Our big, bright, brilliant city has certainly had its fair share of screen time, having served as the backdrop for many a movie. But which of the many London-based blockbusters is the best of all? Well, we asked our lovely Secret London followers to give us their thoughts and feelings on the matter. And as per usual, they didn’t disappoint.
Through our extremely thorough and foolproof research, we discovered a number of things. Firstly, our followers love a rom-com. Secondly, there’s still a little bit of confusion about where actually constitutes as London (spoiler alert – Oxford and New York both do not). And finally, Hugh Grant features in a heck of a lot of films about London.
From Bend It Like Beckham to American Werewolf in London; there were some worthy contenders for the crown. But four films truly stole the show. So, without further ado – these are the best movies based in London (according to you).
The best London-based films
Winning by a complete-and-utter landslide, with a rather hefty 43% of the voteis Notting Hill. It’s understandable that the Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts flick is the first that springs to mind when thinking about London-based movies. I mean, it’s named after a legendary London neighbourhoodafter all. What did we really expect?
Many of Notting Hill‘s famous filming locations still draw in a crowd to this very day. There’s the bright blue door that leads to the home of William Thacker that can be found on Westbourne Park Road. There’s the Coronet Theatre where Thacker watched Anna in her sci-fi film. And although The Travel Book Company in the movie never actually existed in real life; there is the Notting Hill Bookshop that somewhat takes the credit.
The second best London-based movie, as voted for by our Instagram audience, is Love Actuallysnapping up 17% of the votes. A movie full of questionable storylines, but non more so than the fact that a couple in their twenties could afford to live on a dreamy mews in Notting Hill. St Luke’s Mews is where you’ll find the mews in question, and the setting for that scene in the movie. You know, the one where the guy confesses his undying love to his best mate’s wife? Yeah, that one.
Grosvenor Chapel is the spot where Keira Knightley and Chiwetel Ejiofor got hitched, Selfridges is where the chaotically captivating scene between Rowan Atkinson and Alan Rickman took place, and Gabriel’s Wharf is where Thomas Brodie-Sangster spoke to Liam Neeson about the ‘total agony of being in love’.
Paddington nabbed the third spot with 12% of the vote. The much-loved movie sees everybody’s favourite bear visit the likes of Paddington station (naturally), Marylebone station, the Brown’s family home (which can be found on Primrose Hill’s Chalcot Crescent), and Gruber’s Antiques (which is a real shop in Notting Hill, names Alice’s Antiques).
The final London-based film to nab a spot in the top four is – of course – Bridget Jones. The title character’s home can be found above The Globe pub on Bedale Streetjust round the corner from Borough Market (a spot that we recently discovered is a firm favourite among our followers). Seeing as Hugh Grant is a character in every single film the top four, we may as well give a shoutout to the spot in which his character and Bridget share their first kiss (Shad Thames). And the second fight between Daniel Cleaver and Mark Darcy takes place in Hyde Park’s Italian Gardens.
So, there you have it, folks. The best films based in London, as voted for by our lovely Secret London followers. Do you agree? Is there another flick that you think deserved to be in the running? Be sure to let us know. And if you wish to share your two cents in our next pollhead on over to our Instagram page and keep your eyes peeled.
