Lockwood and Co film crews in Claremont Square

WITH the offer of sword-wielding teenage detectives hunting ghosts, Lockwood & Co is rapidly becoming Netflix’s latest hit series.

But amid the spooky and supernatural goings-on, viewers in Islington have spotted the show’s intrepid investigators must have passed this way.

Film crews shot some scenes in Claremont Square, which is the backdrop for the main characters’ headquarters.

It is known as 35 Portland Road on screen, but easily recognisable to you and me as one of beautiful 19th-century houses in Claremont Square.

“They called it the ‘hero house’,” said Luke Wilson, the senior film officer at Islington Film Office, managed by FilmFixer, the company responsible for organ­ising the filming in the square.

“They dressed that specific building to stand out for artistic reasons. They painted it a darker cream colour to make it look more characterful in terms of the texture of the paint.

“It stands out in the show, and after filming they repainted it.”

Filming in the square began in August and September 2021, before the cast and crew returned in February 2022. Shoot days lasted for 15 hours to get the perfect take, using big lighting and camera cranes to achieve elaborate shots.

“The style of architecture in Claremont Square, it’s the period style that the show is going for. The show isn’t based in a particular era, but it is trying to portray London in a different time period, so the architecture really fits for the show,” said Mr Wilson.

“We love shows like Lockwood & Co filming in Islington because there’s a real love of London in these kinds of shows where they’re focusing on a lot of different architectural styles in the city.

“London is famous for having hundreds of TV shows showcasing all the different sides and perspectives on London, so I’m always really happy and excited to see a show portray a quintessential London location.”

According to Mr Wilson, the crew were determined to use as much of the area as possible, using local businesses for anything they needed and setting up catering for cast and crew at St Mark’s Church in Myddelton Square.

“Productions want to reduce the amount of cast and crew that they have on the street as much as possible because they want to reduce the impact on the area,” said Mr Wilson.

Claremont Square’s location has proved a unique selling point to film-makers.
It was already used by the producers of the Harry Potter films, who turned one of the houses into 12 Grimmauld Place – the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

Mr Wilson added: “Because the square is in a central location it makes it much easier to facilitate more crew. Also, having two squares side by side [Claremont and Myddelton] gives diversity to what they can achieve with the shot. We could also hire extra parking on a nearby street to make sure there was enough parking for the residents.”

Now fans have been clamouring online for Netflix to renew Lockwood & Co – which stars Bridgerton actor Ruby Stokes, Cameron Chapman and Ali Hadji-Heshmati – for a second season, with some calling it the “most underrated” show on the streaming platform.

It is directed by Joe Cornish, who won a Bafta for his film Attack The Block.