Hollywood glamour isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you think of a museum store but Blythe House, the Science Museum’s small object store, is the red hot destination for filmmakers right now.
Earlier this year the blockbuster spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, set in 1970s London, was filmed there. Featuring a preeminent cast with the likes of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Benedict Cumberbatch, Blythe was suddenly host to a crew of over 70 people and a 140 ft crane.
Rumours have it that our Blythe House colleagues were nearly ushered out of the cinema for cheering at every Blythe shot…
On a rather different note, check out the latest Jessie J video, which was entirely shot at Blythe House. Sadly, we can reveal the luxury basement boudoir isn’t a normal fixture at Blythe.
Filming is nothing new to Blythe House. Classic espionage and detective shows Minder and The New Avengers were shot there in the late 1970s early 1980s.
It’s no surprise that Blythe has captured so many Directors’ imagination. It’s a wonderfully atmospheric place with long corridors, towering staircases and rickety lift shafts. It’s certainly what captivated animators the Quay Brothers who made the short film The Phantom Museum. Pretty creepy stuff.
Our collections have also had their moment in the spotlight. If you’ve seen the vampire slayer movie Van Helsing then you might have glimpsed the Omniskop. The production crew created an exact replica of this awesome looking x-ray machine for the slayer’s laboratory.
Post written by Katie Maggs, Curator of Medicine