Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden

Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden stands on the site of a former aircraft factory and airfield in Leavesden, near Watford in Hertfordshire. The complex covers eighty hectares and was originally built during the Second World War to produce Mosquito bombers and Halifax heavy bombers. After the war the site became a centre for helicopter engine design under Rolls-Royce. By the early 1990s it had fallen into disuse and was almost abandoned. The studios gained fame when Eon Productions used the vast hangars for GoldenEye in 1994. Warner Bros. later chose Leavesden for all eight Harry Potter films, turning the site into a permanent European base. A £110 million refurbishment created one of the world’s largest and most modern filmmaking facilities. The studios now host productions ranging from Star Wars to Sherlock Holmes. Visitors find a working studio complex with sound stages, workshops and a large backlot. The runway from the aerodrome serves as the main road through the site. A control tower has been converted into an observation lounge. The backlot offers an uninterrupted horizon for exterior sets such as the row of houses built for Privet Drive.