- British property developer completes multi-million-pound deal for London film studios on a 30-year lease
- Twickenham Studios has produced classics including The Italian Job
- Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar winner for best sound, mixed at Twickenham studios by the multi award winning sound department
Creative real estate developer General Projects, in partnership with the British Airways Pension Fund completes acquisition of Twickenham Studios for £21m, which forms part of a wider investment into Twickenham to meet the industry’s growing demand for studio space to boost the UK’s Film and TV industry into a new era, capitalising on a multi-billion-pound market and studio boom created by streaming giants such as Amazon, Apple and Netflix.
The property, which includes 110,000 sq ft of film studios, production facilities and creative workspace, is spread over a 2-acre campus, adjacent to St Margaret’s Station. The investment will see the introduction of more studios and flexible workspace equipped with new facilities.
Built in 1913, The Studios were, at the time, the largest in Britain. Twickenham has a long history of producing some of the UKs most prestigious Film, TV and Music; from the 1960s classics of The Italian Job and Alfie, to the Beatles creation of Let it Be. More recently, Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar winner for best sound was mixed at Twickenham studios by their multi-award-winning sound department.
General Projects has partnered with Jeremy Rainbird and Piers Read of Time + Space Studios, the specialist operating company, who having acquired a 50% stake will run Twickenham Studios on a 30-year lease. The seller, Sunny Vohra, who rescued the studios from administration in 2012, will continue as chairman.
Jacob Loftus (CEO of General Projects) said: “With the current growth trajectory of the UK film and TV industry, the opportunity to acquire one of the UK’s most iconic film studios is incredibly exciting. Working in collaboration with Time + Space Studios and British Airways Pension Fund, we are committed to further modernising and improving Twickenham Studios to protect its heritage and ensure it is well positioned to remain one of London’s leading studio complexes.”