Passport to Pimlico: a behind the scenes tour – in pictures

The British comedy, made by Ealing studios and directed by Henry Cornelius, in which a group of London residents discover an undeground treasure trove from Burgundy and declare a state of independence in the heart of London, is being screened around the country on 5 June to mark the Queen's diamond jubilee. Take a look at some of the photographs from the set of this charming 1949 classic and uncover a twist about the filming …
  
  

Charles Hawtrey and Paul Dupuis in Passport to Pimlico.
Charles Hawtrey and Paul Dupuis in Passport to Pimlico. Photograph: Cinetext/Lions Gate/Allstar

Passport to Pimlico: A tube train carriage replica
A tube carriage replica used for filming the London Underground 'customs' scenes Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Actor John Slater
Actor John Slater (Frank Huggins) floats in a dinghy in the fictional 'Burgundy' lido Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Actor Stanley Holloway
Actor Stanley Holloway (Arthur Pemberton) relaxes on set Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Actors Jane Hylton and John Slater
Actors Jane Hylton (Molly) and John Slater (Frank Huggins) learn their lines Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Actress Barbara Murray
Barbara Murray (who played Shirley Pemberton) on set, you can just make out the fictional street sign 'Miramount Passage' behind her Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Director Henry Cornelius
Director Henry Cornelius (on the left) in a break from filming Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Filming Passport to Pimlico
Filming continues on a rare dry summer's day – the film is set during the scorching summer of 1947, but was actually filmed during the monsoon summer of 1948 Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Filming with an old-fashioned crane
Filming with an old-fashioned crane Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Henry Cornelius
Henry Cornelius directs the action Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Kids on set with the
Kids on set with the 'local bobby' PC Spiller played by Philip Stainton Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Philip Stainton takes a nap
Philip Stainton takes a nap Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: a cleared bomb site off the Lambeth Road
Passport to Pimlico was actually filmed in … Lambeth, in a cleared bomb site off the Lambeth Road. The pub you can see in this photo was the Union Flag, and is now the Corner Cafe on the junction of Lambeth Road and Hercules Road Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: a Pimlico street with fictional pubs and shops
The set featuring a Pimlico street with fictional pubs and shops was built on a site that used to comprise Canterbury Place and Saville Place, SE11, bordered by Lambeth Walk and in the foreground, Lambeth Road Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Passport to Pimlico set
The set as it was when completed Photograph: StudioCanal
Passport to Pimlico: Filming a scene on the Lambeth set
Filming a scene on the Lambeth set. The film-makers had to make sure they dismantled everything and left the site as they found it, so as not to undermine the War Damage Compensation claims of the owners whose houses had formerly stood on the site Photograph: StudioCanal
 

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