UNITED KINGDOM – London, Somerset House // Goldeneye (1995)

Somerset House in London masqueraded as a dusty St. Petersburg square in “Goldeneye”. You still should take a look – because the fantastic “Bond in Motion” exhibition is just around the corner!

Why Bond was here
In Goldeneye, the terrorist organization Janus threatens the world with a stolen warhead. James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) travels to St. Petersburg, where the presumed headquarter of Janus is. At the central square in front of the Hermitage and the General Staff Building he meets with a local CIA contact.

How you gonna get there
Many St. Petersburg scenes – especially the later tank chase – really had been filmed on location. Other parts were staged at home in London, with churches and courtyards masquerading as St Petersburg places. The Somerset House is such a place. Its interior courtyard was prepped as the St. Petersburg square, some old Ladas and a fake Lenin statue completing the picture.
The Somerset House is at the Strand in the heart of London, close to Trafalgar Square and Temple Church. Nearest tube stations are “Temple” and “Charing Cross” down the Strand. The building is used as part of the famous King’s College and as an art hub. Check out the homepage for the latest collections.

Good to know
But as Bond lovers we highly recommend another museum nearby: The London Film Museum. The museum in Covent Garden is just around the corner and definitely worth your time. Why? Because the London Film Museum hosts “Bond in Motion”, the largest collection of original James Bond vehicles. The permanent exhibition has gathered more than 100 cars and artifacts from all Bond films to date, from the iconic Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger to the Lotus submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me.

Just next to Somerset House – our impressions from the great “Bond in Motion” exhibition:

The cars you’ll see are no replicas, but the real deal from the movies. New exhibits are regularly added. When we visited “Bond in Motion” for the first time, the Aston Martin DB10 and Jaguar from the Spectre Rome chase just had arrived.
You can get tickets and additional info here. Also check for free tours on Saturdays and Sundays. And don’t forget to make some time for a fancy dinner as close to the museum is another delicious Bond location: Rules Restaurant.

 

As a Bond fan, it’s worth to take your time, because the “Bond in Motion” exhibition offers more than just the cars. It includes concept drawings and storyboards from the stunts, miniatures, boats, bikes and even “Little Nellie” from You Only Live Twice.

© 2015 Huntingbond (1,3), © 1977 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation (2)