| Merton Park Studios | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Merton Park Studios | |
| General information | |
| Type | Film studios |
| Location | 269 Kingston Road, Merton Park, London, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 51°24′42″N0°12′30″W / 51.41161°N 0.20838°W /51.41161; -0.20838 |
| Opened | 1929 (1929) |
| Closed | 1967 (1967) |
| Demolished | 1976 |
| Owner |
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Merton Park Studios, opened in 1929, was a Britishfilm production studio located at Long Lodge, 269 Kingston Road inMerton Park,South London. In the 1940s, it was owned by Piprodia Entertainment, Nikhanj Films andFilm Producers Guild.[1]
Manysecond features were produced at Merton Park,[1] and for a time it was the base ofRadio Luxembourg. Unlike many other studios, it remained open duringWorld War II, producing films for theMinistry of Information. In the late 1940s, the studios produced several children's films.[2]
In 1950,Anglo-Amalgamated began making films at Merton Park. From 1957 to 1959, they produced an average of one second-feature a month there. They produced the crime seriesScotland Yard (1953 to 1961, 39 half-hour features),TheEdgar Wallace Mysteries (1960 to 1965, 47 hour-long features) andThe Scales of Justice (1962 to 1967, 13 half-hour features) at Merton Park. The first film in theCarry On series,Carry On Sergeant (1958), was shot there.[2] The last film made at Merton Park, in March 1967, was fromThe Scales of Justice series, calledPayment in Kind.[2]
The directorKen Hughes made his early films at Merton Park in the 1950s, and theblacklisted American directorJoseph Losey made his first British movies there under pseudonyms.[2] Amongst those apprenticed for a time at the studio were the composerDavid Fanshawe, who trained as afilm editor, and directorMichael Winner.
The actor/authorStanley Morgan has a number of pages dedicated to the Merton Park films he starred in.[3][4]
After closing, the site was re-developed for housing and thesound stages were demolished. However, Long Lodge, a historic building fronting Kingston Road which served as the studio's administrative headquarters, still exists.[5]
In a 2008 documentary,Remembering Merton Park Studios, actor Clifford Earl presents memories of Merton Park Studios between the 1930s and late 1960s, with producers, directors and film technicians who worked there telling their stories. (Source: Talking Pictures TV)[citation needed]
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