Jacob Street Studios

Address; Mill Street, London SE1

Active 1984-1995

Jacob Street Studios, originally London’s largest film studio complex, on a 3.25 acre riverside site, was created out of a former Spillers’ dog biscuit factory in 1984.

The producer of a music video for the J. Geils Band used it as a location and suggested there would be a demand for such a facility. What started as a temporary ‘meanwhile use’ was so successful that it continued for the next eleven years, until 1994, often fully booked for months at a time.

By the time of it’s closure it had seven stages, including two soundstages.

The studio was demolished, and is now a large residential community with landscaped gardens called ‘Providence Square’.

“Jacob Street Studios have already established a reputation as one of the most popular film studios in the UK”
Screen International

History

  • 1905: Spillers’ Dog Biscuit Factory opened in Jacob Street. (Company founded in 1829) [ref]
    The site was formerly known as Jacob’s Island, and was featured in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, as the location where Bill Sikes dies. 
  • 1982?: The disused factory is used on a music video shoot for the J Geils Band (TBC)
  • 1983 – Uveco Wharf ceased operation.
  • 1984: The factory is converted into a fully-featured film studio
  • 1987: Heidelberg Dance Theatre performance at the studio
  • December 1987: Midnight Court performance event at the studio
  • 7 June 1988: The ‘biggest of the film studios at Jacob Street Studios’ is the venue for the Docklands Ball
  • 11 October – 9 November 1991: Pomeroy Purdy Gallery at Jacob Street Studios presented Manga exhibition. 
  • 1992: Studio used for a performance of an operatic version of Lorca’s Blood Wedding. Converted into a 500 seat auditorium with a 22.6m wide stage. 
  • May 1995: Pretenders gig at the studio was broadcast on TV
  • 1995: The studio is demolished, except for the mid-19th century front block of the stave yard. [ref]
  • 1996-1997: Providence Square – blocks A, B & C built on the site, following extensive archaeological surveys. 
  • 2013: The 1929 Dockhead Fire Station is demolished and rebuilt to modern standards. 

References:
TV Studio History

From BFI Film & Television Handbook, 1991

Jacob Street Studios
9-19 Mill Street, London SE1 2DA

Stages
A: 1250sqm
B: 600sqm
C: 170sqm
D: 235sqm
E: 185sqm
F: 185sqm
G: 170sqm


Productions shot at Jacob Street Studios

Feature Film (7)

TitleReleasedDirectorIMDB
Different for Girls1996Richard SpenceIMDB Database page about Different for Girls
The Cement Garden1993Andrew BirkinIMDB Database page about The Cement Garden
The Young Americans1993Danny CannonIMDB Database page about The Young Americans
The Krays1990Peter MedakIMDB Database page about The Krays
Biggles - Adventures in Time1986John HoughIMDB Database page about Biggles - Adventures in Time
Highlander1986Russell MulcahyIMDB Database page about Highlander
The interior of the Croft and the New York loft of Russell Nash were shot at Jacob Street Studios.
Give My Regards to Broad Street1984Peter WebbIMDB Database page about Give My Regards to Broad Street
Sequence possibly shot at Jacob Street Studios before it became a formal studio location.

TV Series (3)

TitleReleasedCreator / ShowrunnerIMDB
The Diamond Brothers: South by South-East1991Anthony HorowitzIMDB Database page about The Diamond Brothers: South by South-East
The Paradise Club1989-1990Murray SmithIMDB Database page about The Paradise Club
London's Burning1988-2002IMDB Database page about London
The fire station featured as Blackwall Fire Station from 1988 - 2002 is on Wolseley Street in London, and is called Dockhead Fire Station. Jacob Street Studios were just opposite the fire station, and housed a replica of the fire station Mess (production designer Colin Monk). Later seasons used a different fire station, when Jacob Street Studios were closed for redevelopment.

TV Movie (1)

TitleReleasedDirectorIMDB
The Comic Strip Presents: The Strike1988Peter RichardsonIMDB Database page about The Comic Strip Presents: The Strike