(Based on and used with permission from the wicker-man.com site which was written circa mid-2000s.)
They shot the funeral parlour here on Oct 29, 1972. They shot at the castle on Nov 18, 1972.
A Google aerial map of the locations. See also Andy Taylor's location footage from 2000.
Isle Of Whithorn is a village on the south coast of Scotland. The scene at the funeral parlour during the search for Rowan, was shot at the back workshop of Alan Fauld's joiners/undertaker's shop. (Google Street View of the current building.) The coffin was provided by Alex Mc Cleary. You can see his name on it upside down.
The castle in Isle Of Whithorn is seen during the house search.
Howie is seen emerging from the castle's back door as pictured above. The boat seen outside the castle in the film was still there at the time this was originally written in the early 2000s, albeit in a different spot. One of the castle's bedrooms is the location where Howie was offended by two dolls placed in the mating position. The spiral staircase that Howie looks at in this scene was actually filmed elsewhere. The owner advised us that the staircase was actually filmed at Culzean Castle. Another of this building's rooms is where Ingrid Pitt's bath scene was filmed. (That same room is where these shots of Ingrid standing up nude with Howie were shot.)
Isle Of Whithorn castle was owned during filming, by Elizabeth McAdam Laughland and David Wheatley. Elizabeth also served as an extra during the filming and can be seen during various scenes of the film. Elizabeth was good enough to share her memories of the production with us here.
Some behind the scenes shots taken in Isle Castle.
Also of interest to fans of The Wicker Man here was the studio belonging to the local artist Amanda Sunderland. Amanda has a long Wicker Man heritage; her father and uncles appear in the film!
Amanda's father, Ian , lives on the Isle and was more than happy to reminisce with us on the subject. Ian recalls that he featured prominently in a cut scene involving him running down the street holding hands with Brit Eckland. Ian played an antlerman in the film.
Perhaps the most memorable member of Amanda's family, in terms of what made it to the final film, is Mark Sunderland. Mark is seen in the Green Man at the bar and as an antlerman.
Amanda's painting work incorporates the local area including its Wicker Man connections. For more details of her work, see her website. (See also this interview on the wiki.)
For further reading on the area, go to http://www.isleofwhithorn.com