Fanspot
MI6 Headquarters
“- Need I remind you 007, that you have a licence to kill, not break the traffic laws.
Q (Desmond Llewelyn) and James Bond (Pierce Brosnan)
– I wouldn’t think of it...”
007 Spectre is the twenty-fourth James Bond film adventure to see actor Daniel Craig take on the custom-made suit of Her Majesty’s most famous secret agent for the fourth consecutive time. A film once again directed by Sam Mendes, already on the job on Skyfall, with filming beginning as early as the end of 2014, in various locations around the world. Because James Bond is a great traveler. This new episode takes him from Tangier in Morocco to Mexico City, with stops in Rome, Italy and Austria. However, England, and in particular London, still holds a special place. This is where the spy lives, in a beautiful building located at 1 Stanley Gardens in Notting Hill and it is also where the headquarters of MI6 is located…
The SIS Building, headquarters of MI6
In modernist style, the large building of MI6 is easily noticed on the banks of the Thames. Especially since the 007 franchise has obtained the right to exploit his image. Opened in July 1994 by Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the SIS Building – sometimes called Legoland by Londoners because of its unusual architecture – stands on the former site of Vauxhall’s Pleasure Gardens, a 19th-century entertainment establishment.
Since their creation at the beginning of the 20th century, the secret services have occupied several buildings in turn. Examples include 64 Victoria Street, where the very first headquarters was located, the Ashley Mansions building, Flat 54 at 2 Whitehall Court, 1 Melbury Road and Century House. The SIS Building is protected by two moats, like a castle, and includes various facilities such as a gymnasium and a basketball court.
Fiction vs. reality
The SIS Building is an ultra-secure construction whose reliability was put to the test in September 2000, when a terrorist group fired an anti-tank rocket at its façade, causing only superficial damage. Nevertheless, it is in the movies that the MI6 headquarters is the most abused. James Bond himself not being able to avoid his total destruction in 007 Spectre…
Since the beginning of the saga, four billion cinema tickets to see a James Bond film have been sold worldwide.
SIS Building
Also known as the MI6 Building, the SIS Building is the headquarters of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS).
Built in 1994, the building houses the secret service on the banks of the Thames, after having occupied many buildings across the British capital.
Inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in the same year, it has been visited many times by the royal family.
During the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the London Philharmonic Orchestra performed the James Bond theme music as it passed in front of the building. The secret agent being the most famous employee of the institution.
The Fantrippers Buying Board
Aston Martin DBS James Bond On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Aston Martin DBS James Bond On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Among the mythical cars of the saga, the Aston Martin DBS holds a special place…
On a scale of 1/43, the splendid miniature is sold with a display case to enhance the collection.
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By Gilles Rolland
Passionné de cinéma, de rock and roll, de séries TV et de littérature. Rédacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinéma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dépareillées. Adore également voyager à la recherche des lieux les plus emblématiques de la pop culture.