Elstreeprops.com have been under new ownership since February 2008 and we are striving to produce top quality pieces from movie history for collectors of movie memorabilia worldwide. We have also started making props for productions again and have opened up the hire/rental potential to a much larger scale. Both TV and Film production companies are hiring our archived props.
Our hire and rental plus 'party theming' department is now being run by Lois Morgan Karpel and the casing of props is being headed up by Stuart Palmer.
Movie props are our speciality and have been for the company since the Seventies. We are based in Elstree Film Studios and have a huge collection of vintage film props, sci-fi movie props, and full size characters from all the classics!
We are Authorised Master Replica resellers and also have a huge archive of film related memorabilia, props, scripts, drawings, story boards and more, that we are happy to share.
We work closely with event companies, to supply unique cased and lit film props for table-centre pieces or auctions. We also supply unique interactive characters for parties, product promotions and charity use.
NORANK and the Business History
This is a brief outline about Norank Eng. Co. Ltd., resident studio engineers and prop makers at Elstree Film Studios during Star Wars, A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Norank also worked on the Indiana Jones trilogy, The Shining, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Superman, Bond and over 120 other movies! Norman Harrison founded the company.
This page details the history, and establishes Noranks credentials for making the props and our credentials for preserving and selling those film props. If you are buying movie props, provenance is key, and our reputation is what makes us unique.
Norman Harrison had an engineering factory in Manor Way, and made many things in metal for the movies and TV. He bought the engineers shop in Elstree Film Studios in the early seventies, and Norank Eng Co Ltd became famous for making anything in metal.
Work carried out by Norank on Star Wars alone includes R2D2’s head, C3PO’s armour, Luke’s ROTJ lightsaber (turned by hand!) and graflex modifications for the earlier sabers. The landing ramp of the Millennium Falcon and the X-Wings can also be credited to Norank along with many more not mentioned here.
For the Indiana films Norank made knives, swords, spikes, the torture cage, the Ra staff, details for the Ark, the mine trucks and again much more.
On the Shining, they made the SFX knives and axes, the huge chandelier lights in the hotel, the outdoor lamps for the maze, the snow blowers that the cameramen used and carried out repairs to the tricycle!
We are always looking for new pieces to add to our collection. We pay top prices and work closely with the Elstree Heritage Group to preserve and protect our history. If you have anything from the old movies, please call us.
We also design and build unique cased and lit movie prop displays to add focal points to cinemas, bars, clubs, restaurants and offices. We specialise in Home Theatres! Our displays are unique, our backdrops, lighting systems and miniature Video screens enhance the display pieces without overshadowing them.
This photograph of the Shining Hotel shows it in construction.
If you have anything from the movies (especially films made here at Elstree or other British Studios) please get in touch! Other dealers will try and buy from you as cheaply as possible and then sell your pieces on for a big profit! Cut out the middle men and use us. You’ll get a true value! Each movie prop we authenticate has a full Certificate of Authenticity and is stamped and signed so they can be tracked.
Above are Malcolm Page, Harry Hankin and Geoff Burnstein working on the first R2-D2 in the Norank workshop.
Nick Harrison
(above) One of Nick’s best moments came when as a life-long fan of the Alien trilogy, he got the licence from Fox to store their original props in the UK, and to build 5 full size Alien Queens from the original moulds.
Nick Harrison joined the company Norank in 1979 after working as a Saturday boy, and took over the factory in the studios after working in special effects with Kit West and John Stears on films including Space Vampires, Big Trouble in Little China and the Last Emperor. Nick then went on to found Weird & Wonderful Ltd., specialising in prop storage and repairs, and eventually received a licence from LucasFilms and Fox for the UK. Nick unfortunately passed away at just 37 after cramming in three lifetimes of fun and madness.
(above) Nick’s favourite piece of paper. The receipt for the prop store at Pinewood Film Studios! That’s how we have so many pieces from Pinewood Studios in our archives.
If you are working on a production and have props we can use for rentals, we will clear the set for you, free of charge and store the pieces for you.
We will >>maximise<< your movie assets, so let us help. Don’t pay thousands for storage, this is a FREE service! Once assigned to a production, we police the internet, dealer network and auction sites to counter theft and piracy, and protect the look and feel of your production.
Copyright © 2008 Elstree Film Props Ltd. All rights reserved.
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respective owners who may or may not be affiliated
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