Where Henry Golding, Emilia Clarke and Michelle Yeoh were: 6 London locations from the movie Last Christmas
Henry Golding, Emilia Clarke and Michelle Yeoh star in the movie which was shot last Christmas when the festive decorations highlighted London at its sparkling best
One thing critics agree on about Henry Golding’s new film, Last Christmas, co-starring Emilia Clarke and Michelle Yeoh is that it makes London look wonderful. Director Paul Feig is a huge fan of the British capital and says the film is a love letter to London. The movie was filmed last Christmas when the city’s festive decorations were in place. A lot of scenes took place in the middle of the night for maximum light and minimum crowds.
Here’s where you can find the most scenic locations:
1. Apple Market
Flaky Kate (Emilia Clarke) first spots suave Tom (Henry Golding) through the window of Yuletide Christmas shop where she works in Covent Garden Piazza, owned by Michelle Yeoh’s character “Santa”. Alas the shop doesn’t actually exist. IRL the site is a covered walkway cutting through the neo classical buildings of the former fruit and vegetable market. On the plus side it’s flanked rather deliciously by Ladurée tea room and Godiva chocolatier. And you can visit the spot where the two meet outside Yuletide – underneath the blue metal arches in Apple Market where a certain incident involving “looking up” seemingly brings them together.
2. Covent Garden
When Kate and Tom run into each other again, it’s also in the Covent Garden area. Though it looks like a film set, this quaint lane in real life is Cecil Court. Linking Charing Cross Road with St Martin’s Lane, the pedestrianised street is lined with independent stores selling books and artworks. “London’s narrowest alley”, where Tom takes Kate as part of his magical mystery tour of London, is also real. Keep a close eye out for Brydges Place next to the Coliseum theatre on St Martin’s Lane – the alley measures only 15 inches at its narrowest point. As for Tom’s “secret garden”, it’s The Phoenix Garden, an urban retreat hidden away between Soho and Covent Garden (the entrance is on St Giles Passage).
3. Marylebone
The gorgeous honey stoned building depicting the exterior of St Benedict’s homeless shelter in Last Christmas can be found in Marylebone, north of Oxford Street. While the photogenic Georgian columns, festooned with twinkling lights, provide a backdrop for several scenes featuring Tom and Kate, the ornate interior is the setting for the Christmas concert.