London, England
London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom.
It is the most populous city in the United Kingdom with a metropolitan area of over 13 million inhabitants. Standing on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium.
Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock's great grandfather, Charles Hitchcock, moved to the East London town of Stratford in the 1820s and established himself as a fishmonger. Charles' descendants continued to run the family business and also expanded into greengrocery. By the 1920s, Hitchcock's uncle John had established John Hitchcock Ltd with over 20 outlets throughout London.
Alfred Hitchcock was born above the family greengrocery store at 517 High Road, Leytonstone, in August 1899 and his family moved a few years later to Salmon Lane in the East London district of Limehouse. Following his marriage to Alma Reville, the couple lived at 153 Cromwell Road, Kensington, London, until 1939.
Throughout his career, Hitchcock remained both an Englishman and a Londoner, frequently returning to London — one of his favourite hotels was Claridge's in Mayfair — even after he had established himself in Hollywood.
Many of Hitchcock's films are set in London and feature popular landmarks in the city, such as the British Museum, Covent Garden Market, Hyde Park, Leicester Square, London Bridge, London Palladium, the London Underground, London Zoo, the Old Bailey, the Palace of Westminster, Piccadilly Circus, the River Thames, the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Opera House, Scotland Yard, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and Westminster Cathedral.
When their daughter Patricia expressed an interest in becoming an actress, the Hitchcocks enrolled her at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London.
After a series of disappointing films in the 1960s, Alfred Hitchcock returned to London in 1971 to make Frenzy, which was regarded as a welcome return to form by many critics.
Hitchcock Locations in London
Hitchcock Films Set in London
Although many of his films feature scenes set in London, the following are set entirely or predominantly in the city:
- The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)
- The Ring (1927)
- Blackmail (1929)
- Number Seventeen (1932)
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
- Sabotage (1936)
- The Paradine Case (1947)
- Stage Fright (1950)
- Dial M for Murder (1954)
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
- Frenzy (1972)
