HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Walton Studios, previously named Hepworth Studios and Nettlefold Studios, was a film production studio in
Walton-on-Thames Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...
in
Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, England.hepworthfilm.org
Retrieved 2011-12-28
Hepworth was a pioneering studio in the early 20th century and released the first film adaptation of ''
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a ...
'' (''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
'', 1903). The decline of the British cinematic production industry in the mid-20th century led to a decline in work for the facility, and after failing to financially survive as a television production outlet it was eventually closed in 1961. The studio was subsequently demolished and the land was sold for house-building.


History

Cecil Hepworth Cecil Milton Hepworth (19 March 1874 – 9 February 1953) was a British film director, producer and screenwriter. He was among the founders of the British film industry and continued making films into the 1920s at his Hepworth Studios. In ...
leased a house for £36 per annum in Hurst Grove, Walton-on-Thames in 1899 and established Hepworth Studios.britmovie.co.uk
Retrieved 2011-12-28
The film recording studio he built included electric lighting and a film laboratory. Along with his cousin Monty Wicks, Hepworth created the filmmaking production company ''Hepwix'', and began producing actualities, which were newsreel-like short documentary films. A 15 ft by 8 ft stage was also constructed in the house's back garden.tvstudiohistory.co.uk
Retrieved 2011-12-28
By the turn of the 20th century Hepworth was making 100 films a year. By 1905, Hepworth built a larger glass stage and began producing
trick films Trick(s) may refer to: People * Trick McSorley John Bernard "Trick" McSorley (December 6, 1852 – February 9, 1936) was an American professional baseball player. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Lo ...
as well as filmed material in other genres. In 1907 the studio was wrecked by a fire, which killed a member of staff. The studio continued production through
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, producing short propaganda films to support the war-effort. During the early stages of the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the studios were used to make films featuring the American star
Florence Turner Florence Turner (January 6, 1885 – August 28, 1946) was an American actress who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films. Biography Born in New York City, Turner was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by he ...
. In 1923 Cecil Hepworth's
Hepworth Picture Plays Hepworth Picture Plays was a British film production company active during the silent era. Founded in 1897 by the cinema pioneer Cecil Hepworth, it was based at Walton Studios west of London. In February 1909 the company took part in the Paris Fi ...
company which operated at the studio declared bankruptcy, due in part to the increasing competition from rival film companies. All of the original film negatives in Hepworth's possession were melted down by the receiver in order to sell the constituent silver, and thus Hepworth's entire back catalogue of 2,000 films was destroyed, a historical disaster in which 80% of British films made between 1900 and 1929 were lost for ever.


Nettlefold Studios

In 1926, the studio was purchased by Archibald Nettlefold, and renamed as ''Nettlefold Studios'', and began producing comedy
silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...
, until it was upgraded to sound production with the advent of
sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...
in the early 1930s. The 1930s saw the studio mainly producing what were known in the industry as "Quota Quickies", an inadvertent consequence of the provisions in the
Cinematograph Films Act 1927 The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928. D ...
that were intended to protect Britain's cinematic production industry from the commercial threat of
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
films. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the studio's buildings were requisitioned and used as a storage facility for the war-effort by the Government, and the
Vickers-Armstrong Vickers-Armstrongs Limited was a British engineering conglomerate formed by the merger of the assets of Vickers Limited and Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Company in 1927. The majority of the company was nationalised in the 1960s and 1970s, w ...
Aircraft Company built two new aircraft construction
hangar A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
s on the site, to reinforce and disperse its production capacity after damage by enemy bombing attacks at its factory site at Brooklands, Weybridge on 4 September 1940. Archibald Nettlefold died in 1944, and when the studio reopened after the war it was sold in 1947 to
Ernest G. Roy Ernest G. Roy (1892–1977) was a British film producer who was managing director of Kay (West End) Laboratories, Kay Carlton Hill Studios Ltd and Nettlefold Studios. Roy was born in Clerkenwell, London, in 1892, son of Charles (1857–1932) and ...
. The declining post-war British film industry meant that only a few domestic films were made there in the late 1940s/1950's on modest budgets. To keep the studio afloat financially and to maintain its operation, an 'open door' hiring policy was initiated, where the studio's facilities were made available to hire for non-sited companies, which led to a contract being signed with
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
, and American actors working in the Studio's facilities including eminent film figures such as Douglas Fairbanks Jr.,
Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...
, and
Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...
.


Walton Studios

In 1955
Sapphire Films Sapphire Films Ltd. was a British television production company, active in the 1950s. Amongst their best-known series are ''The Adventures of Robin Hood,'' ''The Adventures of Sir Lancelot'', '' The Buccaneers'', and '' The Four Just Men'' produ ...
, owned by the American producer
Hannah Weinstein Hannah Weinstein ( Dorner; June 23, 1911 – March 9, 1984) was an American journalist, publicist and left-wing political activist who moved to Britain and became a television producer. She is best remembered for having produced ''The Adventure ...
, rented the Studio, and subsequently bought it from Ernest R. Roy, renaming them as The Walton Studios. Sapphire Films productions at the facility, all shown on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
, began with ''
The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de H ...
'' (143 episodes) in the late 1950s for
Lew Grade Lew Grade, Baron Grade, (born Lev Winogradsky; 25 December 1906 – 13 December 1998) was a British media proprietor and impresario. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 ...
's ITC. Other Sapphire/ITC television series were also produced on the site, including ''
The Adventures of Sir Lancelot ''The Adventures of Sir Lancelot'' is a British television series first broadcast in 1956, produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment and screened on the ITV network. The series starred William Russell as the eponymous Sir Lancelot, a Kn ...
'' (1956), '' The Buccaneers'' (1956), ''
Sword of Freedom ''Sword of Freedom'' was a 1958 drama adventure series for a family audience. Like several of its predecessors (most notably ''The Adventures of Robin Hood''), it was produced by Sapphire Films for ITC Entertainment and fitted into the same sw ...
'' (1957) and '' The Four Just Men'' (1959).


Closure and demolition

At the start of the 1960s, the studio ran into serious difficulty with its financing. Unable to compete with other television studio production facilities, it ceased trading and was closed permanently in March 1961. Most of its equipment was sold to the nearby
Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused w ...
, and some of its 200 former employees transferred there. The majority of the studio's buildings were demolished in the early 1960s and the site was sold for house building. Today, all that remains of the studio is the power generating house, originally built by Hepworth, which was converted into a theatre in 1925. It is now known as the Walton Playhouse, and is primarily used for
amateur dramatics An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History Hist ...
.wwaos.org.uk
Retrieved 2011-12-28


Selected filmography


Hepworth era

*1900: ''
The Beggar's Deceit ''The Beggar's Deceit'' is a 1900 British short film directed by Cecil Hepworth Cecil Milton Hepworth (19 March 1874 – 9 February 1953) was a British film director, producer and screenwriter. He was among the founders of the British ...
'' *1900: '' How It Feels to Be Run Over'' *1900: '' Explosion of a Motor Car'' *1903: ''
Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...
'' *1905: '' Rescued by Rover'' *1905: ''
Baby's Toilet ''Baby's Toilet'' is a 1905 British short film directed by Cecil Hepworth. The film features Hepworth's baby daughter Elizabeth being bathed and dressed by her nurse, and was categorised by Hepworth as a "Domestic Scene". In the film Hepworth ...
'' *1913: ''
David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...
'' *1915: '' The Baby on the Barge'' *1916: ''
Annie Laurie "Annie Laurie" is an old Scottish song based on a poem said to have been written by William Douglas (1682?–1748) of Dumfriesshire, about his romance with Annie Laurie (1682–1764). The words were modified and the tune was added by Alicia Sco ...
'' *1919: '' City of Beautiful Nonsense'' *1919: ''
Broken in the Wars ''Broken in the Wars'' is a 1919 British silent film, silent drama film directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring Henry Edwards (actor), Henry Edwards, Chrissie White and Alma Taylor. The Pensions Minister John Hodge (politician), John Hodge appear ...
'' *1919: ''
The Forest on the Hill ''The Forest on the Hill'' is a 1919 British silent crime film directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring Alma Taylor, James Carew and Gerald Ames. It was based on a novel by Eden Phillpotts. Cast * Alma Taylor - Drusilla Whyddon * James Car ...
'' *1920: ''
Helen of Four Gates ''Helen of Four Gates'' is a 1920 British silent melodrama film directed by cinema pioneer Cecil Hepworth and starring Alma Taylor (in a dual role as mother and daughter), James Carew, and Gerald Ames. Production background The film was ada ...
'' *1921: ''
The Narrow Valley ''The Narrow Valley'' is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by Cecil Hepworth. As of August 2010, the film is missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's " 75 Most Wanted" lost films. Ca ...
'' *1921: ''
Tansy Tansy (''Tanacetum vulgare'') is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant in the genus ''Tanacetum'' in the aster family, native to temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced to other parts of the world, including North America, and in ...
'' *1921: ''
Wild Heather ''Wild Heather'' is a 1921 British drama film directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring Chrissie White, Gerald Ames, James Carew and George Dewhurst. It was based on the 1917 play '' Wild Heather'' by Dorothy Brandon. Cast *Chrissie White as ...
'' *1923: '' Comin' Thro the Rye'' *1923: ''
Mist in the Valley ''Mist in the Valley'' is a 1923 British silent crime film directed by Cecil Hepworth and starring Alma Taylor, G. H. Mulcaster and James Carew. It was based on a novel by Dorin Craig. Cast * Alma Taylor - Margaret Yeoland * G. H. Mulc ...
''


Nettlefold era

*1951: ''
Madame Louise ''Madame Louise'' (also titled "The Madame Gambles"), is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and produced by Ernest G. Roy and starring Richard Hearne, Petula Clark, Garry Marsh and Richard Gale. It is loosely based on the 1945 ...
'' *1951: '' Scrooge'' *1952: ''
The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to s ...
'' *1952: ''
Escape Route ''Escape Route'' is the fifth studio album by American hip hop artist Joe Budden. It released in digital format exclusively on Amalgam Digital on August 11, 2009 and physical copies were released on October 6, 2009 through E1 Music. Two bonus tr ...
'' *1953: '' Albert R.N.'' *1953: '' Forces' Sweetheart'' *1955: ''
Stock Car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
'' *1955: '' Escapade'' *1955: ''
Miss Tulip Stays the Night ''Miss Tulip Stays the Night'' is a 1955 British comedy crime film directed by Leslie Arliss and starring Diana Dors, Patrick Holt, Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge. The screenplay concerns a crime writer and his wife who stay at a country hou ...
'' *1956: '' A Touch of the Sun'' *1956: ''
Radio Cab Murder ''Radio Cab Murder'' is a 1954 British crime film directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Jimmy Hanley, Lana Morris and Sonia Holm. It was made at Walton Studios and on location around Kensington and Notting Hill in London. The film's sets were ...
''


Walton Studios era

*1956: ''
Bond of Fear ''Bond of Fear'' is a 1956 British crime drama film directed by Henry Cass and starring Dermot Walsh, Jane Barrett, and John Colicos. Premise John Sewell and his family are taken hostage by a desperate fugitive called Dewar who is a stowaway i ...
'' *1957: ''
The Naked Truth The Naked Truth may refer to: Literature * ''The Naked Truth'' (novel), a 1993 fictional memoir by Leslie Nielsen * ''The Naked Truth'' (book), a 2007 commentary on film ratings Film * ''The Naked Truth'' (1914 film), a silent Italian film * ...
'' *1958: ''
Tread Softly Stranger ''Tread Softly Stranger'' is a 1958 British crime drama directed by Gordon Parry and starring Diana Dors, George Baker and Terence Morgan. The film was shot in black-and-white in film noir style, and its setting in an industrial town in norther ...
'' *1959: ''
Don't Panic Chaps! ''Don't Panic Chaps!'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by George Pollock and starring Dennis Price, George Cole, Thorley Walters and Terence Alexander. The film was produced by Teddy Baird for ACT Films. Originally called ''Carry On Cha ...
'' *1959: ''
The Navy Lark (film) ''The Navy Lark'' is a 1959 British comedy film based on ''The Navy Lark'' radio series broadcast on the BBC Light Programme. It featured Cecil Parker, Ronald Shiner and Leslie Phillips, Gordon Jackson and Hattie Jacques. It was filmed main ...
'' *1959: '' Cover Girl Killer'' *1960: ''
Beyond the Curtain ''Beyond the Curtain'' is a 1960 British drama film written and directed by Compton Bennett, and starring Richard Greene and Eva Bartok. Plot A refugee from East Germany finds herself trapped in her home city of Dresden when a plane she is t ...
'' *1960: '' Mary Had a Little...'' *1961: ''
During One Night ''During One Night'' also released as Night of Passion is a 1961 British drama film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Don Borisenko and Susan Hampshire. It was Susan Hampshire's first film role. It was Walton Studios' last production. ...
''


References

{{coord, 51, 23, 8.95, N, 0, 25, 24.31, W, region:GB, display=title British film studios Television studios in England