Ladykillers, The

An establishing shot of Mrs Wilberforce's house. Frederica Street, London N7. The area has been redeveloped and Conistone Way now follows some of the line of Frederica Street. John Doel advises that Frederica Street was Frederick Street, at least up to 1938, according to Geographers 4th Edition. A later Google Earth Aerial View, showing a more representative image of the distinctive bridge as well as the remains of the wall that Mrs Wilberforce's straddled, can be seen in the postscript images at the end. (RL)

Loz Park sent this picture showing the distinctive bridge at the end of demolished Frederica Street. Image copyright Google Earth.

Professor Marcus (Alec Guinness) follows Mrs Wilberforce (Katie Johnson) home after seeing an advertisement for lodgings in her house. Frederica Street N7, previously Frederick Street as John Doel advises. (RL)

Only a stub of Frederica Street remains, and it's not at this end! This is the view now, at the end of Conistone Way. (PW)

The sight that meets Professor Marcus' eyes when he looks out of the window whilst viewing the room.

Overlooking the East Coast Main Line over Copenhagen Tunnel at the end of, what was, Frederica Street. (JT)

The Professor visits Kings Cross station to finalise his robbery plan. Various views of the terminus in London N1 can be seen in 'The Flying Scotsman', 'Hoffman', 'Career Girls', 'Friday the Thirteenth' and 'Mrs. Brown, You've got a Lovely Daughter'.

A cleaner station now. Platform 1 at Kings Cross.

Major Claude Courtney (Cecil Parker) and 'One-Round' Lawson (Danny Green) help to retrieve Mrs Wilberforce's parrot. The rear of house set at the end of Frederica Street.

Wandering to the end of today's Bunning Way in N7 brings us to this car park which occupies land where railway sidings once ran. (PW)

This is Argyle Street in the Kings Cross area of London with St. Pancras Station in the distance which is confirmed by Steve Gwinnett. The location appears in 'The Servant' while various parts of the station can be seen in ‘Smashing Time’, ‘Wings of Mystery’, ‘Shirley Valentine’, ‘The Fourth Protocol’, ‘McVicar’, ‘The Comedy Man’, ‘‘Mona Lisa’, ‘A Cry from the Streets’, ‘The Painted Smile’, ‘Voyage of the Damned’, ‘Nuns on the Run’ and ‘Simon and Laura’.

Argyle Street in WC1 now by George Harrimore.

The gang members assenble on the day of the security van robbery.

Vernon Rise looking towards Vernon Square, London WC1. (PW)

'One-Round' gets out of the car. Vernon Rise WC1, a location seen in 'Doctor in the House' and 'A Cry from the Streets'.

Vernon Rise now. (PW)

Louis Harvey and Harry Robinson set off in a Studebaker Champion. Vernon Rise, London. See Mary French's story regarding the car and her other memories in the Header Section of the film. (RL)

The same location now but not a Studebaker this time. (PW)

The Professor and an empty trunk get ready to follow.

Vernon Square WC1. (PW)

The Professor heads away to take up position.

Kings Cross Road from Vernon Square. (PW)

The security van comes into view. The junction of Goods Way and Battle Bridge Road.

Martin Underwood provides this comparison shot of the location from 1999 but the area has since been redeveloped.

The gang surround the security van with their vehicles. Battle Bridge Road looking towards St. Pancras station. London N1.

Kings Cross, Battle Bridge Road, turning into Cheney Road, with St. Pancras railway bridge behind. Alfie was here as well.

Now. Behind Kings Cross Station. The only remaining part of the scene is probably the bi coloured brick wall between the two taxis. George.

A lorry is rolled across the road behind the convoy. Cheney Road in N1.

The security van is stopped. Cheney Road, London N1.

Louis Harvey (Herbert Lom) gets out of the car. Cheney Road looking along Clarence Passage towards St. Pancras station. A very similar shot is seen in 'Nuns on the Run' and the area also appears in 'Chaplin', 'Richard III' from 1995 and 'The Missionary’.

The train shed roof is now hidden by the station's "architecturally challenged" extension. (PW)

Kings Cross, Cheney Road.

Police and the public attempt to move the lorry blocking the road. Cheney Road looking towards Battle Bridge Road and the former Imperial Gas Works.

Now. Behind Kings Cross Station. The only remaining evidence is the rounded wall with two lines of bricks, and the gas works. Image by George Harrimore.

The robbery takes place and the gang escape. Cheney Road with Clarence Passage on the right and the German Gymnasium on the corner.

The best possible angle after all the re-development, still a fine building. (RL)

A policeman sounds the alarm and attempts to follow the gang. Cheney Road again.

The robbers speed away. Greg Tingey confirms that this is looking towards the north on Cheney Road.

The money from the robbery is taken into Kings Cross station. Cheney Road looking towards St Pancras Road with the Great Northern Hotel in the background. London N1.

Quite difficult to capture an accurate 'now' shot due to hoardings and the new station entrance. (PW)

The gang pull up outside the parcels office at Kings Cross. This area was also seen in 'Mrs Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter'.

An improved view greets passengers arriving now. (PW)

The gang's landlady heads for Kings Cross station by taxi to collect the trunk. Passing the former Eglwys Annibynnol Y Tabernacl (Welsh Tabernacle Congregational Church), now the Ethiopian Christian Fellowship Church on Kings Cross Road and heading away from the station!

A very clean and tidy church now. (PW)

Mrs Wilberforce walks towards the parcel office. Kings Cross station, London.

Looking in the opposite direction to image lady004n on Platform 1 at Kings Cross. (PW)

The Professor goes to telephone the Major. Looking towards Kings Cross Road, London.

Now. Vernon Square, WC1, But George, those trees!!!

Kings Cross Road, Vernon Square, WC1.

Now. Vernon Square, WC1, But George, those trees!!!

Mrs Wilberforce leaves the station with the trunk. The front of Kings Cross station on Euston Road looking directly towards Grays Inn Road. London N1.

Continuing reconstruction, over the road, of the building seen playing the outside of Palmers' office in 'Billion Dollar Brain'. (PW)

Kings Cross Road, Vernon Square, WC1.

Now. Vernon Square, WC1, But George, those trees!!!

The gang drive homeward after the trunk is successfully picked up.

Looking towards Kings Cross Road from Vernon Rise. London WC1. (PW)

On the way home, Mrs Wilberforce berates a Barrow Boy (Frankie Howerd) for mistreating a horse. Confirmed as a studio set by Nat Bocking.

The Professor and his cohorts watch as Mrs Wilberforce's Taxi Driver (Kenneth Connor) looks on. A studio set included for the sake of completeness.

The Professor and company return to Mrs Wilberforce's house. Baker's Lane at the corner of Oak Street in Ealing W5 identified by Francis Bowdery who adds that the streets were cleared about 1980 for the building of the Ealing Broadway Centre. The corner also appears in 1915's 'Heart of a Coster.

Kings Cross, Argyle Street.

Now. Argyle Street WC1. The view from where Mrs Lopsided's house was supposed to be. George.

Argyle Street WC1 looking towards the junction with St. Chads Street confirmed by Matthew Wright who lodged for a while around the corner in Argyle Square.

Argyle Street in 2012.

The corner of Argyle Street and St. Chad's Street.

The same corner now. Proof of different management captured by George.

A closer view of the wall seen in the previous capture.

Now. Same corner, different management. This is different, George.

The gang speed away before realising that Mrs Wilberforce could identify them,

Argyle Street in London WC1 once again. (PW)

The car stops and the gang returns to the house. Another view of Frederica Street N7.

This is a parking area off Bunning Way and the buildings are the backs of those on Conistone Way. The original wall may have been at the rear of the gardens of the properties on the left of the screen capture and behind the distant fence lies the mouth of Copenhagen Tunnel.(PW)

Major Courtney attempts escape after being chosen to kill Mrs Wilberforce.

A similar view now. The East Coast Main Line with the North London Line bridge running left to right and the Channel Tunnel line's bridge behind. (JT)

Louis attempts to get the Major down from the roof.

Another similar shot from Coninstone Way, London N7. (JT)

'One-Round' objects to being called stupid in the back garden of the 'fake' house on Frederica Street.

From a similar angle now. (JT)

'One-Round' and the Professor wheel the Majors body away.

The same place now. (JT)

The Majors last journey is about to begin as his body is dropped into a passing goods train.

The same wall from a different angle. (JT)

Louis is pursued by the Professor after Harry is disposed of.

The wall above the mouths of Copenhagen Tunnel still exists. London N7. (JT)

A similar view to image lady046 after smoke from passing trains has dispersed.

The same location now. The flats stand on Bunning Way which is off what remains of Frederica Street in London N7. (JT)

A general view of the tunnel mouths after Loius and the Professor have both met their ends.

From a reverse angle showing the same tunnel mouths. London N7. (JT)

At the end of the film, Mrs Wilberforce walks home with the proceeds of the robbery after the police disbelieve her story. Studio set included for sake of completeness.

As a short post script, John Brownscombe from Sydney, Australia provides this and the following image taken during his "Great Overseas Trip" of 1979. "I set out to find and visit "Mrs W's Tunnel", having figured it out from maps and memories of the film seen on television and at the cinema. I found it fine and walked all around the wall." Another location puzzled John though, "It all made no sense to me as I had no idea that the clock tower at the far end of Mrs W's street was St. Pancras."

John continues "By very great co-incidence, I spent some time staying in the Sefton Hotel on Argyle Street but did not at any time twig to the fact that this was the street I could not find! Some months later, back in Australia, when 'The Ladykillers' was shown on television again, my jaw nearly fell off when I realised that I had been staying in digs where I looked out from Mrs W's front door all the time!" This was the view from John's hotel room window!

Andrew provides this Google Earth Aerial View of the distinctive bridge as well as the remains of the wall (centre, bottom, white) that Mrs Wilberforce's house, a set, straddled. The new street is Conistone Way N7 51°32'34"N 0°07'17"W (RL)

Nick Booth provides this aerial view of Frederica Street N7 showing the entire location as it looked in 1950, five years before the movie was shot. Marked with X n the centre is the spot where Ealing Studios built Mrs Wilberforce's house. Years ago Nick read Lethal Innocence: The Cinema of Alexander Mackendrick, director of The Ladykillers, and learnt that the house was built out of plaster.