To mark the 30th anniversary of Pierce Brosnan’s first appearance as James Bond in ‘GoldenEye‘ (1995) it’s an appropriate time to look back on his tenure encompassing four films between 1995 and 2002 which seems crazy in the modern day where it takes similar time to make just one 007 movie!

Six actors have portrayed the double agent in the 25 official Eon-produced films thus far and it is probably the Brosnan-era quadrilogy which has been covered most thoroughly in the filming locations posts on Tokyo Fox. Here, in no particular order, are my favourite ten locales from his time as the man with a license to kill…

10. Two for the price of one @ Somerset House, London (UK) – The courtyard, which also appeared as scenery footage at the start of ‘Love Actually‘ (2003), first doubled up as a Square in St. Petersburg and was then used as MI6 HQ.

Seen in ‘GoldenEye’ (1995) and ‘Tomorrow Never Dies‘ (1997). More details here.

9. Shabby-looking Bond washes up in Asia @ Hong Kong Island – Bond escapes captivity, jumps into the Harbour and emerges at a Yacht Club which is actually located on the north side of the island. However, not all is as it seems as it wasn’t Kowloon that could be seen in the background but Hong Kong island itself!

Seen in ‘Die Another Day‘ (2002). More details here.

8. The “St Petersburg” church with a rich spy history @ Brompton Cemetery, London (UK) – Another Russian location as it was used as the exterior of the St. Petersburg church where Natalya meets Boris by chance. It also featured in the Rowan Atkinson Bond spoof ‘Johnny English’ (2003) as well as ‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ (2015).

Seen in ‘GoldenEye‘ (1995). More details here.

7. Bond makes his boat go underwater @ Glengall Bridge, London (UK) – Perhaps the most memorable part of the pre-titles chase is at this bridge in the East End’s docks where, with the bridge closing in true dramatic movie style, Bond hits a special button which allows the boat to go under the water and avoid collision. In classic Bond style, he still finds time to adjust his tie!

Seen in ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999). More details here.

6. The Turkish prison islet @ Maidens Tower, Istanbul (Turkey) – This tiny islet, located off the coast at Uskudar, is where ‘M’ (Judi Dench) is taken prisoner.

Seen in ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999). More details here.

5. Bond soaks a couple of traffic wardens @ Ornamental Canal, Wapping Lane, London (UK) – The boat-chase sequence along the River Thames goes past Westminster to Tower Bridge and beyond that to Wapping where two traffic wardens from a British TV reality show of the time get soaked.

Seen in ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999). More details here.

4. The “German” Hotel Garage @ Brent Cross Shopping Centre, London (UK) – The Atlantic Hotel garage in Hamburg is actually the 4th floor car park of a shopping centre in North London. It was originally shot in Germany but it proved to be too expensive to return for re-shoots so London filled in for 10 days of filming. The stunts created more smoke than anticipated which resulted in the fire service being alerted.

Seen in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies‘ (1997). More details here.

3. The “Vietnam” skyscraper which Bond and Wai Lin descend @ Sinn Sathorn Tower, Bangkok (Thailand) – Having rappelled the tower, they make their escape on motorbike leading to what provided this film’s most memorable action scenes.

Seen in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies‘ (1997). More details here.

2. Vauxhall Cross Underground station @ Westminster Bridge, London (UK) – The entrance to the fictitious station is actually nothing more than a caretaker’s hut located below the bridge.

Seen in ‘Die Another Day‘ (2002). More details here.

1.  MI6 Headquarters @ Albert Embankment, London (UK) – Not only did it appear in three Brosnan films, but it also reappeared as MI6 for a couple of the Daniel Craig-era movies. 

Seen in ‘GoldenEye‘ (1995), ‘The World Is Not Enough’ (1999) and ‘Die Another Day‘ (2002). More details here.

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……James Bond Filming Locations From The Daniel Craig Era’

Click here to read ‘All The James Bond Movies Ranked From Worst To Best’

Click here to read ‘The Complete List Of James Bond Filming Locations’

Click here to read ‘License To Thrill! – It’s The 007 Museum in Japan’