Witches, The (1966)

Fontaine arrives in her hew home, a nice sleepy village. Hambleden, Buckinghamshire.

And no change over nearly 50 years. SJ

Outside the cheery butcher's.

Paint change. SJ

She's heading back whence she came in the first capture. The village can also be seen in 'Young and Innocent', 'The Legacy', 'The Captive Heart', 'Child's Play' and 'Dance with a Stranger'.

That's the garage on the left. SJ

Fontaine approaches her new school with her cottage next door.

Much the same. SJ

The cottage.

That's the church in the left background. SJ

Fontaine passing the butcher's which was driven past in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'.

The same now. SJ

Same place as the first capture, also seen at the beginning of 'The Black Cat'.

As it appears now. SJ

At the village store.

Out of shot but the Hovis sign is still there. SJ

This is away from the centre of Hambleden on Skirmett Road: Fontaine visits the splendidly-monickered Ffrangon-Davies

Impossible to match the angle as the hedge has grown and it's being refurbished. SJ

Boulting with a doll outside the village store

There's the aforementioned Hovis sign but the store is no more. SJ

Stephen and Boulting walk off together.

Now. SJ

Rossiter arrives.

This is from the village hall. SJ

This is identified by the splendidly researched Peveril published book on Hammer Film locations. I think it's further up from the cottage off Skirmett Road, but I failed to look.

Seen earlier in the Hovis village store grabs.

Where did that tree shoot up from? SJ

Fontaine on Skirmett Road with St Mary the Virgin Church, Hambleden in the background.

Really rather hopeless. Wrong angle and wrong season for seeing Hambleden. SJ

This is Ffrangon-Davies' cottage from Skirmett Road.

The other houses are hidden by foliage. SJ

A brief foray from Bucks to Berks. This is Oakley Court where Fontaine recuperates. The location was seen in 'The Man in Black', 'Nightmare', 'And Now The Screaming Starts' and 'The House in Nightmare Park' amongst others.

Indeed many others, being so close to Bray Studios. SJ

Hambleden Manor House, former home of Lord Cardigan.

Now the home of Maria Carmela Viscountess Hambleden. SJ

The lane leading to the aforeseen cottage off Skirmett Road.

Now, with cones. SJ

A spooky assembly. These are the ruins of St James's Church. Bix Brand, south-west of Stonor in Oxfordshire.

Sean Clarke paid two visits to the remains to the credit of perfection. He adds, "The outside south facing wall was heavily laden with real ivy in the film with thick branches growing through the two windows (right of door). Part of the wall (left of the door) has collapsed in more recent times with its rubble piled in the west wing. Photographs of St James’s ruin from the 1930s do show gravestones around the church but these were removed years later. Comparing the position of these gravestones with those depicted in the film do not correlate therefore props were used." (SJ)

Fontaine investigates. St James's Church also apears in 'The Blood on Satan's Claw'.

Sean found a much tidier look and provides further insight, "The overgrown vegetation hides the red brick buttress that was placed in the late 1700s to try to stabilise St. James’s bowing walls - this was the beginning of the church’s decline. The gravestones in the film are props but they do stand on consecrated ground with the last burial having taken place in the early 1800s." (SJ)

A coven can be found in the interior. The ruins of St James's Church at Bix Brand in Oxfordshire.

And a final shot from Sean. "Some commentators have speculated whether the covern scene was in fact filmed on a studio sound stage. Restoration of the church in recent times has changed much of the stonework patterns for a direct comparison with the film. However there are still several unchanged places in the stone work where a direct comparison can be made confirming that the covern scene was filmed on location." (SJ)