Another Nail in the Coffin of British Horror

UPDATE September 2011 from ROBERT J.E. SIMPSON 

THE PLANNING APPLICATION FOR THE STUDIO IS STILL WAITING DECISION...

Situation ongoing.

Words and photographs by Christopher Williams

When the proposed demolition and redevelopment plans of Bray Studios were made available to the public (Tuesday 27th July 2010) and placed in glass display cabinets at the studio itself, I knew right away that this might be the only opportunity I'd get to visit such an iconic film studio. And in doing so, write this article in the hope I can raise awareness to what could be the studios sad demise.

Tuesday in the AM. Upon arrival I noticed that the four outer stages at Bray were still standing, but inside they were either empty or filled with rubble and appeared to have been for some time. On several of the smaller buildings, ivy clung to the outside of the walls and trailed in through several broken glass windows. The studio was a long way from its former glory, a sad representation of our economic time perhaps? Or the lingering but dedicated reflection of our past glories of a British Film Industry forgotten? The Arts always suffer greatly in any recession, and you have to take in effect this studio has lived through three of them. And the Horror genre isn't exactly as protected as the Royal Ballet might be. And there was certainly no Vivaldi playing in the gloomy air today, and in the true sense of the word, the overall feeling I was experiencing was one of abandonment. But then, all of a sudden I was more than pleasantly surprised to find a cluttered workshop containing a hand full of prop artists, miniature set makers and various other skilled production technicians continuing to utilise, even in its limited capacity, the studios facilities.

There was a completely different feeling once you stood iInside the main entrance hall of Down Place whereupon you were greeted by several men in hand tailored suits, huddling around the proposed plans that were on display in the center of the room. There was a table laid out with leaflets detailing the proposed project along with a section for "local residents and other interested parties" to fill out and post in the provided comment box. Hanging up on the wall behind them and not bearing down enough on them, were a dozen framed, dusty movie stills of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in traditional Hammer pose and costume I spoke briefly with a young representative of the proposed plan to turn the building into housing and he told me in more detail about the project, and about several other "horror fans" who had turned out that day to show their support. He smiled, gave a rye chuckle and admitted to having "never seen or heard of any of the films" that I had just been talking about.

Hammer Productions sold Bray Studios in November, 1970. And since then, and for over thirty years it appears the studio has been maintained by a skeleton crew. Surviving this long with the continued patriotic support shown by those individual artists whom continue to be inspired by the studios original origins and its place in British cinema history. Sir James Carreras (1909–1990) was one of the founders of Hammer Film Productions. And it was his son Michael Carreras who later took over at Bray Studios. There Carreras had no interest (or the funds) to compete with the likes of the two giants Pinewood or Shepperton Studios. Where Bray, in comparison, was tiny. So Carreras knew he had to improvise. He shot his films from every room and from every angle of the Bray Manor House. Then, when production was at the studios highest point, Carreras created four new purpose built stages and began utilising even more of the stunning Berkshire locales that surround the studio.

Right up until recently the sound stage was being used for music and pre-production rehearsals. But now, under the hands of Bray Management Ltd say that the studio is "unable to keep up with technological advancements" and that it is "no longer a viable business". Outside, on one of the portacabins within the complex, I had spotted an oversized clapper board that you could just read the faint chalk outline of an Untitled "Vodaphone" project that was dated 'November 2008'.

I hope to see an investment made in the preservation of Bray Studios. Perhaps the UK Film Council's £3m a year administration fee could now go towards this after hearing they are to be disbanded. How does the news of the proposed plans for the redevelopment for Bray Studios sit next to big industry news like that? It has been completely overshadowed. And why have Hammer Films (in name only) been so silent over this threat facing Bray Studios? Surely they have an obligation in helping to preserve their own heritage? At the very least help raise awareness of the threat to its heritage? On a personal level, the films that were made here will always continue to inspire me and my imagination, along with my own work. Despite the lack of serious critical praise, these films remain past glories of British Horror Cinema and should be celebrated so.

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(From the Pathe Archive actor Peter Cushing on the set of "Frankenstein Created Woman", Bray Studios, Windsor, Berkshire)