Some ingenious fans on our site forum have meticulously researched, using mapping software and guesswork, the exact location of Kate’s 1978 red dress video for Wuthering Heights! While the studio “white dress” version of the promotional video is more widely known, the red dress video has now become iconic AND the go-to template for choreographed re-enactments of Kate’s dance moves ever since – as seen in “Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever” reports on this site!
Initially thought to have been filmed in Surrey, or even Germany or Holland, the breakthrough came when a fan contacted the director of the clip, Nick Abson, who revealed: “It was the artillery range at Salisbury Plain. We couldn’t do better as we only had the morning due to filming “If it Ain’t Stiff it Ain’t Worth a F***.”, referring to an Elvis Costello video he was also shooting. Comparisons using Google Earth software convincingly confirmed a location which matched the hill seen in the distance behind Kate.
The location is called “Baden’s Clump” near Sidbury Hill, close to the town of Tidworth in Wiltshire. The exact latitude/longitude co-ordinates of where Kate is standing for most of the video is (51.2775278,-1.7398628)
Update & Warning: This location is on UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) lands, and despite being by a public road, there are signs in the area for the public to avoid touching anything (military debris) they see on the ground. See this page here, and watch this safety video. If in any doubt, contact the MOD for advice.
To prove it once and for all, two fans headed out to the area this week to get photographic proof!
Special mention to Richard (photos) and Vron (model) who ventured out to report for fans! Read more at the forum thread here. Here’s the video:
Or somewhere by the Baltic
I always thought it was by the Baltic sea in Poland.
Steve Tucker
I’ve been there today. After following the grid reference given and getting near but not quite there, we were just going to give up until we took another turn off the road, and within 5 mins we found it. I have photos of best route to drive and photos of the location. Just can’t upload on here for some reason.
Pete Lambert
This is amazing work! Is the exact date of the filming known?
KM
According to the cameraman of the video (my dad), it was filmed the morning of 26th October, 1977, as they were on their way to film Elvis Costello and Ian Dury in Cardiff (If it ain’t Stiff gig) that night. They travelled down the night before with Kate and overnighted in Salisbury. Just sitting here with him watching all the red dress dance re-enactments having a laugh. He finds it rather amusing that a video they made in a field on the way to Cardiff 40 years ago has become so popular.
Seán
That’s a great image, you both watching all those red dresses, over 40 years later! We just hope no-one gets into any explosive dance moves what with it being a military training area and all! Thanks for the comment!
Richard
Hi KM.
Can we get any more information about the video from your dad?
SW
John
Hi KM, I’m a Cinematographer, and was marvelling at the operating skills of this video. She’s moving fast and her head is perfectly framed during the moves held in close up – not easy. To me this ability for the editors to stay so much with the close up during choreography really makes the video! Kudos to your Dad!! Could you ask him if he used a geared head or just a regular fluid head? Any other info would be amazing thanks 🙂 Any BTS footage or photos ? Probably not, but I’m really interested. What other kind of work did he do ? Thanks !!
John
John Tattersall
Michael Miles! A truly great Director of Photography, I’m keen to watch more of his work now, thank you
Sophie W
This is wonderful.a story .I.myself am lucky to have seen Kate’s very first live concert at the Liverpool Empire Theatre in April 1979 ( I think?) I was soon to turn12 yrs old and over 4 decades later I.still remember how incredibly talented & beautiful she was and is xx
B
I was four days old when this was filmed..I’m now a cinematographer…I make music videos on 35mm…
Ulrich Osterloh
so interesting.. many thanks for the research! the song and the video never wear off
Ads
This is amazing. I recall first seeing this red dress video on either Tiswas or SwapShop on the saturday morning. Had to just stop what I was doing and watch, then spent the rest of the weekend listening out for it on the radio. Then monday morning at school everybody was talking about it. That kind of thing didn’t happen very often and nowadays not at all. Interesting it was supposed to be for US release but it’s the first one I remember.
Anyway, this will be a long drive for me but I just have to go there.
Chris
Me too! Did you go?
Weslley Francisco
This is so cool! It’s nice to see how those trees are still there after forty years, and almost intact! 🙂
I would have loved to be there during the making of that iconic clip
Wayne
I googled this as I recognised it as Salisbury Plain Training Area from my army days. The area was initially just a natural grass area, however trees were planted to represent Germany. The likely recent and next battlegrounds.
Foxy
This place definitely needs a blue plaque, and a visitor centre. It’s an iconic video from the early days of video. And one of my favourite songs. The opening piano keys. Love it!
Annabel Harrison
Hello! I hope someone can help me. I’m producing a video for a friend who has a big birthday coming up – she’s not particularly happy about it, and is going off travelling solo to take her mind off of it. We want to send her a video to make her smile and she’s adores Kate Bush and this video, she’s taken part in one of the Kate Bush days recreating it. So this weekend, loads of her friends have filmed scenes from the video and my job this week is to edit them together. But DISASTER! The video has just become unavailable on YouTube due to copyright. I can’t find a copy anywhere and I really need it to complete the video!!! Does anyone here have an offline copy they can share with me? Thank you thank you
Dani Jenson
It’s back up on Nick Abson’s channel. Did you find it?
Patrick M.
Kate ? Well we really didn’t appreciate her talent. She lived in a big house on the old pig farm along Wickham Street. The farm could be noted by its aroma from a long way off !
All the same, her dad was a local doctor & she was just a little upmarket for the likes of us poor working class kids. When she became famous we just thought she was weird ! Though of course she was different . Now, I consider her someone very special that I only wish I should have got to know a long time ago.