Just
over three years ago, I wrote a guest blog bidding “Farewell to Fountain
Studios” LINK. Wembley Park had lost an important facility, where films had first been made in
the 1920’s and TV programmes since 1955, together with the skilled technical
jobs that went into their production.
Quintain
had bought the site for redevelopment, but their outline plans for “the Fulton
Quarter” have only recently been approved. In the meantime, the former “Studio
5” building (the largest TV studio in Europe, when it opened in 1960) has been
converted to a temporary theatre.
Studio 5 – a newspaper cutting from May
1960.
Now
you have the chance to see and hear about the long history of film and TV
programme making at Wembley Park, in a free talk at Kingsbury Library on
Tuesday 28th January, from 11am to 12noon. This will be the first in
a new series of “coffee morning” talks at the library, following its
refurbishment. Everyone is welcome!
If you
have time, and are interested in local history, arrive in Kingsbury half an
hour early. This will give you the chance to follow the “heritage trail” along
the north side of Kingsbury Road, from the Kingsbury Station bus stop, outside
the Aldi store, to Kingsbury Library! LINK
Philip Grant.
