Where Was ‘Paddington’ Filmed?

Where was Paddington Filmed?

Many will remember the stories of Paddington, a young Peruvian bear with a passion for all things British, including his favourite; marmalade sandwiches. Written and directed by Paul King (Mighty Boosh), this family adventure features the vocal talents of Ben Whishaw as the eponymous bear.

Arriving in London to search for a new home, the talking bear soon finds himself lost and alone at Paddington Station after discovering that city life is not what he had expected. Paddington then meets a young boy played by Samuel Joslin and his family the Browns; Mr Brown is played by Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), and Mrs Brown performed by Sally Hawkins (Godzilla). The rare bear is spotted by a museum taxidermist played by Nicole Kidman, this results in Paddington’s happiness with the Brown family being short lived.

Which filming locations were used for Paddington the movie?

Our Production Services Team were involved from pre-production, offering assistance with briefs which included empty period buildings, stable yards and Victorian boiler rooms. The film was largely shot around London as that was the main location used in traditional Paddington Bear stories. Keep an eye out for Tilbury Docks in Essex during the film’s opening credits in which a cargo crate brings Paddington ashore. This dock has been used in other productions including Batman Begins and Alfie. Another featured location used for filming was Hatfield House in Hertfordshire, this stately home has also featured in many films previously, including Sherlock Holmes and The King’s Speech.

“I really relished the opportunity to bring location & studio filming of Paddington to Hertfordshire and Essex because it is always such a collaborative, open minded and can-do approach. As ever, it was a joy working with Creative England and the production were very happy with the filming that took place outside of London.”

-Jonah Coombes, Location Manager

The production extensively used the facilities at one of Europe’s largest studios, Elstree, shooting at the famous George Lucas Stage and Stage 7. These lots were used for the interior scenes of the Brown family home, which in this portrayal takes a battering from flooding and fires that ensue during Paddington’s stay. The feature also shot scenes around Paddington Station (the reason Paddington is so named) and a few scenes were shot in the picturesque Windsor Gardens, London. Part of the feature was also filmed in Costa Rica that doubled as Peru, home of the spectacled bear.

Paddington is due for cinema release nationwide on 28^th November.

For more information on Elstree Studios  head here and to discover how Creative England’s Production Services Team can help provide you with crew, facilities and regional location advice click here.