I’ve travelled half way around the world to visit film locations in exotic locations, but sometimes I can just walk past them on my lunch hour.
In July 2018 filming took place in Preston, Lancashire, for the fourth and final film in the IP Man series. I confess to having had to look these films up as I’d only vaguely heard of them. Turns out they’re rather popular… ‘Ip Man 3’ which was released in 2017 took $156 million worldwide.
Despite living in Preston at the time, I don’t think I learned of the filming until after the event having spotted it the coverage in the local press. Behind the scenes photos appeared in the Lancashire Evening Post (LEP) and on Blog Preston. They showed the iconic Preston Bus Station being used as an American airport in the 1960s. The lead actor Donnie Yen- who I know only from ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ was spotted on set.
https://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2018/07/watch-as-ip-man-4-filmed-at-preston-bus-station/
I’m a little curious as to how many authentic New York taxis are in the UK given that I saw some in Cardiff last year and they often turn up in Liverpool and Manchester based filming. Are there just a handful that appear in nearly everything?
I didn’t know until the trailer for the film came out that the Guild Hall was also used. Blog Preston posted this fantastic screen grab showing the external of the hall digitally altered to look like a martial arts fight venue in1960s San Francisco – which amuses me a little as the building was only finished in 1972.
Preston Bus Station and Guild Hall and two of the most well-known buildings in the city and I’m delighted that they are on the books of movie location scouts. Both architecturally distinct buildings. While the Guild Hall is a 1970s creation that lacks charm, the bus station is a glorious example of the confidence of Brutalism and was saved from demolition a few years ago due to public support. It recently celebrated its 50th anniversary (1959 to 2019) and I even got a photo exhibited in the Harris Museum’s 2019 special exhibition “Beautiful and Brutal: 50 Years in the life of Preston Bus Station”.
-
Preston Bus Station 2020
‘IP Man 4: The Finale’ was released at the end of 2019. Having not seen the previous three I didn’t go to the cinema to watch it. I don’t often see something retrospectively – usually I go to see a location after seeing the film or television programme it’s featured in. My knowledge of Chinese martial arts should be increasing quite considerably soon!
Bonus Preston film location – A Chinese restaurant in Preston was used for scenes from a major film back in 2014. Rumour was Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver may have been in town – sadly they weren’t, but the now closed ‘Great Times’ Chinese restaurant on the Lancaster Road just down from the Guild Hall was used in ‘A Monster Calls’. I did go to take a picture but honestly it looked too grim all boarded up. Hopefully it will get a new life as part of new cinema complex to be built in the future.
From scene to seen 