Industrial History Online
Ealing Film Studios
Key Words :- film
Address :- Ealing Green, London, Greater London, W5
Grid Ref :- TQ 1761 8029
Co-ordinates :- Lat 51.509309 , Long -0.306684
Local Authority :- Ealing London Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Middlesex
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No :- 1389249,
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Description and History of Site:-
Films made on this site from 1904; bought and enlarged by Basil Dean 1931, renowned for wartime morale-boosting films, Ealing comedies 1940s.
Ealing Film Studios are the most historic surviving film studios in England, Ealing being chosen for having the most smog-free environment close to London. It is recognised as the oldest continuously working film studio in the world.
The studios were taken over by BBC in 1956 and transformed into its Television Film Studios (TFS) operation. In its heyday more than 50 film crews used Ealing as their HQ for filming drama and documentaries on location. The famous filmed sequences of Cathy Come Home, and Z-Cars were edited here. Quatermass and the Pit, and Colditz were completed here.
The BBC subsequently sold the studios in 1992 to a company called BBRK but this venture collapsed in October 1994.
The studios were then purchased by the National Film and Television School (NFTS) who had plans to convert the studios into a film school. This plan was abandoned when it was decided that it would cost too much to convert the site and the studios were put on the market in 1999.
In 2000 Ealing was bought by a consortium from Fragile Films, The Manhattan Loft Corporation and author/producer John Kao who redeveloped the site as a film studio and base for media companies.
Significant expansion and development, which included demolishing the old workshops, was completed by late 2025.
Further Reading and References:-
Barr, Charles. 'Ealing Studios'. David & Charles, 1977
https://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/research/heritage-trail
https://ealingstudios.com/about-ealing/history-3/
https://www.metfilmschool.ac.uk/campuses/london/ealing-studios/
Help us improve this entry
Grid Ref :- TQ 1761 8029
Co-ordinates :- Lat 51.509309 , Long -0.306684
Local Authority :- Ealing London Borough Council
Pre 1974 County :- Middlesex
Site Status :- Listed - Grade II
Historic England List No :- 1389249,
Site Condition :- Operational site, in use for original purpose
Films made on this site from 1904; bought and enlarged by Basil Dean 1931, renowned for wartime morale-boosting films, Ealing comedies 1940s.
Ealing Film Studios are the most historic surviving film studios in England, Ealing being chosen for having the most smog-free environment close to London. It is recognised as the oldest continuously working film studio in the world.
The studios were taken over by BBC in 1956 and transformed into its Television Film Studios (TFS) operation. In its heyday more than 50 film crews used Ealing as their HQ for filming drama and documentaries on location. The famous filmed sequences of Cathy Come Home, and Z-Cars were edited here. Quatermass and the Pit, and Colditz were completed here.
The BBC subsequently sold the studios in 1992 to a company called BBRK but this venture collapsed in October 1994.
The studios were then purchased by the National Film and Television School (NFTS) who had plans to convert the studios into a film school. This plan was abandoned when it was decided that it would cost too much to convert the site and the studios were put on the market in 1999.
In 2000 Ealing was bought by a consortium from Fragile Films, The Manhattan Loft Corporation and author/producer John Kao who redeveloped the site as a film studio and base for media companies.
Significant expansion and development, which included demolishing the old workshops, was completed by late 2025.
Barr, Charles. 'Ealing Studios'. David & Charles, 1977
https://www.bbc.co.uk/historyofthebbc/research/heritage-trail
https://ealingstudios.com/about-ealing/history-3/
https://www.metfilmschool.ac.uk/campuses/london/ealing-studios/
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Contributor :- GLIAS Database - 2 June 2018
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Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © GLIAS Database