Paddington Bear™ is a much loved fictional character who first appeared on 13 October 1958 in the children’s book ‘A Bear Called Paddington’. Created by Michael Bond, Paddington became famous for his duffle coat, old hat, battered suitcase and his love of marmalade sandwiches. Selling millions of books worldwide Paddmington has been delighting generations for decades.
Atfer a number of TV adaptations it wasn’t until November of 2014 that Paddmington hit the big sceen. The marmalade-loving bear was a huge success attracting old and new fans. The film grossed over $268 million worldwide. Then in 2017 the sequel Paddington 2 was released which again was a huge success.
Today fans like to visit the film locations and wonder around West London to see all the famous sites. Obviously the bear needed a bit of CGI assistance to appear in all the locations. But the movie locations are mainly found around London as described in the books. Below are a list of some of the main London and other locations used in both Paddington movies.
Paddington Station
Paddington Station is where polite bear first arrived from Darkest Peru and is given his new name by the Brown family. Within the film the station platforms are the real but the front was actually nearby Marylebone Station. Within Paddington station there is a bronze Paddington Bear™ statue which was created by the sculptor Marcus Cornish. You can also find only shop in the world which is exclusively dedicated to Paddingtom with lots of bears, books and gifts available.
Chalcot Crescent
Chalcot Crescent in Primrose Hill, London, doubles as Windsor Gardens in the film, where the Browns live at number 32.
Portobello Road
The location Mr Gruber’s antique shop can be found at 86 Portobello Road.
St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral featured in both films. True fans of Paddington will class this as a special location even more now because Michael Bond’s final book before his death was entitled ‘Paddington at St Paul’s’. The Cathedral is open to the public, entry charges apply: https://www.stpauls.co.uk/
The Shard
Paddington is seen washing windows across London. At the height of his career we see him cleaning The Shard by pulley. You can ride to the top of the Shard with a small admission fee and once there you will be able to see the spectacular panoramic views of London
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Official Paddington film Locations Tour London
Here at Brit Movie Tours we run the official Paddington Bear™ location tour. As well as visiting all the Paddington Bear™ film locations in London, you will also visit lesser known and picturesque parts of London which are off the off-the-beaten-track. If you join our tour you will be en entitled to a 10% discount on merchandise with a value of £10 or over from the Paddington Shop. The tour lasts for 2 – 2 ½ hours and costs £12 for adults over 16 years, and £10 for 3 – 15 years. We also have private tours which is £180 per group of up to 30 people. You are more than welcome to bring marmalade sandwiches, but this isn’t compulsory.
Other Filming Locations
Shepton Mallet Prison Somerset
In the second film we see Paddington behind bars in a prison. The filming for these shots were taken at Shepton Mallet Prison in Somerset. This prison is open to the public for self and guided tours.
Peru
The Peru scenes were actually filmed in dense jungle in Costa Rica. The lush green forest of Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Preserve was used.
