The stages that brought the original Star Wars trilogy, the first three Indiana Jones films and numerous other classic to life are set to be demolished. Identifdying asbestos in the roofs of stages 7, 8 and 9, the additional discovery of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete also known as Raac marked the death knell for these iconic stages.
To give some perspective of how important these stages are in the history of the saga, for Star Wars Stage 7 was home to the Lar’s Kitchen, the Power Station at Anchorhead and Ben Kenobi’s cave, while for Return of the Jedi is served as home for Jabba’s dungeon corridor, cell and boiler room, the Rancor pit and its holding tunnel. Additional scenes were filmed on stages 8 and 9, all history about to be lost.
Part of a television studio where Star Wars was filmed will be demolished after unsafe concrete was discovered. Film stages at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, where Star Wars, Pointless, The Chase and the feature film Paddington were filmed will be knocked down and rebuilt. Elstree Studios shut its stages seven, eight and nine after workers discovered asbestos during a routine inspection last year. When remediation works began, the roof was found to contain Raac – the “bubbly” reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete that can collapse.
According to Hertsmere Borough Council, which owns the studios, the roofs at Elstree “had not only lost their useful life but were in a dangerous state”. But this week, the authority said it would pull down the three stages, which were built in the 1960s. The council will rebuild them and put forward a “package of ongoing support”, it said.
The council made its decision and agreed the funding at a meeting last month. Hertsmere Borough Council originally estimated works at Elstree Studios would cost in the region of £150-200m – to replace “life-expired buildings” and infrastructure. Demolition is now the “most viable” option, the authority has said.
The studio, which is based in Hertfordshire is more than 100 years old. Other stages, including the George Lucas Stages where Strictly Come Dancing is filmed, are safe and unaffected.
With the closure of 32Ten Studios in San Francisco it’s a sad time for the history of the original trilogy.
