When December rolls round each year I tend to watch ‘Love Actually‘ (2004), especially if I’m going back to the UK and want to get in the mood for Christmas. During many of these trips to the nations capital over the last few years I have been seeking out the movie locations of this Richard Curtis-directed film and finally Tokyo Fox has managed to cobble together a fair few of them. 

To be frank I never really liked the original 1967 Troggs song (nor the overly successful Wet Wet Wet cover in 1994 which featured in ‘Four Weddings & A Funeral‘) BUT I do like the parody which kicks this film off and then plays a running part throughout this festive feel good movie. That scene took place at Westway Studios on Ladbroke Grove in Notting Hill.

As the countdown to the festive season begins (five weeks before no less!) there is a montage of seasonal scenes on 4 minutes starting off with the huge Christmas tree in Whiteley’s Shopping Centre (below) in Bayswater.

A picturesque ice-skating scene recorded outside Somerset House (below) at The Strand soon follows. This place has featured on the silver screen a few times including a couple of appearances in the Pierce Brosna-era James Bond movies ‘GoldenEye‘ (1995) and ‘Tomorrow Never Dies‘ (1997).

Of course it wasn’t the real Downing Street on 7 minutes where the new Prime Minister (Hugh Grant) is sworn into office. That is of course a set at Shepperton Studio’s. 

The Millennium Bridge (below) is briefly seen about 18 minutes in as Christmas looms nearer.

It’s now a boring office but 26-27 Great Sutton Street (below) was the nude gallery of Christmas art by Mark (Andrew Lincoln) as seen on 35 minutes.

On the 56 minutes mark, Mark emerges from the back entrance of Oxo Tower Wharf building (below) on Barge House Street after Juliet (Keira Knightley) discovers his real feelings for her having seen his wedding video of close ups of her beautiful face.

Dido’s ‘Here With Me‘ provides the soundtrack as he leaves feeling gutted and continues on through the courtyard (below) and on to the banks of the Thames River.

We see Alan Rickman’s character Harry buy a necklace for the provocative Mia (Heike Makatsch) in Selfridges (below) on 77 minutes at 400 Oxford Street. This was one of the funniest scenes where Rowan Atkinson appears as the shop assistant who takes an eternity to wrap the gift whilst Harry gets nervous about the imminent arrival of his wife Karen played by Emma Thompson.

Mark later declares his love to newly wed Juliet on 96 minutes via cue cards outside her home at 27 St Luke’s Mews (below) which is in Notting Hill. 

Poplar Road (below) in Hern Hill is the street where the Prime Minister goes knocking on doors (103 minutes) to try and find Natalie (Martine McCutcheon) and after singing a couple of carols, he and his chauffeur eventually get lucky at number 102. It’s a 15 minute walk from Denmark Hill station on the London Overground line.

For other London filming locations click on the links below:

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