Vampira

Checking out of a hotel near Heathrow Airport, award winning author Marc Williams prepares to fly to Transylvania with a Playboy publicity director and a bevvy of Playboy Playmates. The Heathrow hotel on Bath Road in Hillingdon, Greater London.

Whilst attending "London 1999", the Space1999 50th anniversary convention at Heathrow, Neil Kenny seized the opportunity to take this shot of the hotel where the event was taking place.

The exasperated Pottinger (Bernard Bresslaw) vents his anger at the Transylvanian Airlines Agent (Nadim Sawalha) after problems with the flight. The southern entrance to The Heathrow hotel on Bath Road.

Now known as the Renaissance London Heathrow Hotel, Neil Kenny captured the remodelled entrance.

Milton (Christopher Sandford), the magazine's photographer, grabs the chance of a publicity shot. The entrance to The Heathrow hotel on Bath Road, Hillingdon.

Neil Kenny found that the very distinctive tiling on the columns seen in this and the previous screen capture still exists on the far entrance that can be seen in the distance of this view.

Cut to Castle Dracula, where the Count has opened up his ancestral home to paying tourists and dresses up as a vampire. Manuel Gurtner explains that "Actually the establishing shot shows the western corner of Bran Castle in the Brasov district of Transylvania, Romania which has been a museum since 1956. Especially after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the castle was marketed as the alleged ancestral home of Vlad III Draculea, who served as the inspiration for Bram Stoker's 'Dracula'."

Travelling to London with his manservant and the now awakened Vampira, Count Dracula (David Niven) leaves his hotel for a night time walk after telling Maltravers to leave a window open. The name above the door reads The Carlton Tower.

The entrance has recently been redesigned. SJ

The Count's stroll brings him to the River Thames. The County Hall in London SE1 seen from Westminster Bridge.

At daytime. SJ

Buckingham Palace in Westminster SW1.

I may well have this wrong as I couldn't match the front of Buck House so I took one from the Green Park side. An invitation for improvement. SJ

Trafalgar Square in WC2.

A clearer shot in daytime. SJ

The Count revisits his old haunts. This is the Red Mill Club at number 12 Macclesfield Street W1.

The same premises. (PW)

Long lost, the Sun Luck Restaurant also stood on Macclesfield Street at number 1.

Chinese food is still served at the address, (PW)

Preparing his hotel room for the evening, a Housekeeper closes the window while Count Dracula continues his nocturnal wander. The Kowloon Restaurant and Bakery at 21-22 Gerrard Street, London W1 is still there, but the El Paso Restaurant and Topless Bar are not. (Steve Randall)

The location on a Friday morning . . . before the crowds gather. (PW)

Dracula turns a corner.

Behind the Count, Jane (Carol Cleveland) walks to collect her car. Geoff Dodd recognises this as The Andrew Mitchell Building at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. They have approached from the direction of the Ancillary Block. (RL)

A fortuitous visit to the Studio's and Geoff Dodd was able to take this wider shot to support his identification and show the location in context. (RL)

Jane descends into an underground car park where she is attacked a robbed. Following on from the previous capture, The Andrew Mitchell Building at Elstree Studios having been approached from the direction of the Ancillary Block. (RL)

And another supporting shot from Geoff revealing the overall location. (RL)

After the Count saves her from the Assailant, Jane gives him a lift across London. Admiralty Arch on The Mall in SW1 with Drummonds Bank on Spring Gardens in the left of centre background.

A bit of maintenance taking place. SJ

Asking to be dropped of as dawn begins to break, Dracula fades to become a vampire bat. The Mall SW1 on which the Queen Victoria Memorial stands to the left whilst Buckingham Palace fills the right background.

No ghostly apparition. SJ

The Count makes his way along a ledge to another room after rematerialising to find his hotel window closed. The Heathrow hotel on Bath Road in Hillingdon, Greater London.

As the day comes to life, the Count retires after kissing Vampira in her travel coffin. Facing east along Cadogan Place towards the junction of Lowndes Street and West Halkin Street in SW1. Other sections of Lowndes Street can be seen in 'Zee and Co.', 'Yield to the Night', 'Escape Route', 'Time Without Pity', 'The Assassination Bureau Limited' and 'Allez France!'.

Yet another replacement shot of my Sept' 23 & May '21 efforts, the latter which had scaffolding and the former off-angle. It's third time lucky! SJ

The shot moves to find the upper floors of the Carlton Tower Hotel. The hotel stands on Cadogan Place and also appears in 'Sebastian', 'World Ten Times Over', 'Backfire!' and 'Man at the Carlton Tower'.

Essentially unchanged but with an addition to the right. SJ

That evening, Count Dracula and Vampira leave their hotel in a Rolls-Royce to view a property. The Carlton Tower Hotel on Cadogan Place SW1.

A different look to the entrance is soon to be unveiled. SJ

The Phantom V comes to a stand outside a gothic house on the film's Moorlands Road in Hampstead where estate agent Mr. King shows them around. In reality this is Enderleigh, 16 Broadlands Road, Highgate, London N6. (SR)

The 'stand in' car and wheelie bin parked outside didn't quite measure up to the Phantom V in this shot from Denis Hoare. (RL)

On the drive back to the hotel, Vampira is excited by the lights and shows on offer.

Having been hibernating for fifty years Vampira asks if they can go to the 'talkies'. A Jacey Film Theatre stood on the north side of Leicester Square WC2. However the one in the capture is close by at 105 Charing Cross Road. (SR)

Formerly the Moon Under Water, now The Montagu Pyke, a Wetherspoon's, on the west side of the road. Early cinema pioneer Pyke founded 16 cinemas and this was his last in 1911. After the Jacey's closure, this was third site of the Marquee Club. SJ

Wearing dark glasses, Marc Williams (Nicky Henson) is taken to the old house by Countess Vampira (Teresa Graves) and Maltravers (Peter Bayliss). 16 Broadlands Road N6 looking across to No 21. (SR)

Denis is clearly beset with gates and barriers addressing this film. (RL)

Following his conversion into a vampire when the Count takes a bite, Marc sets out to get samples of blood from the Playboy Bunnies that had visited Castle Dracula. Denis Hoare identifies this as Broadlands Road, N6 as seen in the other appearances of 'Enderleigh'. (RL)

Denis provides the best possible comparison shot from ground level with the longest selfie stick he could lay his hands on. (RL)

At The Playboy Club, Pottinger telephones Marc to find out what has happened to missing Playboy Bunnies Angela and Eve. The Playboy Club on the corner of Curzon Street at 45 Park Lane W1.

Off-angle I now realise, as I took this from the corner rather than over Park Lane. The corner has changed dramatically. SJ

Booking three seats to Transylvania in the name of Count Vladimir, Maltravers, the Countess and Dracula take a taxi to Heathrow Airport. The entrance to the vehicle subway running south from the junction of Bath Road and the M4 in Hillingdon, Greater London.

The three get out of the cab to enter the airport as Marc arrives on a motorbike.