Summary

A Surrey film studio operating since 1932, where Dr Strangelove, Oliver!, Alien, and Gladiator were made; now part of the Pinewood Group with a large tank stage and substantial stage inventory.

About this location

Shepperton Studios occupies the of Littleton Park, a 17th-century estate in Surrey. Scottish businessman Norman Loudon converted the mansion for film production in 1931 and it opened as Sound Film Producing & Recording Studios in 1932. Alexander Korda’s British Lion Films later took control and produced The Third Man (1949) here. The studio changed ownership several times through the 1950s before a rebuild in 1958.

From the 1960s, the studio produced a series of landmark British films: Stanley Kubrick’s Dr Strangelove (1964), the Oscar-winning musical Oliver! (1968), and Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979). The 1970s and 1980s brought Superman (1978) and other large international productions. Gladiator (2000) was based here, as was Four Weddings and a Funeral. The 2001 Tim Burton Planet of the Apes film used the studio’s exterior tank. More recent productions include Les Misérables (2012), Gravity (2013), and Paddington 2.

The studio is now part of the Pinewood Group, meaning stage booking can coordinate across the combined estate. Shepperton’s stages range from small insert stages to larger main stages, and the facility includes construction workshops, props, and a water tank. The original Littleton Park mansion building still stands within the studio lot.