Elstree Studios

Elstree Studios is a generic term which can refer to several current and defunct British film studios and television studios based in or around the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Hertfordshire. Studios have been located here since film production began in the area during 1914.

While some facilities have been built and demolished since then, two sites remain in use in Borehamwood; Elstree Studios on Shenley Road and the BBC Elstree Centre on Clarendon Road.

History and facilities

Despite being called "Elstree Studios", only one studio has ever been located in Elstree itself, the remainder residing in the adjacent town of Borehamwood. When the studios were being established, Elstree was significantly larger than Borehamwood. Nowadays, Borehamwood is the larger, but the old names have remained in use.

The civil parish that contains the town was called "Elstree". The local railway station was originally known as "Elstree" (nowadays, it is called "Elstree & Borehamwood"). The local telephone exchange was also called "Elstree".

Elstree Studios (Shenley Road)

Elstree Studios on Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire is a British film and television production facility operated by Elstree Film Studios Limited. One of several facilities historically referred to as Elstree Studios, the Shenley Road studio site opened in 1925.

The facility has passed through a large number of owners, and is currently owned by Hertsmere Borough Council. Noted as the studios used for filming Star Wars and Indiana Jones (its largest studio is known as the George Lucas Soundstage), the studios are used both for film and television productions.

Along with the BBC Elstree Centre on Clarendon Road, a number of the studios on site are leased to BBC Studios and Post Production and are used for recording television productions such as Strictly Come Dancing.

History

British International and Associated British

British National Pictures Ltd. purchased 40 acres (16 ha) of land on the south side of Shenley Road and began construction of two large film stages in 1925. After discord among the partners, which by this time included Herbert Wilcox, their solicitor John Maxwell invested and was able to gain control of the company. The first film produced there was Madame Pompadour (1927).

Elstree

Coordinates: 51°38′N 0°18′W / 51.64°N 0.30°W / 51.64; -0.30

Elstree /ˈɛlztri/ is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, on the former A5 road, which followed the course of Watling Street, approximately thirteen miles northwest of central London. In 2011, its population was 5,110. It forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree.

The village often lends its shorter name to businesses and amenities in the adjacent town of Borehamwood, and the names of Elstree and Borehamwood are used interchangeably. Elstree is perhaps best known for the Elstree Film Studios, where a number of famous British films were made, and the BBC Elstree Centre, where the TV soap opera EastEnders is made; these are both located in Borehamwood.

The local newspaper is the Borehamwood and Elstree Times. Together with Borehamwood, the village is twinned with Offenburg in Germany and Fontenay-aux-Roses in France.

Transport

Elstree & Borehamwood railway station

Elstree and Borehamwood

Coordinates: 51°39′25″N 0°16′19″W / 51.657°N 0.272°W / 51.657; -0.272

Elstree and Borehamwood is a civil parish in the Borough of Hertsmere in Hertfordshire, England. Located approximately 12 miles (19 km) northwest of central London and adjacent to the Greater London boundary, it is an urbanised parish with suburban residential development, some open land and light industry. Elstree and Borehamwood is a recent renaming of the ancient parish of Elstree, covering the settlements of Elstree and Borehamwood. Formed in 1894 as the Elstree Parish Council, the local council is Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council. One of the most populous civil parishes in England, at the 2011 census it had a population of 37,065.

History

Elstree was an ancient parish in the Cashio Hundred of Hertfordshire. In 1894 it became part of the Barnet Rural District and the Elstree Parish Council was formed. Barnet Rural District became Elstree Rural District in 1941. The parish was part of the review area of the Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London, however it did not form part of the proposed Greater London area. In 1974 the parish became part of the Borough of Hertsmere. The Local Government Act 1972 permitted parish councils to become town councils and provided a mechanism for the name of the parish to be changed if the district council was in agreement. The parish name was subsequently changed to Elstree and Borehamwood and the parish council became Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council.

Elstree (song)

"Elstree" is a synthpop song by The Buggles from their debut album, The Age of Plastic. It was the fourth and final single from the album, released on 27 October 1980. It was written by Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes.

Music and lyrics

"Elstree" is a tribute to the U.K. film company Elstree Studios. It follows the story of a failed actor who, according to Wave Maker Magazine, is "taking up a more regular position behind the scenes and looking back at his life in regret." The song is 4 minutes and 32 seconds long, and is played at a BPM of 136.Geoff Downes performed an old-sounding grand piano and a minimoog in the song to emulate an oboe.

Release and version history

The single was released on 7" vinyl via Island Records across Europe and Japan. It was not given an America release. In the UK, the single was manufactured and distributed by EMI Records Ltd. The single was also issued in Brazil through Island Records and Ariola, which was the umbrella company in Brazil for Island Records at the time. For the single, the song was edited down by half a minute in comparison to the album version of the song. Despite this, the UK version of the single still dubbed the song "(Full-length Album Version)" on the A-side of the vinyl. The single included the B-side "Johnny on the Monorail (A Very Different Version)" which was written by Downes and Horn. As the title suggested, the song is a different version of the closing album track of The Age of Plastic. The version was originally exclusive to the single before it appeared as a bonus track on the 2000 remastered re-issue of The Age of Plastic album, amongst other re-issues of the album.