The Cruella movie, starring Emma Stone, tells the story of how she became obsessed with owning Dalmatian puppies. It is set in London in the 1970s. While much of the movie was filmed on location in the city, some scenes were shot elsewhere. For instance, the scene where Cruella’s car goes off a bridge was actually filmed in Sweden. However, many of the movie’s most iconic locations are found in London. The Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, and St. Paul’s Cathedral are just a few of the famous landmarks that can be seen in the film. In addition, several of London’s distinctive neighbourhoods are featured prominently throughout the movie. From the bustling streets of Soho to the grand homes of Mayfair, Cruella provides a unique glimpse into the city’s diverse culture and history.
Set in the 1970s during the punk-rock era, the movie contains interesting locations, many of them in London. The young Cruella finds herself in London after running from witnessing a fatal accident at the hands of the Baroness von Hellman. Englefield House is a stunning Elizabethan mansion that served as the exterior for Baroness von Hellman’s country home. The immaculate gardens date back more than four hundred years and can be visited every Monday when they’re open, offering visitors gorgeous views of flowers among ancient forests nestled behind this grand Englefield residence! Englefield Gardens
In the narrative Cruella crosses over Tower Bridge in a truck, just like Paddington does, and then along The Mall up to the Victoria Memorial outside Buckingham Palace before arriving unceremoniously at Regent’s Park, London.
The film location for Regent’s Park in fact is the King William Court Fountain at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, London. The ornate fountain is between the Dreadnought Building and King William Court at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich. Greenwich is used again later on in the film when Cruella hijacks the baroness’s event by hosting the red-carpet scene, with the lighting installation projecting words on the walls.
Filming in Greenwich
Greenwich in London has been a popular film location for many years. One of the most famous films to be shot there is 28 Days Later, which features iconic scenes of a deserted London. Other films that have been shot in Greenwich include The Phantom Menace, V for Vendetta, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Da Vinci Code. The area is also popular with TV producers, and it has been used as a location for Doctor Who, Sherlock, Poldark and Downton Abbey. Greenwich is popular with filmmakers because of its varied architecture, its riverfront setting, and its proximity to central London. It is also a very popular tourist destination, which makes it easy to find extras and crew members who are familiar with the area.
Running from the police Estella (who will become Cruella) and her new found friends, Jasper and Horace, exit Greenwich Park via the Queen’s Orchard and run along Park Vista before nipping through a broken fence and arriving in a dilapidated part of town with the premises of Brennan & Fallon & Co paper bag manufacturers in the railway arches.
Greenwich is used again later on in the film. Cruella finds Jasper and Horace on Hoskins Street – the large studded wall of Greenwich’s Power Station, which is still a backup for London Underground.
Heaps Sausage shop in Nevada Street, Greenwich was converted to a curry shop Cruella visits. They sell divine sausages and mash.
Cruella busts Jasper and Nicholson out of the police cells which is the west side of Lassell St in East Greenwich, the street parallel to Hoskins Street.
Waterloo Place
The narrative jumps ten years to a scene on a No. 2 London Bus to Victoria. The advert on the side of the bus is a foreshadowing “House of Baroness – Exclusively at Liberty of London ”. The family gets off the bus and the bus pulls away. While the designation of the No. 2 bus is indeed Victoria as is shown on the bus they shot this scene on the eastside of Waterloo Place facing north. As a tour guide I must admit I liked seeing the adverts on the back of the bus “London Guided Tours Starting from Marble Arch”.
Waterloo Palace is used again later on in the film during the bin bag dress scene. This time Cruella travels on a bin lorry southwards again but this time on the west side of the road and at night in a scene where they are loading all of this rubbish into a truck was shot right in front The Athenaeum building at 107 Pall Mall.
Waterloo Place – a popular film location in Central London
Waterloo Place has long been a popular film location. Many famous films have been shot here, including The Omen, Mary Poppins, and The Bourne Ultimatum. Waterloo Place is a stately London square with magnificent buildings on all sides. In addition, the street is wide enough to accommodate large film crews and equipment. As a result, it is no wonder that Waterloo Place has been such a popular film location over the years.
Estella, Jasper and Horace expand their business. A scene shows them hiding loot and running with stolen goods into Pickering Place, London’s smallest square. They also steal from a Jewellers in Hatton Gardens.
Estella, Jasper and Horace expand their business. A scene shows them hiding loot and running with stolen goods into Pickering Place, London’s smallest square. They also steal from a Jewellers in Hatton Gardens.
Hatton Gardens – the Jewel of London
Hatton Gardens is home to the largest concentration of jewellers in the United Kingdom. The area has been a hub for the jewellery trade since medieval times, and today it is known for its wide range of independent shops and specialist suppliers. Jewellers from all over the world come to Hatton Gardens to buy and sell diamonds, precious stones and metalwork. The quarter is also a popular tourist destination, with visitors coming to admire the beautiful jewellery on display in the shop windows. Thanks to its central location and excellent transport links, Hatton Gardens is the perfect place to browse for unique pieces of jewellery. Visit Hatton Gardens on our Bleeding Hearts and Body Parts walking tour.
Liberty London, Great Marlborough Street
Estella has got a job at Liberty, the leading fashion house in London where she is first introduced to the world of haute couture. The first time we see this easily recognisable mock Tudor building is when Estella is walking southwards down Argyle street to Liberty Department Store on Great Marlborough Street. You see the facade of Liberty again when Estella, Horace and Jasper run out of the shop later on in the film and onto bus no. 159 to Thornton Heath. Estella sits admiring the business card she holds in her hand “House of Baroness” Couture 121 Fournier Street, SW1 9LD. Once again, as with Estella’s Camden home the address comprises two real addresses on different sides of London. Fournier Street is in Spitalfields and the postcode SW1 9LD is St James’s.
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, for whom the street is named, was one of the most famous soldiers of his time. He fought in the War of the Spanish Succession and in the War of the Austrian Succession, among other conflicts. He also served as First Lord of the Treasury and as Chancellor of the Exchequer. The street was originally part of the Millfield estate south of Tyburn Road (now Oxford Street). It was laid out around 1704 and quickly became a fashionable address for the city’s elite. However, by the end of the 19th century, its character had changed to commercial and retail use. Today, it is a busy shopping street, with a variety of stores and businesses including Liberty.
The Grade II-listed building was built in 1924 and was constructed with the timbers of two ships — the HMS Hindustan and HMS Impregnable. Throughout the following decades Liberty continued to champion eclectic design, particularly in the 50s and 60s. Today, the store continues its long tradition of in-house collaborations with designers to produce exclusive, covetable fashion and accessories.
See a short video of Liberty in the 1970s:
The founder of Liberty, Arthur Lasenby Liberty was born in 1843 to a tailor. He began working at 16 and soon after apprenticed into the trade as well where he served his time away learning all that could be learned from observing others’ work patterns or reading books about clothing styles/designs which included much more than just making clothes themselves such is pattern cutting for example but also understanding how people dressed so correctly according what society expected back then.
Lasenby’s soon-to-be father in law lent him £2,000 for the lease of an empty shop on Regent Street and he opened up Liberty & Co with only three staff members.
When the ‘Eastern Bazaar’ opened its doors to the public, it became a revolutionary concept in retail. The boutique was unlike any other store of its time and is still highly influential today with their innovative designs that push fashion forward every season
It only took 18 months for Liberty to repay his loan. He purchased the second half of the store, and began to add neighbouring properties to his portfolio.
The production didn’t film the interior on location, only the exterior scenes at Great Marlborough Street. The downstairs of Liberty was filmed in the basement of the Savile Club, a traditional London gentlemen’s club founded in 1868, many of whose members have a common interest in the arts.
The original store was 3D-scanned, so the film crew could build an exact replica of the lower level on a soundstage.
Fashion plays a key role in this film. Those looking to add some more design inspiration when in London can visit the V&A Museum. This world-class art museum houses one of Britain’s finest collections, spanning five centuries and featuring over 2 million items including the world’s largest dress collection.
When the ‘Eastern Bazaar’ opened its doors to the public, it became a revolutionary concept in retail. The boutique was unlike any other store of its time and is still highly influential today with their innovative designs that push fashion forward every season
It only took 18 months for Liberty to repay his loan. He purchased the second half of the store, and began to add neighbouring properties to his portfolio.
The production didn’t film the interior on location, only the exterior scenes at Great Marlborough Street. The downstairs of Liberty was filmed in the basement of the Savile Club, a traditional London gentlemen’s club founded in 1868, many of whose members have a common interest in the arts.
The original store was 3D-scanned, so the film crew could build an exact replica of the lower level on a soundstage.
Fashion plays a key role in this film. Those looking to add some more design inspiration when in London can visit the V&A Museum. This world-class art museum houses one of Britain’s finest collections, spanning five centuries and featuring over 2 million items including the world’s largest dress collection.
Little Marlborough Street is at the back of Liberty and isn’t as grand at the front which makes sense as this is where Estella takes out the rubbish when working at Liberty.
Carlton House Terrace
Carlton House Terrace is an elegant creamy white terrace, designed by John Nash and completed in the 1830s. He could hardly have chosen a smarter part of town, even if it was known as ‘the Wilderness’ in the time of Charles II, who reigned from 1660 to 1685. The terrace is in the district of St. James’s, the wealthiest corner of London’s West End, which was developed during the 19th century for the British aristocracy.
It’s the same location as used in the ITV production Mr Selfridge and was the home of Lord and Lady Loxley. This late 19th-century country home, which once belonged to a member of the powerful banking family, the Rothschilds and is owned today by the Royal Air Force. The gorgeous hallways are not only used in Cruella but also in Netflix’s Bridgerton. The opulent hall, however, was filmed at Halton House in Buckinghamshire.
The British Academy, located at No. 10 and 11 is at the same property as former Prime Minister William Gladstone’s residence (1831-1833).
To the north of this terrace is Pall Mall, with its gentlemen’s clubs and expensive tailors. To the south-east lies one block away is the Ritz hotel; Fortnum & Mason Department store as well as St James’s Park.
George III (1760-1820) traded in the management of many of his properties in St. James’s in return for a fixed income from their rents. Today, the monarch is entitled to 15 percent of the annual returns from the properties.
Carlton Terrace has been used in BBC’s Sherlock Holmes, Netflix’s The Crown and the James Bond movie No Time To Die.
Baroness’ Ball – Carlton Gardens
This is where in the narrative Estella tries to steal the necklace during the Baroness’ Black and White Ball.
If you are looking to get a feel for the extravagant world of Baroness von Hellman check out her house on The Mall. It is close to Carlton Gardens between Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square. The street itself has a number of buildings worth admiring, especially round the corner is Carlton Terrace, the Baronesses home and round from that is Waterloo Place.
Portobello Road
If you want to step back into the heyday of London’s punk movement, head down Kings Road. Portobello Road is famous for its second-hand clothing stores and antique markets. It was also used in the pickpocket chase scene in Paddington.
In the 1970’s and 1980s this street was home for many iconic bands that would inspire Estella’s character like Vivienne Westwood – an important source in shaping her style! Nowadays it has been renamed “Viviennes World End” where you can find all sorts collectibles from classic pieces by Britain’ most renowned fashion designer at 430 kings road.
Restaurant in Cruella
The restaurant is the Smith and Wollensky in London’s Adelphi Building, one of the few remaining 1930s art deco gems in the city. Interestingly Smith and Wollensky opened their first restaurant in 1977 which was in New York. They opened their London restaurant in 2015. Incidentally the Adelphi Building is also used for a shot when Estella and Jasper exit a hotel and get into a luxury car (as part of a con to steal it).
St Pancras
Disguised as pest control men, Jasper and Horace catch the dalmatians on Dukes Road and Woburn Walk, a small windy collection of roads in St Pancras which you can visit on our King’s Cross walking tour.
Car Chase
The City of London barely gets a look during in this film which is unusual for a London-based movie. Cruella and her troupe run away from there with a stolen vintage car. After provoking a car accident at Carey Street behind the Royal Courts of Justice at the bac of Fleet Street, they don’t stop until the Tower of London near Tower Bridge.
The car chase with the rubbish truck and police leads to the Victorian Warehouse District of Shad Thames. Even though this area has been redeveloped in more recent years it still evokes its industrial heritage. Visit Shad Thames on a Smartphone Photography Tour: Tower Hill.
Waterloo Bridge
One of the more easy to recognise London film locations in the Cruella movie is Waterloo Bridge. In the narrative Estella rides a motorbike across Waterloo Bridge, after leaving John’s apartment located at Stone Buildings in Holborn next to Lincoln’s Inn Fields. You may recognise it from Wonder Woman or Downton Abbey. Take a closer look at the shot on Waterloo Bridge and you will notice many buildings which you can see now to reproduce the cityscape of the 1970s.
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