Fans of James Bond will instantly recognize this property. Skyfall Lodge, the Scottish ancestral home of James Bond, features heavily in the 2012 movie ‘Skyfall’.
Skyfall Lodge, the Bond family home.
The final act of the twenty-third Bond movie more or less entirely takes place on the grounds of his home in Glen Etive, Scotland. However, as with many movie properties, not everything is quite what it seems.
THE HISTORY OF SKYFALL LODGE
Prior to the events of Skyfall, the Bond family resided at Skyfall Lodge. However, James Bond had not visited his ancestral home since his parents’ death. Its only resident ever since has been gamekeeper Kincade.
After they died, Bond’s parents were buried in the chapel on the grounds. The lodge has a hidden tunnel that leads to the estate’s swamp, which after being crossed leads to a chapel. It also had a weapons room as mentioned by 007, but unfortunately, Kincade sold every single gun found in the room to a collector “…from Idaho, or some such place,” leaving only a few sticks of dynamite and his father’s hunting rifle.
However, while this is a lovely back story for the home, it may or may not surprise you to find out that Skyfall Lodge is fake! Much like many other great movie homes, such as Forrest Gump’s Alabama home, it’s nothing but a film set!
In fact, the property is not even located in Scotland, it is on Hankley Common in Surrey, England. A 560-hectare nature reserve that is owned by the UK’s Ministry of Defence and located over 500 miles away from Glen Etive.
Construction of Skyfall Lodge and the Chapel.
Skyfall Lodge construction nearing completion.
Construction of the chapel where James Bond’s parents are buried.
The lodge was built from scratch to resemble a weather-beaten stone building in the Scottish Highlands. It also featured plenty of creeping moss and surrounding mist to give it that authentic Scottish feel.
INTERIOR SHOTS OF THE HOUSE
All interior shots were actually shot at Pinewoods Studios, just outside of London. The same movie studios where many of the Star Wars movies were filmed.
THE HOUSE TODAY
At the end of the movie, the house is all but destroyed by helicopter gunfire and a huge blaze that engulfs the house.
As you may have guessed, once the movie had finished filming, the entire set was torn down, demolished and removed. If you visited the location today you would never know that it was once the spot on which Skyfall Lodge stood.
The demolition of Skyfall Lodge after filming had wrapped.