The Grand Hotel was a rather seedy, down-market bed-and-breakfast hotel on a quiet residential street in Birmingham. It was aimed at mainly at commercial travellers who wanted somewhere cheap to stay for the odd night. It was also used by the local council for temporarily housing homeless people.

Real Location: 235 Highfield Road, Washwood Heath, Birmingham
Grid Reference: SP103885

Photograph © Rod Carey, 2007

The building is now boarded-up and in a dilapidated state.

The Pondorosa was a Portacabin in a field that Ken rented. He had erected a makeshift greenhouse with a view to using the land as a market garden for growing flowers and vegetables.

Real Location: Field opposite Longmore Farm, Chaddesley Corbett, Worcestershire
Grid Reference: SO885726

Photograph © Martin Underwood, 2004

Ken’s Portacabin was roughly where the large clump of thistles is, behind the right-hand gatepost.

The Coaching Inn was a distinctly more prestigious hotel than The Grand: secluded setting up a long drive, plush carpets, impressive oak staircase. It attracted a wealthier class of guest and was also used for functions such as weddings (“Fiddler Under the Roof”) and barbecues (“Smokey And The Band”).

Ken set up his motorcycle courier firm, Texas Rangers, operating out of the stables and lived in the flat above the office.

Pictures needed: entrance, desk/staircase, stables

Real Location: Berrow Court Hotel, Berrow Drive, Westfield Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham  B15 3UB
Grid Reference: SP043853

Berrow Court Hotel is a brick-built, Victorian mansion, in the “arts and crafts” style, and is a Grade II Listed Building. It was once the home of the distinguished politician Joseph Chamberlain, father of wartime prime minister Neville Chamberlain. In the 1940s it was an opulent hotel but later it became a private house. Its eccentric owner, George Morris, died in 1987 – “Fiddler Under The Roof” is dedicated to his memory. After his death, the house fell into disrepair until its lease was bought by Geoff and Jan Lewis in 1993, when extensive renovation work began. It is now used as a venue for wedding receptions.

The Plaza Suite was a plain, flat-roofed ballroom with a large parquet dance-floor. It was used for dances (“Banbury Blue” and “Beef Encounter”), weddings (“Topspin”) and even a domino-toppling event (“The Fall And Rise Of The Bowman Empire”) and a religious meeting (“One Reborn Every Minute”).

When Ken and Margaret started BDI (Boon-Daly Investigations), they needed an office. Harry was finding that The Plaza Suite wasn’t making as much money as he expected so he was only too happy to supplement his income by renting one of the offices to BDI.

Pictures needed: exterior, interior

Real Location: Tower Ballroom, Reservoir Road, Edgbaston
Grid Reference: SP045868

Woodcote Park was a large stone mansion in extensive grounds, used as a hotel and country club.

Pictures needed: exterior, interior, stable yard (car: “In It For The Monet”).

Real Location: not known; believed to be near Spondon in Derbyshire

Ken rented a small first-floor office in Nottingham city centre, just up the road from the Castle.

Real Location: 4 St James’s Terrace, Nottingham
Grid Reference:SK569396 large scale

Photograph © Martin Underwood, 1999

The section of building to the left of the white arched doorway which was used as the Boon Investigations office has now been rebuilt. The pale blue door of Boon Investigations used to be where the nearest window and the black box on the pavement are in the present-day picture. The building is now owned by a firm of architects.

The offices of Crawford-Boon Security were in a small single-storey brick building on an industrial estate (the fictional Trent Wharf in the equally fictional suburb of Blackstone) close to a canal basin just off the River Trent. The white-wrought iron bridge over the entrance to the canal basin featured in the opening titles of Series 5. CBS also owned a warehouse opposite the office, used for storing a consignment of rabbits in “Burning Ambition”!

Pictures needed: CBS sign, outside, Harry’s office, Ken’s narrowboat (Chaste Tramp)

Real Location: British Waterways buildings, Trent Lane (off Daleside Road), Colwick, Nottingham: on north bank of Trent, east of Lady Bay Bridge
Grid Reference: SK589389

Photographs © Gary Leeke, 1999; Martin Underwood, 1998

The original dark blue doorway is immediately to the right of the blue car in the photograph. An additional brown doorway has since been inserted to the right of this. The building is now owned by a firm of printers.

The Drum was a small suburban pub close to the CBS offices where Ken, Harry, Rocky and Laura often went for a drink to discuss their cases.

Pictures needed: outside, inside

Real Location: The Star, Middle Street, Beeston, Nottingham
Grid Reference: SK531368 large scale

Photographs © Martin Underwood, 1999

Orchard Cottage was a dilapidated thatched cottage in the fictitious village of Rookham where Ken lived rent-free in exchange for renovating it for the owners.

The fourth picture shows the mural that Alex got her friend to paint on Ken’s living-room wall in “Minder”.

Real Location: 10 Loughborough Road, Walton on the Wolds, north-east of Loughborough, Leicestershire
Grid Reference: SK592199

Photograph © Martin Underwood, 2000