Once known as the 'British Hollywood', Elstree and Borehamwood has played a significant role in the history of film making. It might be difficult to imagine glamorous stars like Grace Kelly, Errol Flynn, Ingrid Bergman, Elizabeth Taylor, Gregory Peck, Sophia Loren and Cary Grant in Borehamwood, but they have all worked at studios here along with British celebrities including Laurence Olivier, Anna Neagle, John Mills, Alec Guinness and Ralph Richardson.

Bringing this roll-call of honour more up to date, the blockbuster Star Wars trilogy was filmed in the town, as were Steven Spielberg's rip-roaring Indiana Jones adventures starring Harrison Ford. And the tradition continues. Today the area continues to be a focus for the entertainment industry with both Elstree Studios and the BBC's own regional broadcasting studios based at the centre of Borehamwood.

Hertsmere Borough Council is in a unique position in the film world. In February 1996 it purchased the Elstree Studios site from former owners Brent Walker at a time when the future for this historic landmark looked bleak. It is no exaggeration to say that Elstree Studios was saved by the Council and by the people of Elstree and Borehamwood who were staunch and vocal supporters of the local SOS (Save Our Studios) campaign.

After purchasing the site, the Council set about its transformation, refurbishing office accommodation, stages, dressing rooms, wardrobe, make-up facilities, the underground car park and the preview theatre. In addition the Council demonstrated its commitment to the future by building two new sound stages. With an internal height of 50 feet they are the highest in the UK. The stages, each 16,000 square feet, were officially opened by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in January 1999.

Since the acquisition of the Studios, nearly 40 tenants, representing various aspects of the industry, have taken up residence creating the nucleus of a 'film village' that puts Elstree firmly back in the spotlight as the global film industry focuses on Britain again.

Although the Council remains landlord, the Studios are run as a private company reporting to its own board of directors.

Filming in Hertfordshire

Hertfordshire has provided the locations for many blockbusting films and acclaimed TV productions over the years. The county as a whole offers a wide variety of locations from manor houses or picturesque villages to high tech offices and 1930s factories.

Elstree and Film - a brief history

The movie industry has played a key role in the history, economy and vitality of this area.

Early cinematographers arrived here before the First World War and set up shop on a plot of land near to the old village of Elstree.

At the beginning of the century cinema was an exciting new art form and this really was a 'British Hollywood' in microcosm with a number of separate companies working alongside each other.

The first of six studios in the parish was built on the site of the present BBC studios in Clarendon Road, Borehamwood - now the permanent home of the famous EastEnders set.

In 1914 actor/manager John East of Neptune Films bought up a field for his studio, and went on to produce several full-length films including 'Harbour Lights' and Britain's first cartoons.

Unfortunately, technical success did not prevent John East from running into financial difficulties. Eventually he was forced to lease his studios to a company called Ideal Films who sub-let to a company specialising in documentaries.

One of these was called 'Secrets of Nature' which pioneered time-lapse photography to reveal the sequence of flowers opening.

Elstree was also at the forefront of another important development in film during the 1930s when Ludwig Blattner developed many sound techniques here.

The Clarendon Road studios were later sold to the British National Film Co. which produced well-known films including 'One of Our Aircraft is Missing', Michael Powell's 'Edge of the World' and the memorable Victorian thriller, 'Gaslight'.

In addition, a series of popular musicals starred Anne Ziegler and Webster Booth and comedies featured the famous Crazy Gang.

In 1952 these studios were leased to Douglas Fairbanks Jnr. who made 160 films for American television before the site was sold to ATV.

During the 22 'ATV' years many of the company's main network programmes were produced here, including The Muppets, Celebrity Squares and Family Fortunes.

In 1983 the BBC took on the Clarendon Road site. The long-running children's drama Grange Hill was an early success and the BBC is still here today producing a range of programmes including regional news bulletins, quiz shows and favourites like EastEnders and Holby City.

The world-renowned Elstree Studios is located on a 15.5 acre site at the heart of Borehamwood and it occupies an important place in the British film industry.

The First World War cast a shadow over the early days and it was not until 1927 when shrewd Scot John Maxwell took control of Elstree-based company British International Pictures (BIP) that the Studios began to flourish.

One of Maxwell's first appointments was a 28-year-old director called Alfred Hitchcock who had started his career in film as a handyman at Islington Studios. Hitchcock entered the annals of film history when he directed the first British 'talkie', 'Blackmail' for BIP at Elstree in 1929.

By the 1930s Elstree was established as a leading studio. Returning to England from America Charlie Chaplin called it 'the home of the British Film Industry'.

In fact, during the thirties Elstree became a second home to many Hollywood and European stars and John Maxwell capitalised on success by forming the Associated British Picture Company (ABPC) as the holding company to take over BIP.

A golden period ended with his death and the requisitioning of the Studios on the outbreak of World War II.

Camouflage and 'hush-hush' devices were developed here and it was not until 1948 when Warner Bros. purchased a significant share in ABPC and embarked on a major refurbishment programme that the Studios returned to 'reel' life.

The 1950s were to become known as Elstree's 'international years' with the Studios attracting some of the most glittering stars of the era. Major films during this period included 'Moby Dick', 'The Dam Busters' and 'Ice Cold in Alex'.

The late fifties saw the emergence of the new-look, realistic modern film drama ('Look Back In Anger', 'Yield To The Night') and the sixties brought teen idol Cliff Richard to the Studios in films such as 'The Young Ones' and 'Summer Holiday'.

1969 was to be the start of a new era as EMI acquired the controlling interest in ABPC. However, the film industry underwent a dramatic slump in the 1970s and Elstree Studios suffered.

Andrew Mitchell, commemorated by one of the buildings refurbished by Hertsmere Borough Council on the site, was appointed managing director at this time and faced the enormous task of reversing the situation when the trend was toward general decline.

During the next 17 years he survived several changes of ownership and helped to create the most profitable years in the Studios' history, attracting distinguished film makers including Stanley Kubrick, Ken Russell, Jim Henson, Steven Spielberg, Fred Zinneman, Sidney Lumet and Alan Parker.

Director George Lucas was so impressed with the facilities that after making Star Wars here he returned to shoot the sequels, 'The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Return of The Jedi'.

To accommodate these epics a new stage was built (stage 6) providing 30,000 sq ft. of silent stage facilities - the largest of its kind in Europe. Stage 6 was later used for Spielberg's Indiana Jones trilogy, 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit', 'Greystoke' and 'Superman IV'.

The outlook, however, became increasingly bleak after Brent Walker purchased the Studios in 1988.