What are the opening hours?

Tuesday 12pm - 6pm Wednesday 12pm - 6pm Thursday 12pm - 6pm Saturday 10am - 3pm

Elstree and Borehamwood Museum

Name: Elstree and Borehamwood Museum
Address: 96 Shenley Road, Borehamwood, WD61EB, GB
Telephone: +441442454888

Home
United Kingdom
Borehamwood
Elstree and Borehamwood Museum

Elstree and Boreham Wood Museum is an independent local history museum.

Run by a friendly and welcoming group of volunteers, the museum showcases the history of the area through objects, photographs and dvds. We welcome schools and groups to visit outside opening hours (by appointment) and offer an outreach service to local primary schools, focusing on a variety of curriculum subjects. We can also give talks to local groups in and around the town on the history and de

velopment of Elstree and Boreham Wood. The museum is generously supported by Hertsmere Borough Council, Elstree and Borehamwood Town Council, and The Heritage Lottery Fund

31/08/2026

Carole Lesley - The 'Blonde Bombshell' Who Faded Away Too Soon : Ribbon of Dreams - 100 Years of Elstree Studios - Part Seventeen
Visit our current Exhibition
Last time we mentioned the beautiful Carole Lesley who nearly became a huge star with the projected ABPC film Cinderella Nightingale. But lawsuits by Sabrina (a 'dumb bombshell') led to the cancellation of the film in 1959, and she was never to get her starring role to take her to Hollywood.
Born Maureen Lesley Carole Rippingdale in 1935 in Chelmsford, she was mad on films and performing. She was a child actress at 12 in The Silver Darlings in 1947 and followed this with Trottie True in which Christopher Lee had a small part. In between she became an usherette in her local cinema, the Chelmsford Pavillion. Running away with her sister to London in 1951, and later to Paris where she became a pin-up model under the name of Leslie Carol.
But acting was her passion and she returned to London in 1954. Then ABPC gave her a 7 year contract and she became Carole Lesley. She made a few films and attracted attention from the press thanks to her striking looks and attributes. Hailed as a cross between "Marilyn Monroe and Diana Dors" she received much attention. A leading role eluded her, however, and even after some excellent reviews for Woman In A Dressing Gown, which won awards for ABPC, she was still a supporting actress. Sylvia Syms got the leading parts, and Carole couldn't seem to break through.
After films such as Doctor In Love, Three On A Spree and What A Whopper with Adam Faith and Sid James, ABPC did not renew her contract. Carole was devastated and decided to withdraw completely. In 1964 she married film publicist Michael Dalling and they had two children together, but her Hollywood dream was fading and she sank into depression.
From then on it was a very sad story as her health deteriorated, she self-harmed and overdosed. The couple lived in a semi near New Barnet Station and in 1974 Dalling discovered her in the kitchen after an overdose of barbiturates. Only 38, the business of show had found another victim.

29/07/2026

Some Movies Never Happen : Ribbon of Dreams : 100 Years of Elstree Studios - Part Sixteen : Visit our current Exhibition

When you visit our exhibition in the Museum you might see a brochure from 1958 advertising the forthcoming movies from Elstree Studios. Amongst adverts for Ice Cold In Alex and The Moonraker there are two new films featured that never saw the light of day.

One was an adaptation of Mary Stewart's 1956 novel Wildfire At Midnight. This was to be produced by Robert Hall and directed by Michael Anderson who had directed The Dam Busters and Around The World in 80 Days to great success. No idea at this stage why this project was abandoned.
The other was Cinderella Nightingale to star Carole Lesley and to be directed by J. Lee Thompson who had just finished Ice Cold and would go on to direct The Guns of Navarone and Cape Fear amongst many others. The book by Robert Muller was published in 1958 but withdrawn after a lawsuit by Sabrina who claimed it was too true to her life story, and was not published until 1962. The film was shelved for obvious reasons.
The next post will tell the tragic story of Carole Lesley.

06/07/2026

Hope you caught our slot on The Footage Detectives yesterday evening on the great TPTV channel. It was Episode 234 and is available on their Encore service if you missed us. Noel and Sarah made us look as if we knew what we were talking about, so that was a real result for us! Thanks again to everyone at TPTV for the great few hours we spent in your company, and the excellent results.

29/06/2026

TPTV Meets Ribbon Of Dreams on The Footage Detectives
We mentioned in a blog about a month ago how the TPTV film crew visited us and filmed the new Exhibition just before it was opened by Mr TPTV himself - Noel Cronin. Well the results are now available for all to view and will be featured on The Footage Detectives this Sunday 5th July at 5pm. What, you don't know about TPTV?! Well find the channel and add it to your 'Favourites'. We know the show will be as much fun to watch as it was to shoot. Thank you Noel, Sarah, Neil and camerman Conor.

15/06/2026

With his familial links to Prince Philip through his marriage to Earl Mountbatten's eldest daughter, it is no wonder John Knatchbull, Baron Brabourne, brought Princes Charles and Edward to the set of Murder On The Orient Express in 1973. His professional name was John Brabourne and he was a very successful film and TV producer. He had two Oscar nominations for producer for Romeo And Juliet and A Passage To India, and was chairman of Thames Television at one stage. The interior scenes were shot at Elstree Studios, directed by Sidney Lumet and photographed by Geoffrey Unsworth. The film was hugely successful in the States with its all-star cast. And Mountbatten, Charles and Edward and Brabourne spent a day in 1973 visiting the filming. Unfortunately we haven't come across any photos yet, but we are still looking.

03/06/2026

Ribbon Of Dreams Exhibition Launch - We were honoured last night that our new exhibition, Ribbon of Dreams - Celebrating 100 Years of Elstree Studios, was launched by Noel Cronin. The head of Talking Pictures TV, and well-known from The Footage Detectives (Sunday at 7pm), cut the gold ribbon to open the doors. Noel and his daughter, Sarah and her husband Neill, spent a couple of hours filming the exhibition and the team for a future programme - details to follow. This is our 20th temporary exhibition in 13 years, and a celebration of the studio complex that has dominated the town for so long. Look out for the interactive model of the mine chase from Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, and you might bump into R2-D2 as well. Lots of stories and from the last 100 years. Hope to see you soon.

28/05/2026

Our new exhibition Ribbon Of Dreams opens next week on Tuesday 2nd June. Celebrating 100 years of Elstree Studios we have models, small robots, costumes and props from the films, and the background to some of the most popular films made in the studios. You'll find a complete Timeline and lots more.
Looking forward to seeing you...

12/05/2026

The Museum is now closed until Tuesday 2nd June. Our 20th Exhibition will open then - Ribbon Of Dreams : 100 Years of Elstree Studios. Here's a hint...

27/04/2026

The First Welsh Oscar : 100 Years of Elstree Studios - Part Fourteen
If I was to ask you who was the first Welsh actor to win an Oscar you'd probably say Anthony Hopkins (won two) or Richard Burton (nominated seven times - never won). But you'd be wrong because the first was won by Alfred Reginald Jones in 1946. 'Who he?' I hear you ask. Much better known as Ray Milland, he was born in Neath and started his career as an extra in two films at Elstree Studios in 1928. He soon progressed to a leading role in The Flying Scotsman in 1929. Snapped up by MGM he moved to Hollywood in 1930 and never looked back. He won his Oscar for The Lost Weekend in 1945.
Here he remembers those early days in Elstree :
"Yes, I remember Elstree. Good Lord, I should. It was the first studio I ever saw! It was the first place I saw Joe Grossman - and the first place I ever saw an actor in broad daylight! It was the first place I ever did any acting - if you could call it that in those days. It was there I got my first contract... And that's where I received my first fan letter. I still have it.
I remember the first picture star I worked with. Her name was Pauline Johnson. It was the first place I met Hitchcock and Harry Lachman. I never got over it. I don't think I ever will. They're here in Hollywood with me as I write. Only Hitch is a hundred pounds lighter, and Lachman's mood is much lighter!
Last summer (1947) I bumped into Joe Grossman again - but he is still the same. Nineteen years have made no difference to him, but I hope Elstree has changed since that first day when three pictures were shooting on the same stage : The Manxman with Carl Brisson; Blackmail with Anny Ondra; and the picture that I was in, The Flying Scotsman. We couldn't hear one another think. We went back a couple of months later and remade them with sound and dialogue. Yes, I remember Elstree. I don't think I'll ever forget it."
Some film historians say that The Flying Scotsman was the first British talkie, and not Blackmail.
Ray Milland (1907 to 1986) made over 170 films and TV shows.

20/04/2026

A Coach From Clacton : With only a dozen or so viewing days left for our current exhibition, it was great to host a coach of EastEnders fans on Saturday all the way from Clacton. We managed to squeeze them into our space, though not all 50 at once! Lots of selfies were taken and many a "Get Outta My Pub" quotes were heard. Thanks for coming all this way everyone - hoped you enjoyed the visit!

Address

96 Shenley Road
Borehamwood
WD61EB

Opening Hours

Tuesday	12pm - 6pm
Wednesday	12pm - 6pm
Thursday	12pm - 6pm
Saturday	10am - 3pm

Telephone

+441442454888

Website

http://www.elstree-museum.org.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Elstree and Borehamwood Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your museum to be the top-listed Museum in Borehamwood?