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The Thatched Barn Hotel which features in the episode of The Prisoner entitled The Girl Who Was Death was on the corner of Elstree Way and the Barnet By-Pass on the A.1 in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. In The Girl Who Was Death, Number Six, Patrick McGoohan's character (played in this scene by McGoohan's stunt-double) can be seen driving his Lotus Elan into the car park of the Thatched Barn and leaving it to the left of the hotel's restaurant entrance, he then gets out of the car and proceeds up the steps to the hotel's restaurant.

The next scene takes place inside a mock-up of the hotel bar at the nearby MGM British Studios in Elstree Way (formerly Amalgamated Studios). An event for enthusiasts of The Prisoner was held at the former Thatched Barn Hotel on Sunday November 5 1989. This event was a very timely one, as the hotel which by now was known as the Elstree Moat House was scheduled for imminent demolition.

The Thatched Barn Roadhouse was commissioned in 1927 by one Mrs Merrick, opening for business in 1934. The Thatched Barn was an ideal resting place for weary travellers and because of its proximity to the local studios, it played host to many actors from the film world, including Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Trevor Howard, who often stayed there. It was not uncommon to see the stars of the day dining in the restaurant and having a drink in the bar. Later, with regular television productions at the nearby studios, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s, the hotel was used by many television actors of the day, including Patrick McGoohan.

During the Second World War, the Thatched Barn, with the designation Station XV was used for the training of agents for duties with the Special Operations Executive (S.O.E.). The agents were often refered to as The Baker Street Irregulars, due to the fact that their headquarters was in Baker Street, London; a reference to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation Sherlock Holmes whose residence was at 221b Baker Street, London. Sherlock Holmes occasionally employed young street-urchins to assist him with gathering information etc. and were known in Conan Doyle's stories as The Baker Street Irregulars

After training was complete, armed with their newly acquired skills in sabotage and subterfuge, the selected agents were sent on clandestine missions to the far-east and occupied Europe. The S.O.E. also used the Thatched Barn as a base for the production and testing of various gadgets and devices; including exploding rats, underwater breathing equipment and a shaving cream tube with a secret chamber, which were all intended to fool the enemy. The large swimming pool at the rear of the hotel was utilized with great effect for some of this work which was to prove very successful with the war effort.

Veteran actor Kenneth Griffth who plays Dr.Schnipps in The Girl Who Was Death gave a lengthy talk to the audience of Prisoner enthusiasts; although on the day there was a problem with the P.A. system, but this did not deter Ken, who was able to project his voice for all to hear!

Later in the day, those wishing to meet the assembled guests were invited to the front of the room to file past them, have a chat, and have photographs and other memorabilia autographed. The guests, whom had all worked on The Prisoner series in some capacity included Len Harris (Camera Operator), Noreen Ackland (Editor), John S.Smith (Editor), J.W.Hayward (Chauffeur), P. Brady (Rigger) and Al Hickey (Sound). Kenneth Griffith was asked by (this) writer how long it had taken him to write his speech which he delivered as The President in Fallout, the final episode of The Prisoner, he told me although it was a long time ago, he recalled modestly, it took "an evening".

Earlier in the day a walk-about took place, where Dave Lally led a group of The Prisoner enthusiasts around several nearby The Girl Who Was Death filming locations, including Velda a dress shop in Shenley Road, Borehamwood; at the time of filming this shop was called Lady M, and is the location for the scene where Potter (Christopher Benjamin) has a shoe-shine stand on the pavement just outside the shop as a cover for his meeting with Number Six.

When the meeting is over, and as Number Six walks away, Sonia (the daughter of Dr.Schnipps) played by Justine Lord can be seen posing as a mannequin in the Lady M window. The next location, also on the Shenley road is the nearby Magnum record shop (which in reality was the Janes and Adams electrical store) where Number Six goes to receive his instructions, this location was by now a Barnardo's charity shop.

Two other locations which can be seen in the car chase sequence as Sonia and Number Six head towards Witchwood are the Mopps and Brooms pub in Rowley Lane, Well End; which can be seen as Number Six and Sonia drive past and use the slip- road outside the pub to turn around. Also, there is the Well End Lodge, on the Well End Road, Well End, which can be seen briefly in the car chase; both these locations are close to Borehamwood.

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The G.E.C. (General Electric Company) building in Elstree Way was also on the tour; its now famous, (courtesy of The Prisoner) Paternoster lift can be seen in the episode Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling, when Number Six, in the guise of actor Nigel Stock is taken to see his Superiors.

The Paternoster lift (Latin: Pater Noster; which in English translates as - Our Father) was popular in the the first half of the 20th century especially in mainland Europe for use in public buildings, it was not as popular in the U.K. and was used to a much lesser extent. The Paternoster lift has open-fronted compartments with no doors and moves slowly in a continuous loop, passengers must enter or exit whilst the lift is in motion.

Also on the tour was the former M.G.M. British studios in Elstree Way; the backlot of which was used for the Witchwood scenes in The Girl Who Was Death, and also for another Prisoner episode Living in Harmony.

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Last, but by no means least, as this location has been used in innumerable film and television productions over the years is the A1 Barnet By-Pass; which features in three episodes of The Prisoner: Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling, The Girl Who Was Death and the concluding episode - Fallout. The original Thatched Barn / Elstree Moat House was demolished in late 1989, but was replaced on the same site by a new hotel, also named The Elstree Moat House

Watch clips from The Prisoner below

 

All images used in the 'On Location: The Prisoner' feature with the exception of the image of Patrick McGoohan and Kenneth Griffith are copyright © 2005 Graham J. Hayes