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Carry on Constable - Ealing Locations

I've seen Carry on Constable many times but this afternoon it was shown on Channel 4 and doing the accounts at the same time I kept glancing over to watch (accounts are soooooooo boring!!)I kept recognising Ealing locations throughout the film - I never realised how much of the film was made in Ealing. (There's a great shot of FHRowse department store).I did a google search and found a cool website showing all the ealing locations as they appeared in the film and again as they are today. Verrrry Interesting.http://www.thewhippitinn.com/carry_on_film_locations/carry_on_constable/

David Archer ● 6982d15 Comments

Thanks for the website. I'm not too sure about the "Fluff" location(s). Certainly the initial shots are of St Mary's but subsequent shots are not.I'm shall look through my collection of films and try and identify the church.

Alan Brainsby ● 6982d

I saw Carry on Constable years ago and recognised Ealing shots then.One showed the old coattages in Church Gardens that were demolished in the 70's next to the pub,taken from the 'gateway' to the church yard which also has changed since then.Small world eh?I used to pass that way 4 times per day when at achool in the 50's. RegardsConnie Sullivan

Constance Ella Sullivan ● 6978d

I've seen Rowse in the film & it brings back memories; it used to be a real treat to walk there all the way from Swyncombe Ave with my mum & have egg & chips in their restaurant (when I was pre-school age).

Lynn Clark ● 6978d

Checked the church location for "Carry on Constable".It definitely is St Mary's, Church Road, Hanwell. Glebe Court can just be seen towards the eastern end.Anyone else looked at the "West London Film Map"?What a piece of c**p. I agree that marking "A Night to Remember " on an undentifiable part of Ruislip Lido's water would be pretty useless but there are lots of locations that could have been  shown."A Hard Day's Night", a Beatles (who?) film had one scene shot in Ealing for instance. No mention. I appreciate that not all locations could be shown but surely a better job could have been done. There's even an Underground map on the thing. Pretty clever when, if using public transport, one needs a bus to arrive at the selected destination.

Alan Brainsby ● 6971d

Church Place the cottages would have been, not Church Gardens.

Chris Veasey ● 6971d

Yes definitely St Mary's! I speak from having taken many long walks traipsing around Hanwell and Ealing with a camera snapping all those locations. Charles Hawtrey and Noel Dyson filmed their scenes alongside Fluff the errant cat in Hanwell Parish Church on the 11th December 1959. If anyone has clicked on the Whippit Inn site, http://www.thewhippitinn.com/carry_on_film_locations/carry_on_constable/ I could do with some help for the last shot on the page, it is a shot of (I think) of a house in St Stephen's Road off the Avenue in West Ealing near to the refurbished church although the precise location is proving elusive.

Brett Tremble ● 6968d

Brett, thanks for commenting and providing the "Now" pictures  on http://www.thewhippitinn.com/carry_on_film_locations/carry_on_constable/The last picture is most vexatious. It looks familiar to me.Examining the picture closely I made the these observations:The foreground building is single storey, perhaps with a low pitched roof.The style is "ecclesiastical" or "educational", ie monumental rather than a private dwelling.The porch is quite large.The building is set back from the pavement.In the centre of the picture are two statuettes. The left one appears to be a female in medieval costume with her right forearm raised. To her left is what looks like a monk holding a longstaff or crosier in his left hand.Behind them and close to the building appears to be a blacked out notice board.Of course the statuettes and board may be from the props dept.The backs of the buildings immediately behind have serrated gable ends and do not appear to be physically connected with the building at the front.There is a more modern looking building, with a light coloured roof beyond the left rear building.I rather think only the "modern building is still extant.If the previous shot in the film was taken at the premises shown then, if memory serves, a T-junction about 100m rightwards with a brick wall beyond.This is reminiscent of the Castlebar Hill area, west and northeast of St Stephen's.Please comment and correct these observations as seen fit.

Alan Brainsby ● 6968d

I know that St Stephens Church was vacated around this time and wondered if it could be where the modern church now exists on the corner of St Stephens Road, opposite the older building.

Brett Tremble ● 6967d

I think I may have got the location of the last shot of Whippitinn's "Carry on Constable".It's on the south side of St Stephen's Road W13 between Dell Way and Whiteledges. The house on St Stephen's Road in the background is still standing, named "The Lodge" but immediately to the east of it are a few neo-Georgian townhouses then the Whiteledges Estate which was built around 1965/66. The townhouses were later.A shot, about 2 minutes earlier seems to be the eastern end of St Stephen's Road with Ealing Abbey in the background, it was being repaired at the time of filming.If anyone thinks I may be mistaken, please shout!

Alan Brainsby ● 6747d

The Church was definately St Marys South Ealing. I used to live just around the corner, and went to Grange school. Remember seeing them filming it, on the way to school, can't remember police sergent - William Hartnell?Great website, am sure there must be much scope for discussion of film & TV locations in Ealing. Who remembers where Z cars headquarters were?

Chris Edwards ● 6746d

The Church was definately St Marys South Ealing. I used to live just around the corner, and went to Grange school. Remember seeing them filming it, on the way to school, can't remember police sergent - William Hartnell?Great website, am sure there must be much scope for discussion of film & TV locations in Ealing. Who remembers where Z cars headquarters were?

Chris Edwards ● 6746d

Z Cars police station?The office building, now gone, at the end of Warwick Road by the then (erstwhile?) Ealing Tech. I remember them filming there.In Carry on Constable the church with the cat scene was the exterior of St Mary's, Hanwell, by the Bunny Park, but the other shots were definitely around St Mary's, South Ealing.It's fascinating to see whether there have been changes.Did anyone notice in a recent "Lewis" the allotments behind St Mary's, the church was in the background. In the same episode was a block of flats and a lake, also in Ealing.A significant number of locations in both "Inspector Morse" and "Lewis" were used in both the series, especially when big houses (not country houses) were used. Perhaps we should make a list of them.Anyone remember the "Faling Council" Thunderbird 2 type dustcart in Doctor Who? 1960s, I think. It's amazing what a bit of "Gaffer Tape", or whatever they had then, can do.It got blown up. There was a letter to the local paper saying it wouldn't make much difference to the rubbish collections because the collections were terrible.How things have improved!

Alan Brainsby ● 6746d

One scene was done outside the little old cottages at the back of St.Mary's now demolished.Filmed from inside the 'gateway' now gone too according the photos I have been sent.I went to Grange too,1954 moved from Southall till 1961.Z cars filmed down our street once,I lived in The Park.i had to step over all the wires to get to my house.The goodies filmed in Park Place.I saw it on TV here in Geraldton Western Australia and was able to show my children the very photo the same as the scene on the TV!!!!

Constance Ella Sullivan ● 6746d

I can remember William Hartnell.Also went to see St.Trinians at local cinema here in Geraldton Western Australia.Some similarities to original back in c1958.Made at Ealing Studios.The headmistress and her brother were both played by the same man as in the original and the niece comes to the school.Also the shadey character who sold the vodka they produced.The original was in a rain coat and trilby hat.This one wore a suit and gold chains etc and a hat.They made gin in the original.The yhad the hockey match and i was looking for the mallet amongst the hockey sticks but hey did not have it in this show.Very little reference to the horse racing either this time.They are making a sequal I believe.

Constance Ella Sullivan ● 6746d

St Trinians - the shady "spiv" character was I believe George Cole, later of Arthur Daly fame.Here's one for older posters - where was the shop that Harry Worth, did his reflection trick. I've always like to think it was in Ealing Broadway, somewhere near where the mini Sainsburys is now, but I could be wrong.

Chris Edwards ● 6746d