There’s plenty to keep you interested whilst walking the Thames Path. But did you know some of the movies filmed along the way? We’ve compiled a list of some of the best. It’s not an exhaustive list by any means so apologies for any ommissions! The list is ordered as if you were walking from the source to the Thames Barrier.
You have to walk some distance from the source to reach our first location. Just before Oxford, past the pretty village of Wolvercote, are the remains of Godstow Abbey. An unusual place, you might think, for a scene from Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again! In fact, the protagonist, Donna, recalls a moment when she graduated from school in, presumably, Oxfordshire. The picnic tables are no longer there!
You might think Oxford has been frequently used in the movies. It has, although mostly using the beautiful buildings of the university. Harry Potter enthusiasts will know this. One movie that is worth digging out from the archives is Shadlowlands, a 1993 movie about the life of CS Lewis with Antony Hopkins playing the part of Lewis. Lewis, who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia, was a theologian and a fellow of Magdalen College Oxford where some scenes were shot.
Moving down the Thames we come to the lovely stretch of the Path between Goring and Pangbourne. The path climbs up through a thick forest and, at the summit, you can just about see Basildon Park on the other side of the river. This was the location for Netherfield Park in the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley playing Elizabeth Bennett. You will need to take a car or taxi from Pangbourne if you wish to get close to this National Trust property.
A few miles downstream is Mapledurham, which was the location for The Eagle Has Landed with Michael Caine and Donald Sutherland. Here you see the churchyard with Mapledurham House in the background. The house and famous watermill are clearly visible from the lock.
Not exactly a blockbuster, Hampstead, with Diane Keaton and Brendon Gleeson, included a number of scenes at Ferry Cottage, Clivedon, also rented by Stephen Ward in the Profumo affair. Once again, the cottage is on the other side of the river. Is there a pattern here? In case you’re wondering, the scene is not intended to be Hampstead Heath. It’s included in an episode when Diane Keaton spends a few days in the country on her own.
Just past Maidenhead, a footpath will take you 0.7 miles to Dorney Court, a Tudor mansion house that operates as a film set. The house has been used as a location for a host of films including Sliding Doors (1998), Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007), and, most recently, The Personal History of David Copperfield (2020) where it serves as the school of Dr Strong in Canterbury that Copperfield was sent to. More of Sliding Doors later. The house is open to visitors.
A few minutes walk further downstream takes you to Oakley Court which, once again, lies across river. Now a hotel, this has been the scene for many movies as it’s right next door to Bray Studios where Hammer were based. Its most famous use was probably as Dr. Frank N. Furter’s castle in The Rocky Horror Picture Show made in 1975. There is a rumour that Oakley Court was also used as the set for the St Trinians films but this is incorrect.
About half a mile off the Path at Windsor is Eton College where a famous scene in Chariots of Fire was filmed. The quad where Harold Abrahams and Lord Lindsay compete in the annual dash was actually filmed here, not in Cambridge. In the photo opposite you clearly see the statue of founder, Henry VI. The school also puts in an appearance in The Fourth Protocol and The Madness of King George.
Further down the river are Shepperton Studios where many a film was made and is just a few miles from the Thames Path. Pinewood Studios is in Buckinghamshire, and lies just 10 miles north of Windsor. There is a definite thriving industry in these parts. But we will now move on to London where many a scene has been filmed.
One of the most sinister movies ever made was The Omen with Gregory Peck. A famous scene takes place in Bishops Park, literally on the Thames Path, where he meets a priest played by former Dr Who, Patrick Troughton. The scene takes place alongside the famous London Plane trees. The priest meets an unfortunate end when a lightning rod falls from nearby All Saints Fulham and impales him to the ground.
The bridges of London are heavily featured in the movies and we’ve picked out 3 shots for your enjoyment: Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow and John Hannah has a lovely scene with the wonderful Albert Bridge illuminated in the background. The steps of Westminster Bridge is where Nancy met her end in Oliver! And there was a wonderful view of Blackfriars Bridge and the city of London in Love Actually when a distraught Andrew Lincoln wanders out of his flat onto the Thames Path after meeting Keira Knightley – who looked a little different from when we last saw her in Basildon Park!
We’re almost at the end of the Thames Path now so just 2 more scenes to show. We can’t not include a James Bond film so here is the MI5 building under attack in Spectre with Daniel Craig and Judi Dench. The building sits on the right bank of the Thames at Vauxhall Bridge so you can’t miss it. They’ve done a good job or repairing it since it was filmed!
And, as you complete the Thames Path on your way past Tower Bridge, you may be reminded of Bob Hoskins’ passionate speech in the 1979 film The Long Good Friday. He argues that no other city in the world has such an opportunity for development as the London Docklands. As you conclude your walk past Canary Wharf towards Greenwich you will see that he was absoutely correct.
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