Franc Roddam’s British drama film Quadrophenia is a 1970s classic that has now become a nostalgic film for many. First released on 16th August 1979, the movie takes place in the era when Mods and Rockers were the biggest things for working-class teenagers and young adult men. Quadrophenia centers around Jimmy Cooper, a working-class youth who becomes a Mod and is deeply interested in the group’s events.
He even goes as far as giving up his job to go fool around with the gang and indulge in fights with the enemy gang, the Rockers. However, things soon go chaotic for Jimmy, and he finds himself at the lowest point of his life, recalling the moments he had spent with Mods.
The role of Jimmy Cooper is played by Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash plays Steph, and Philip Davis stars as Chalky. Mark Wingett plays the role of Dave, and Sting stars as Ace Face. Quadrophenia is inspired by The Who’s 1973 music album.
Quadrophenia: Filming Locations
Most of the scenes of Quadrophenia were shot in London, as that’s where The Who were originally from. Only a few scenes were taken in studios, while the rest were all on location to make Quadrophenia as authentic as possible. Parts of London and East Sussex have served as major filming spots for this late 70s film.
London, England, UK:
The scene where Jimmy rushes to the station to catch the train to Brighton is filmed at Paddington Station, Paddington, London. This iconic station has also been featured in movies like About Time, Layer Cake, and Murder She Said.
Another place in London is the Clarendon Gardens at Wembley, which is where the Party house is seen in Quadrophenia. The public bath scene takes place at the Porchester Halls in Queensway, Bayswater.
This hall was built back in 1923, with the baths, library, and assembly room being added in 1927. The hall is now known as Porchester Center and is used as a place where pop music artists perform, such as Ed Sheeran, Pink Floyd, and Amy Winehouse.
We see the Goldhawk Road in Quadrophenia when the main cast breaks into the chemist’s shop, which is located at Shepherd’s Bush in London. The real-life café that makes up a set for Alfredo’s Café is the S&M Café which is located at 4-6 Essex Road, Islington, London.
Our main character, Jimmy Cooper’s house, was at Wells House Road in North Acton, London. Acton was also the place where Jimmy ended up crashing his iconic scooter. The location was more specifically near Wormholt Estate at Hemlock Road.
The Brighton Pub that Jimmy frequently visits is at Bramley Arms Pub, Bramley Road, Notting Hill. The Pub is sadly no longer active and was converted to an office after shutting down services in the 1980s. We see another Bath scene in Quadrophenia which was filmed at Hammersmith Public Baths, Lime Grove, Shepherd’s Bush.
Another spot at Shepherd’s Bush was A. Cookes Pie & Mash Shop, which is where we see Jimmy having Pie and Mash soon after he leaves the bathhouse. The Hammersmith Bridge also made it to the film, as we see shots of it when Jimmy, Chalky, and Dave go out to buy pills.
East Sussex, England, UK:
In the earlier parts of the film, the place where all of the mods group up and have breakfast is at the Beach Café in Brighton. It lies close to the Quadrophenia Alley, which was named after this movie. It’s where we see Jimmy and Steph get intimate in the film.
Many other scenes were shot near this beach in Brighton throughout Quadrophenia, with the Beachy Head in East Sussex serving as the place for the final scenes where Cooper rides close to the edge of the cliff.
East Street in Brighton is where the policemen show up and start arresting most of the members present there. Ace Face was Jimmy’s Idol, and when he sees him working as a Bell Boy at a hotel, he loses all of his passion and drives off to the Beachy Head. This hotel was the Grand Hotel at Kings Road in Brighton.
The Courtroom scenes in Quadrophenia were shot at Lewes Magistrates Court on High Street. Asides from East Sussex and London, Hertfordshire was also an important location for Quadrophenia’s crew, as this is where the movie’s studio, Elstree Studios at Borehamwood, was based.
Quadrophenia is now available to watch on Prime Video.
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