Whether it’s a period piece or superhero spectacular, Sicilian Avenue is ready for its close-up.
If locations could win Oscars, Sicilian Avenue might have been nominated more than once for the award of Best Street in a Leading Role. With its quirky, early-20th-century charm, Sicilian Avenue has found itself picked by more than one Hollywood director to recall a London of times both past and present.
The Avenue has served as the backdrop for superhero adventures, as with Warner Bros. / DC Studios’ 2017 blockbuster Wonder Woman, and as the wartime setting for Mike Newell’s 2018 film adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Aficionados of spycraft may also recognise the Avenue from the Apple TV series Slow Horses, starring London’s own Gary Oldman.
Needless to say, London’s cinematic landscape extends well beyond this hidden gem: think Tom Holland’s Spiderman battling Jake Gyllenhaal’s evil Mysterio on Tower Bridge in Spiderman: Far From Home, or Chris Hemsworth squaring off against Christopher Eccleston at Greenwich’s Old Royal Naval College in Thor: The Dark World.
Meanwhile, Camden, the borough in which Sicilian Avenue sits, has its own filming location office, and lists such movies as Paddington, Kingsmen and Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic Tenet as having been filmed here. For the movie Spectre, Daniel Craig’s James Bond found himself messing about in boats on Camden Lock. We also learned that Renée Zellweger’s eponymous heroine Bridget Jones moved to Camden in Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, with shooting taking place around Flask Walk and leafy Christchurch Hill.
Like any enduring movie star, Sicilian Avenue has had its share of makeovers, and with scouts constantly on the lookout for authentic London locations, the Avenue's reopening couldn't be more timely, offering a perfectly preserved slice of history that can transform into nearly any era.
Sicilian Avenue’s refurbishment has carefully preserved the street's Edwardian features while improving accessibility and usable space, and its pedestrianised status will limit unwanted interactions between film crews and road users. Ready for its next scene, this inimical corner of London continues to catch Hollywood's eye.