Bray Studios (UK)
Encyclopedia
Bray Studios is a film and television facility at Bray
, near Windsor
, Berkshire
, England. The films Alien
and The Rocky Horror Picture Show
were shot there. It is best known for its association with Hammer Film Productions
and contains four stages, plus offices and workshops.
Hammer originally leased country houses in which to shoot films, until the company eventually purchased Down Place on the banks of the Thames near Bray. After using every room and angle in its films, it later enlarged the house into the Bray Studios of today. The last Hammer production made at Bray was The Mummy's Shroud
, which wrapped
on 21 October 1966. Hammer sold the studio in November, 1970. Bray Studios continues to host television, film work and band rehearsals today. Bray Studios is now under threat of redevelopment into a residential area under the current owner of the studio who has claimed there is no call for the studio any more, despite having refused a number of applications by productions to use the facilities. A pressure group is currently trying to save the studio.
Bray, Berkshire
Bray, sometimes known as Bray on Thames, is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire. It stands on the banks of the River Thames, just south-east of Maidenhead. It is famous as the village mentioned in the song The Vicar of Bray...
, near Windsor
Windsor, Berkshire
Windsor is an affluent suburban town and unparished area in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family....
, Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England. The films Alien
Alien (film)
Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to its primary antagonist: a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature which...
and The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
were shot there. It is best known for its association with Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
and contains four stages, plus offices and workshops.
Hammer originally leased country houses in which to shoot films, until the company eventually purchased Down Place on the banks of the Thames near Bray. After using every room and angle in its films, it later enlarged the house into the Bray Studios of today. The last Hammer production made at Bray was The Mummy's Shroud
The Mummy's Shroud
The Mummy's Shroud is a 1967 horror film made in the UK by Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by Hammer veteran John Gilling.It stars André Morell and David Buck as explorers who uncover the tomb of an ancient Egyptian mummy. It also starred John Phillips, Maggie Kimberly and Michael Ripper...
, which wrapped
Wrap (filmmaking)
Wrap is a phrase used by the director in the early days of the film industry to signal the end of filming. Nowadays, the call is more commonly "that's a wrap!"...
on 21 October 1966. Hammer sold the studio in November, 1970. Bray Studios continues to host television, film work and band rehearsals today. Bray Studios is now under threat of redevelopment into a residential area under the current owner of the studio who has claimed there is no call for the studio any more, despite having refused a number of applications by productions to use the facilities. A pressure group is currently trying to save the studio.