Central Holborn
Creative Production Base
A site with an incredibly versatile range of filming locations, from Victorian grandeur to industrial basements, hospital rooms, and police stations.
One of the few theatres in London with a stage using the full height of the building, used to great effect for live televison broadcast, music rehearsal, and as a set build space.
12 floors of production offices including stunning views over London, and grand spaces within the period Lethaby building.
All situated a 60 second walk from Holborn tube station, Central Holborn Creative Production Base gives you a unique range of options for every part of your production's needs.
Completed in 1908, the former Central Saint Martins campus has a considerable range of truely unique and varied spaces. The Victorian-era ground floor is made up of grand staircases and original corridors; the dome room, the focal point of the site, is filled with light by the glass dome at its centre. The basement is a dense network of institutional-feeling brick tunnels, while the first and second floors offer a set of open, grand, light rooms.
The site also houses The Cochran Theatre (more details below).
All productions filming on-site are granted exclusive use of the courtyard, and the building has 3-phase power. The Old College is available every day of the week for filming. To check availability and to book a recce, contact Emily on 0203 7733 710.
The Old College has a production space to fit any requirement, with spaces ranging from open plan floors of more than 4500 sqft, to others broken down into smaller departmental offices and meeting rooms. The top five floors of the Red Lion building have some of the best views anywhere of central London, with wrap-around windows that create incredibly bright and airy work spaces. Meanwhile, the areas housed within the grand old architecture of the Lethaby building are filled with character, but still enjoy the modern benefits of the rest of the site, such as the 1000mb ultra-high-speed fibre internet connection.
However you'd like your production to work, we have an office to suit.
“I have now worked out of the former Central St Martins for several productions and find it
a first class, totally convenient production base in the very heart of London.
Having lots of facilities, shops, restaurants, underground, on your doorstep makes
working at Old College a joy.
Can’t wait to return and work with the very dedicated team who do everything they can to make your stay as smooth and enjoyable as possible”
- Alan Gavin – Financial Controller DENIAL / BLACKBIRD
Housed within the Grade II listed Lethaby building, these offices make use of its unique features and architechture. The high ceilings and windows make the offices very bright, all have their original parquet floors and occupy both open plan and larger semented spaces. Most also include various satilite offices and meeting rooms.
Broadcast Studio
Set - Build
Rehearsal Space
A space which has been used to great effect for the live televison broadcast of a weekly Channel 4 show, music festival rehearsal for one of the biggest bands in the world, and also an unusual studio space. Once a theatre, the studio has one of the few full building-height stages left in London, with direct stage-loading access from the building's courtyard and the street. The Auditorium is overlooked by a mezzanine area for additional audience capacity or technical booths.
"Finding a new home for the iconic C4 show TFI Friday was no mean task, but after searching over 70 locations we finally hit upon the former Central St Martin’s.
From start to finish, working in the theatre the Old College was a hugely positive experience. The space had such heritage and offered endless creative possibilities and the team at the Location Collective understood our ever-changing needs and helped us achieve everything we set out to do on a weekly basis.
From rehearsing out of hours with Coldplay and U2 to creating a Slip & Slide for Justin Bieber or turning the auditorium into one giant canvas for Ronnie Wood and his host of paint cannons, the flexibility of the space and the positive attitude of the Collective meant that we couldn’t have wished for a better location. And all in Central London too – what more could we ask for?!
We will most certainly be going back to the theatre at the Old College if TFI Friday returns to our screens."
- Clare Barton - Director of Production, TFI FRIDAY
