Bad news indeed for all us Gerry Anderson fans, and a petition has been started in an attempt to save the buildings.
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/194678/sponsors/sQH6Cs5Z1GR3jB8SaZhu
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/194678/sponsors/sQH6Cs5Z1GR3jB8SaZhu
I checked out the site in 2015, on a very wet afternoon following The Future is Fantastic Fanderson convention.
As many of you will know some of the buildings were being used by a plastics factory, and on that damp day some did look a little bit tired and in need of some much needed repair.
However, even the awful weather wasn't enough to stop those nostalgic stirrings in my mind's eye, imagining the Century 21 team all those years ago planning and filming all those great series.
I'm sure like many of you I really hope there's a chance of saving at least something, but unfortunately, the nagging pessimist in me has a bad feeling that it's going to take a lot more than International Rescue to get out of this one.
Maybe we should take a leaf out of Gerry's book, who according to his son, Jamie, wasn't particularly sentimental, kept very little from those golden days, and always had a firm eye on the future.
Or sign the petition and maybe we get that happy ending.
However, even the awful weather wasn't enough to stop those nostalgic stirrings in my mind's eye, imagining the Century 21 team all those years ago planning and filming all those great series.
I'm sure like many of you I really hope there's a chance of saving at least something, but unfortunately, the nagging pessimist in me has a bad feeling that it's going to take a lot more than International Rescue to get out of this one.
Maybe we should take a leaf out of Gerry's book, who according to his son, Jamie, wasn't particularly sentimental, kept very little from those golden days, and always had a firm eye on the future.
Or sign the petition and maybe we get that happy ending.
Never been to these but I'm really sad that they are going. You somehow don't expect buildings to go, but almost all the places I have worked at have gone (I don't think that was deliberate).
ReplyDeleteYeah, it is a shame. I'm glad I at least visited the site, but I guess these industrial buildings are probably nearly sixty years old now, and are looking their age. There's quite a few modern buildings across the road so I guess it's cheaper to knock the old buildings down and build new than try to upgrade them.
DeleteSad to learn that the place where so many happy childhood memories were created will soon be no more. I'd have liked to visit the factory, but I think it was featured in the 'Full Boost Vertical' DVD, so at least I've seen inside of it.
ReplyDeleteVery sad indeed Scoop. The dream factory closes and will vanish forever. Hard to imagine that all those fabulous adventures we watched every week came from such plain origins. At least the programmes will live on. I shall sign the petition for nostalgia's sake.
ReplyDeleteLived in Slough in the sixties. It was then called AP Films. My brother's and I used to go there and take film out of the bin. I wish I would have kept them. At that time it was Fireball XL5 and Supercar and then Stingray I think.
ReplyDeleteWhat great memories of the place you must have. I believe once the studios in Ipswich Road and later on in Stirling Road had finished with things like the bits of film you mentioned, out they went. What a treasure trove for kids it must have been.If you think of any other memory about the studios from that time I be glad to hear about it. Thanks for sharing
DeleteI love watching repeats of Thunderbirds,Space 1999,UFO, and i like these programmes because i have followed/suppoted Christopher lee/Peter Cushing since 1958, they were awesome in Space 1999 and Thunderbirds with those wonderful puppets and UFO has i like Ed Bishop.I have never visited 21 Ctury film studios, but i have been to Pinewood that was lovely huge studio.
ReplyDeleteThose sound like lovely memories of the greats like Lee and Cushing Gail. What did you see at Pinewood when you visited?
DeleteI went in 1974 Woodsy, the big house on site had boxes galore of film photos stills and other memorbillia and reasonable prices most of them were B/W and i grabbed what i could some were in colour with the same price, when i got home i wrote to Mr James Carreras and told him he replied back and included 2 photos that were not in the boxes. the 007 studio was awesome, i brought my camera long taking photos then one of the carpenters told me off we were not allowed to take movie films or photos, but it was a wonderful summers outing, the entry was free.
DeleteSounds like great memories, Gail. I would love to have been allowed into Pinewood when I visited a couple of years ago. These days the security there is very keen (although.they are all very polite). I couldn't even take photos from the road that showed buildings inside the complex.I can understand the reasons behind it though.
DeleteYes well at least we saw Pinewood before that closes and made into a Restaurante like Bray, I think Scoop our heritage is lost so the next generation will never know what happenend to our wonderful film studios.
ReplyDeleteYes,indeed. That whole area was littered with studios at one time. Sadly I never got to see Elstree in it's heyday, before half of it became a Tesco, or MGM before that became a Sainsbury's distribution center.
DeleteARE GO!
ReplyDelete