£61.50 (Non JG member)
Overview
British cinema was born in London in 1896 when the first moving pictures were shown in Regents Street. By 1914, with 500cinemas in the capital, the pictures were replacing Music Hall and Variety as the night out of choice for millions of Londoners. We tell the story of film in London from the advent of the silver screen to the blockbusters that are filmed on location in London today. We also visit the quirkily wonderful Cinema Museum in the old workhouse where a young Charlie Chaplin stayed. The day includes morning coffee and a cup of tea before you go home. We begin on foot inside Leadenhall Market used in the filming of Harry Potter. From the coach you’ll see famous film locations but our tour goes way beyond that as we explain how filming in London works. The London film tour doubles as a rather fun tour of the great sights of London too because why should tourists have all the fun! We stop for lunch today at Borough Market, located right in the heart of London, Borough Market is one of the best known produce and street food markets around. Open seven days a week, the food market’s atmospheric halls and passageways are a pleasure to explore, with a good choice of pubs and cafés plus the Southwark Cathedral Refectory among the choices for lunch. In the afternoon a short hop takes us the wonderful Cinema Museum housed in an old workhouse in Kennington. The Cinema Museum’s fascinating collection encompasses every aspect of going to the pictures, from the architecture and fittings of cinemas themselves to the ephemeral marketing materials that promoted the films of the moment. It is of course very nostalgic. You’ll be taken on a little tour and have time to browse before taking a seat to enjoy some film clips of old London. There’s a cup of tea included to round off our day before heading home at 5.15pm.