Somerset House, a grand 18th century building, is a thriving cultural centre for London and is home to the magnificent collections of the Courtauld Institute Gallery, Gilbert Collection and Hermitage Rooms. The launch of the Safran Fountain Court in August 2000 transformed the Courtyard from a hidden car park into one of the most vibrant public spaces in the British capital. The design of the fountains is based on a geometric pattern of fifty-five computer controlled, vertical jets which emerge directly from the granite surface of the Courtyard. At the north western corner of the square the scene from
GoldenEye
was filmed where CIA man Jack Wade “repairs” his old Russian jalopy with a sledgehammer.
There are two train stations in London which are of special interest for us film freaks. First there is St Pancras Station in the suburb of the same name. On Platform 5 the tiny scene was filmed where Natalya arrives in St Petersburg in GoldenEye. For the first film of the Harry-Potter-series the scenes where Harry catches the train Hogwarts Express, were filmed at the nearby Kings Cross Station. In the movie the steam train leaves from the fictitious Platform 9¾ and takes the students to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In reality it was staged on Platform 4.