Twickenham Film Studios to get £15m facelift

Twickenham Film Studios operator Time+Space Studios is to spend £15 million on rejuvenating, transforming and expanding London’s oldest film studio.

The developments include a ‘state-of-the-art’ TV studio; upgraded sound production studios; a second sound mixing suite; and the construction of a new entrance building creating new public spaces with flexible workspaces, a boutique cinema, a café and rooftop social bar area.

The investment will create a “contemporary, innovative, and enhanced film and TV campus for the next generation of film-makers and creatives,” says Time+Space.

The plan is for the fabric of the building to be renovated rather than replaced, with newly built structures accommodating the additional space. The façade of the new entrance building will be designed to replicate the surrounding architecture in the conservation area.

Twickenham Film Studios managing director Cara Sheppard said: “Twickenham Film Studios has a rich heritage, having made some of history’s most iconic Hollywood and British films and TV shows. The significant investment in the regeneration and expansion of the site and its facilities will enhance our whole studio campus. We are investing heavily into securing the best industry talent as well as the latest technologies that, combined, will ensure the next chapter for Twickenham Studios is even more successful than the last.”

Managing partners Piers Read and Jeremy Rainbird’s company The Creative District Improvement Co, who together acquired Twickenham Studios in February 2020, are working on the expansion with General Projects and British Airways Pension Fund, who are backing the investment.

Read and Rainbird said: “This is the evolution of Twickenham Film Studios into a truly world-class tech and innovation campus in London, building on over a century of film history. The expansion means we can welcome even more productions and film-makers of all levels.

Guy Hollaway, architect from Hollaway Studio who created the design, added: “Working with innovative materials such as the pigmented concrete will allow us to design an entrance with a playful façade that not only enhances its historic setting but also pays homage to the events happening beyond.”

The planning application for the expansion and renovation has been submitted to Richmond Council. Building is expected to begin later this year with completion before October 2022.