UNITED KINGDOM – London, Malaysia House at Trafalgar Square // The Living Daylights (1987) & Skyfall (2012)
Malaysia House at Trafalgar Square may look dull – but has it’s own little spy story. At least in the world of James Bond.
Why Bond was here
Trafalgar Square in the heart of London is home to two scenes in Bond movies. In The Living Daylights, James Bond (Timothy Dalton) follows the trails of a Russian renegade general. He briefly visits his office at MI6 – through the door of the Malaysia House at Trafalgar Square. Above the entry is a sign that says “Universal Exports Ltd.”
Later on, in Skyfall, James Bond (Daniel Craig) hunts a former MI6-agent gone rogue. Before the mission, Bond is introduced to the new, witty Quartermaster (Ben Whishaw). Both meet for the first time at the National Gallery north of Trafalgar Square.
The “Universal Exports” sign at the Malaysia House
How you gonna get there
The Malaysia House is situated right next to an exit of “Charing Cross” tube station, on Cockspur Street in the western part of Trafalgar Square.
You can reach it with multiple subway lines such as Circle and District (find out more at the London Transport Site).
Good to know
The Malaysia House was the old diplomatic mission of Malaysia, but nowadays hosts a travel agency. What it doesn’t host: James Bonds office. The MI6 headquarter is further south, at Vauxhall, where the real British SIS is located.
Also the sign reading “Universal Exports Ltd.” isn’t there. It was only a prep for the movie – and a nod to Ian Fleming. In the books, Fleming used the company name as a regular cover for MI6. Bond even had business cards with the fake name.
Malaysia House might not be that spectacular – but other James Bond locations around Trafalgar Square are:
- The inside of the National Gallery with the famous “Fighting Temeraire” painting
- The “Hildebrand Safe House” from Spectre
- The Skyfall scenes from the Westminster chase
- The Embankment Station from the same movie
- And the War Office Building at Whitehall from numerous movies
Feel hungry after a long day of location hunting? Then make sure to rest at “The Admiralty”, a fine pub at 66 Trafalgar Square. It is just around the corner of Malaysia House. The traditional pub is cramped in the evenings, with everybody craving their famous pies and ales.
© 2015 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1977 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation (2)