Fans of X-rated cult horror film The Wicker Man have chance to live in hotel where Britt Ekland's character tried to seduce policeman with nude dance
It is widely regarded as one of the greatest cult horror movies ever made and has been terrifying audiences for decades.
Now fans of The Wicker Man could get the chance to live in the building where the famous scene featuring actress Britt Ekland’s body double famously dancing naked was filmed.
The Ellangowan Hotel in Creetown, Kirkcudbrightshire, which was the backdrop for the fictional Green Man pub in the 1973 classic, has been closed for a number of years.
But plans have now been submitted to turn the historic property into seven flats complete with a residents lounge, bar area and winebar.
Andrew Williamson took over the hotel in 2018 with the intention of returning the bar to how it was in the 1973 classic in which Ms Ekland’s character Willow famously tried to seduce a policeman.
But after the impact of the pandemic on the hotel industry he said at the time he had to rethink ‘whether it was worth almost creating a museum piece for a limited market’. Instead he said he planned to lease the property.
The film saw actress Britt Ekland’s body double famously dancing naked at the hotel
Jane Jackson was revealed as the body double for the Swedish actress
Christopher Lee starred in the cult British horror film
Plans have been submitted to turn the Ellangowan Hotel into flats
The hotel has been closed since 2020 but now councillors are being asked to consider the latest application which has been lodged with Dumfries and Galloway Council for a partial change of use and alterations to the category B-listed building.
If approved, the proposal submitted by Clive Carruthers Architecture and Planning on behalf of applicant James Brett, would see the site converted into seven one and two bedroom apartments across four floors. There would also be a wine bar, bar area and resident’s lounge on the ground floor.
Martin Armstrong, chairman of Kirkmabreck Community Council, which represents Creetown, said it was ‘glad that such an important building that is integral to the centre of our small town seems likely to be saved after years of falling into an increasingly dilapidated state’.
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, which advocates for ‘pubs and clubs as social centres and part of the UK’s cultural heritage’, however, said it was ‘gutted’ at the proposal to turn it into flats.
But it is expected to draw the attention of fans as the site was one of several in the area that was used as a backdrop to the film, which also starred Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward.
Other filming locations included Stranraer, Newton Stewart and Kirkcubright as the fictional island of Summerisle.
A number of locals featured as extras in the movie, while Jane Jackson, now 78, who stayed in nearby Castle Douglas, caught the eye of producers to play Ms Ekland’s body double after she and a friend turned up to watch the film being shot in Kirkcubright.
The Wicker Man, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023, was X-rated when first released, but it was downgraded as suitable for those aged 15 or over when it was re-released for home viewing in 2002.
The south of Scotland’s links to the film, meanwhile, were celebrated with the Wicker Man music festival up until 2016.
