Very British remakes

Ivor Novello, Gracie Fields, Michael Redgrave, Margaret Lockwood, Sir Alfred Hitchcock - the glamorous roll call of stars who acted in or directed more than 160 movies at London's Gainsborough Studios is endless.

Now the studios, and two other famous London filmmaking landmarks are staging a comeback - as stylish business and residential developments.

Gainsborough: British classics

Hitchcock made six of his early movies, including The Lady Vanishes, at Gainsborough's Poole Street studios in Hoxton, where now the final 37 apartments in a 253-homes development are up for sale.

The scheme, which includes 74 live/work units, was completed earlier this year, but Gainsborough's past is not forgotten: the development includes a public space at its core that contains a cafe, bookshop, contemporary furniture store, plus a film production company housed in a vast bust of the great director himself. Apartments start at £295,000 (for one bedroom) and go up to £320,000 (two bedrooms).

The developer, Lincoln Holdings, chose architectural practice Munkenbeck & Marshall following a successful collaboration - and an RIBA award - for the external makeover of Sir Denys Lasdun's 1950s Keeling House in Bethnal Green. "At Gainsborough we wanted an iconic building with great visual impact where people could live and work around a public space," says the architect's Steve Marshall. Keith Meehan of Lincoln Holdings adds: "We wanted to return Gainsborough to its former prominence as a London landmark."

Elstree: blockbusters to Big Brother

Indiana Jones with Harrison Ford, Star Wars and Jack Nicholson thriller The Shining were all made at Elstree, which is also the home of TV favourites Big Brother and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. Since

Hertsmere council took over the studios in 1996, about £16 million of investment has poured in, creating 600 new jobs. Elstree offers leaseable space at around £20 to £25 a sq ft. Now it has commissioned award-winning interior designer Kelly Hoppen to re-design its two star dressingrooms, adding further to the glamour.

"Interior-designed dressing rooms are a first for us," says Elstree's Julie Wicks. "We chose Kelly because her style is so easy to live with and suits both sexes."

Hoppen's signature colours of taupe and cream form the backdrop, and her own furniture designs feature everywhere. She has even provided the photos on the walls and her own CDs to ensure calm.

"Before, they were soul-less circus dressing rooms," she says. "Stars work hard and spend a lot of time away from home. They need a space where they can relax, prepare themselves for their parts and feel meditative in moments when they're not being someone else."

The first occupants will be Anthony Hopkins and Gwyneth Paltrow, filming new movie Proof.

Ealing: comic charms

Another famous movie location, Ealing Studios, where Michael Balcon made the great Ealing comedies, such as Kind Hearts and Coronets, is also being reborn. Bought in 2000 by a consortium that includes the Manhattan Loft Corporation, the first phase of its £50 million redevelopment was released this summer.