Great Queen Street/Wild Street, which is a busy road and is also
a part of a residential area, so local residents will have to be taken into account
when organising vehicle movement.
The document below outlines the main borough boundary, as well as the location
of the pay and display meters, ticket machines, other parking bays, and key filming
contacts in the area.
Victoria House
Victoria House is located on Bloomsbury Square in Camden (see also: Malet Street and Russell Square map) filled with features ranging from ornate ceilings, a ballroom, conference
rooms, and a restaurant.
It is also a popular location used to double as an American building. Technical
parking bays are available on nearby Bedford Place, with other bays scattered
around the area.
The document below outlines the location of the pay and display meters, ticket
machines, other parking bays, key filming contacts in the area and suggests recommended
generator locations outside of the building.
Waterloo Place Unit Base Parking
Please download the document below for full information about unit parking in Waterloo Place, W1. This document includes a map for reference, as well as information about dispensations in this area and some general guidelines for parking a unit.
Please be aware that applications for dispensation for unit base parking at Waterloo Place should be made directly to the Special Events Film Office in Westminster (full contact details can be found here in the interactive London boroughs map).
| [Acrobat PDF] | Unit Base Parking in Waterloo Place (PDF) |
Woburn Walk
Woburn Walk is a terraced Georgian street located in Camden. With houses and
shops underneath, it a typical Dickensian street with period street lamps and
paved roads.
Technical parking is available in adjacent roads: Burton Street, Flaxman Terrace
and Dukes Road.
The document below outlines the location of the pay and display meters, ticket
machines, other parking bays, key filming contacts in the area and recommends
the best time to organise filming.
