The Italian Job

Hello,

I am pretty certain that the tunnel chase scenes were filmed in Coventry, very near where I used to live. At that time a new trunk sewer had just been built to the east of the city linking the districts of Stoke Aldermoor and Wilenhall. Before the tunnel was put to use for its intended purpose the film company took the opportunity to use it for that chase sequence.

I hope this is of use to you.

David Cronan

On The Buses

It's later than one of Stan's buses, but I can now confirm that this years ON THE BUSES event will be held at Elstree Film Studios on Saturday 27th June. As it is the 40th celebration it is hoped the event is going to be a bit special. Also for the first time we will be including a buffet lunch.

For this event please contact busesfanclub@aol.com for details how to order your ON THE BUSES tickets. Please note due to interest shown it is expected tickets will sell out fast, book now to avoid disappointment, places are limited. £30.00 per adult £15.00 per child, full details will be available soon.

You will notice the web site is now .COM and not co.uk (The old site is no longer available) so just click on the link for a preview.
http://www.onthebusesfanclub.com/
It will be around 100 pages taking you on a trip down memory lane.

If you had my link to the old site please update it to .com. If you have a buses or TV comedy related site and would like to exchange links, email me with a line or two about your site and a link.

If you have friends who visited the old site please let them know about the new one.

Look forward to welcoming you back onboard and until next time DING DING

RegardsSteve

'ON THE BUSES'http://www.onthebusesfanclub.com/(Nostalgia never goes out of fashion)Theatre Royal Onwards http://www.theatreroyalhyde.org/.The Theatre Royal Onward is a Company Limited by Guarantee, Company No. 4223449. Registered with the Charity Commission No:1091964

Wormwood Scrubs given listed building status

From the Daily Telegraph:

The 19th century prison Wormwood Scrubs in west London has been awarded listed building status because of its "innovative design".


The gatehouse, which carries the emblems of two prison reformers, John Howard and Elizabeth Fry and became famous as the entrance to HMP Slade in the Porridge TV series. Photo: John Taylor

The cell blocks of the jail have been handed Grade II protection because of their "intrinsic architectural interest", English Heritage said The gatehouse, which carries the emblems of two prison reformers, John Howard and Elizabeth Fry and became famous as the entrance to HMP Slade in the Porridge TV series, was given the higher priority Grade II* listing.

Wormwood Scrubs was built by convicts between 1874 and 1891 who lived on the site until the prison was finished. Its radical "telegraph pole" design and low cost made it a model of the time. A spokesman for English Heritage said: "The prison as a whole is of radical importance in 19th century prison development. "The design approach was viewed as progressive in terms of prisoner welfare and prison management, providing workshops, hospital, recreational and spiritual support; it was economical to build, answering the acute problem at that time of how and where to house convicts before deportation, thus it was highly influential. "Statutory recognition of the importance of HMP Wormwood Scrubs is long overdue. "The criteria for listing for innovativeness of design, intrinsic architectural interest and group value are readily satisfied." A spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said: "The Scrubs have been an iconic part of the London landscape for more than a century. "Listing will help them remain so for long into the future."

Buildings are given listed status is they are deemed to have exceptional architectural or historic special interest by English Heritage and the DCMS. There are approximately 372,905 listed buildings in England, which cannot be altered, extended or demolished without planning permission.

Copyright Daily Telegraph

The prison was also used in Billy Liar, Adventures of a Plumber's Mate, The Constant Husband, The Italian Job and A Nightingale Sang in Berkley Square, as well as many others.

Locations for "The Leather Boys"

Dear Sir

Here are the locations for some of the unknown shots featured in The Leather Boys.

LB001 - Wimbledon Art College, Merton Hall Road, London.

LB002 - Harbut Road, Wandsworth, London

LB003 - Harbut road, Wandsworth, London

LB004 - Southolm Street, London

LB020 - Southolm Street/Roydon Street

LB023 - St. John's Hill, Wandsworth

LB024 - St. John's Hill, Wandsworth

LB031, LB032, LB033, LB034, LB035 are all shots of Bognor Regis.

LB036 - Southolm Street

These locations and more can be found in the book "The Ace Cafe - Then and Now" by Winston Ramsey, published by Battle of Britain International Limited.

Yours faithfully,

Michael Garfield