After all the frenzied anticipation in the run-up to the Oscars 2011, it was still lovely to wake up this morning in London to learn that Colin Firth had indeed won as best actor for his role in The King’s Speech, portraying King George VI's struggles to overcome a stutter, and that the film won best picture too (plus best original screenplay for David Seidler and best director for Tom Hooper).
In a film like The King's Speech, based on real events, it's fascinating to find out the actual film locations that often stand in for well known buildings and areas. The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations is a great resource, with detailed information on film locations used in The King's Speech (and other films that used the same locations).
Several buildings in London were used along with locations in a number of counties in England: Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Lancashire.
If you are a movie buff and enjoyed The King's Speech, why not visit some of the film locations while on a home exchange in England? As Home Base Holidays is based in London, there are hundreds of home swap offers to choose from, both in London and in all the counties featured in the film. It's easy to narrow your search results to the locations of interest.
From the search boxes, select England from the country list, then choose the county (or London) from the state/county list. Search. Listings are by join date (most recent first) but, if you want a particular town or city in a county, change 'Sort by' (above the search results) to 'Location' to re-arrange the results alphabetically by town name.
A few samples to tempt you!
London - A good sized one bed flat in Somers Town. 5 minute walk from King’s Cross, St. Pancras International and Euston stations so offers excellent access to mainline train services, Eurostar and 6 tube lines.
Within a 1.5 mile radius from the flat - the British Library, British Museum, Camden, Angel, The Strand, Waterloo Bridge, Charing Cross, Trafalgar Sq, Shaftesbury Avenue, Soho, Leicester Sq, Piccadilly Circus, Covent Garden, Oxford St, Bond St and Baker St.
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire - A spacious second floor one bedroom flat located in the centre of Cambridge. Quiet and secure block of 17 flats built 25 years ago; it has central heating, separate bathroom and kitchen, good cooking facilities and modern appliances.
At walking distance from traditional colleges, Fitzwilliam Museum, river Cam, Botanic Garden and major parks. The local swimming pool, coach station and sport facilities are less than 200 metres.
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire - Lovely canal side home on the outskirts of Milton Keynes approx 50 miles north of London. It is a modern four double bedroom, two bathroom detached house with attached double garage. The open plan lounge, dining room & conservatory all overlook the rear garden & the historic Grand Union Canal.
The 21ft cabin cruiser is moored here & can be used for exploring the peaceful & beautiful canal system. There are excellent walks & cycle routes from the house & although all modern facilities of Milton Keynes are just round the corner its also right next to beautiful countryside. There is a direct train service which takes only ½ hour into London or by car it is around 1 hour to get to either London, Oxford or Cambridge.
York, Yorkshire - Beautiful modernised 1930s house in an ideal situation 2 miles from the very center of the historic city of York. 2 double bedrooms & 1 single. Large patio areas and enclosed 50m garden with a private river bank & small river at the end (gated).
The house has a sitting room with Sky TV, a dining room, & a sunny conservatory with a birds-eye view overlooking the fields beyond. This is an ideal place to watch the sun go down after a busy day seeing the beautiful sights of Yorkshire, such as castles, lakes, walking.
The East coast of England (Scarborough, Whitby etc) are all roughly 1 hour away. There are great transport links into York city centre (2 miles) and around Yorkshire / England (London is only 2.5 hours by train).
Lancaster, Lancashire - Stunning barn conversion, in rural setting, yet close (10mins) to the Historic city of Lancaster. Set with an acre of land, with pony and sheep. Inside our house is beautifully decorated, with tiled floors through hall way, downstairs bathroom utility room, and handpainted kitchen. Oak flooring in living room, with two wood burners in both downstairs living rooms. Second living room has sun room, with lovely views of garden and surrounding field. Master bed room has en-suit with shower and main bathroom has a bath. Large garden with children's swings, slide and trampoline.
30 mins from Lake District (Beatrix Potter, Ambleside), 50mins from Manchester, close to Trough of Bowland, 20mins from seaside (Morecambe bay), 1mile from golf club.
