Some London buildings get office workers and a temperamental printer. The Farmiloe Building in Clerkenwell got Batman. Built in 1868 after a fire destroyed the firm’s previous warehouse, this former glass and lead merchant’s headquarters spent more than 130 years on decidedly less cinematic business before finding a second career on screen.
Christopher Nolan turned the Grade II-listed building into Gotham City’s police station for his Batman trilogy. For Inception, it swapped crime-fighting for dream-tampering as Yusuf’s pharmacy in Mombasa — where the ingredients for a successful heist were rather harder to come by than a balaclava and a getaway car.
And Batman wasn’t the only famous detective to drop in. Behind its grand Italianate façade, the St John Street landmark also appeared in Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, providing the setting for Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and Watson (Jude Law) to rescue Irene Adler from a particularly uninviting buzz saw.
With Daniel Craig now co-owner of a nearby pub, this corner of London is hardly short of a Hollywood connection. But you don’t need to spot a film star to enjoy a little movie magic.
Over at Central Hall Westminster, the soundtracks are getting their own moment in the spotlight. A Hans Zimmer tribute concert will bring music from The Dark Knight, Inception, Sherlock Holmes and more to life beneath the venue’s vast domed ceiling.
28 November 2026 21:00 + more dates
Central Hall Westminster
How did the Farmiloe Building become one of Christopher Nolan’s favourite filming locations?
The Farmiloe’s appeal goes beyond its grand Victorian façade: inside, floors with distinctly different looks gave filmmakers several settings under one roof. Just like an Oscar-winning performer, this place is versatile, charismatic and always camera-ready.
In The Dark Knight, Nolan used the building’s rear windows for the Joker’s explosive escape, while Ritchie was able to turn the lower levels into a Victorian abattoir for Sherlock Holmes. For Inception, Nolan transformed the interior again, this time into an East African pharmacy, where Cobb finds the chemist needed for his dream-sharing mission.
The Hans Zimmer tribute concert at London’s Central Hall Westminster
From Gotham’s police station to a dream-heist pharmacy, the Farmiloe Building has helped create some memorable film settings. At Central Hall Westminster, though, it’s the music’s turn to do the scene-setting: Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer brings those cinematic worlds into a room lit by thousands of candles.
Performed entirely on strings, the programme includes “Time” from Inception, “A Dark Knight” from The Dark Knight and “Discombobulate” from Sherlock Holmes. There’s room for a few adventures beyond Clerkenwell, too, with “Cornfield Chase” from Interstellar and suites from the likes of Gladiator and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Central Hall Westminster provides a suitably dramatic backdrop, with its vast domed ceiling above the candlelit setting. The tribute lasts 60 minutes, with upcoming dates starting on 24 October.
Candlelight: The Best of Hans Zimmer
28 November 2026 21:00 + more dates
Central Hall Westminster
How to get to Central Hall Westminster
Getting to Central Hall Westminster is refreshingly drama-free. The venue sits on Storey’s Gate, London SW1H 9NH, directly opposite Westminster Abbey. St James’s Park station (Circle and District lines) is around four minutes away on foot, while Westminster station (Jubilee, Circle and District lines) is also a short walk away.
Arriving by train? Victoria and Charing Cross stations are roughly a 15–20-minute stroll away. Alternatively, hop on bus routes 11, 24, 26, 88 or 148, which all stop nearby. Save the suspense for the soundtrack, not the journey.
