Virginia Wetherell (born 9 May 1943), also known as Virginia Bates, is an English actress and vintage clothing expert. As an actress she is known for her roles in

Hammer horror Hammer Film Productions Ltd. is a British film production company based in London. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic horror and fantasy films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Many of these involve classi ...

films. She has acted in films and television programmes from the 1960s to the 1990s; her peak period as an actress was the '60s and early '70s. From 1971 onwards she had a career owning and running a successful

vintage clothing Vintage clothing is clothing that originates from a previous era, as recent as the 1990s. The term ''vintage clothing'' can also be applied in reference to second-hand retail outlets, e.g. in "vintage clothing store". While the concept origina ...

store, ''Virginia'', in

Holland Park Holland Park is an area of Kensington, on the western edge of Central London, that lies within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and largely surrounds its namesake park, Holland Park. Colloquially referred to as 'Millionaire's Row', ...

in London. She has been described as 'the doyenne of London fashion' by ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''.

Acting career

Wetherell's film appearances include '' The Big Switch'' (1968), '' Curse of the Crimson Altar'' (1968), '' Sleep Is Lovely'' (1968), '' Man of Violence'' (1969),

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...

's ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

'' (1971), '' Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'' (1971) and '' Demons of the Mind'' (1972), ''

Disciple of Death ''Disciple of Death'' is a 1972 British horror film directed by Tom Parkinson and starring Mike Raven, Ronald Lacey and Nicholas Amer. It was written by Parkinson and Mike Raven. Plot In 18th century Cornwall, a minion of Satan poses as a pri ...

'' (1972) and the TV film ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

'' (1974). On television, she was a regular cast member in '' The Troubleshooters'' as Julie Serres, and played Dyoni in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' serial ''

The Daleks ''The Daleks'' (also known as ''The Mutants'' and ''The Dead Planet'' is the second serial in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast on BBC TV in seven weekly parts from 21 December 1963 to ...

''.

Vintage fashion career

Wetherell ran a

shop, ''Virginia'', at 98 Portland Road in

for 42 years, from 1971 to 2013. Her shop attracted customers from the fashion, film and theatrical industries: visitors to the shop and customers included singers

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

, actors such as

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...

, models such as

Helena Christensen Helena Christensen (born 25 December 1968) is a Danish fashion model. She is a former Victoria's Secret Angel, co-founder and original creative director for ''Nylon'' magazine, and she is a supporter of funding for breast cancer organizations an ...

Naomi Campbell Naomi Elaine Campbell (born 22 May 1970) is a British supermodel. Beginning her career at the age of eight, Campbell was one of six models of her generation declared supermodels by the fashion industry and the international press. She was th ...

Kate Moss Katherine Ann Moss (born 16 January 1974) is an English model. Arriving towards the end of the "supermodel era", Moss rose to fame in the early 1990s as part of the heroin chic fashion trend. Her collaborations with Calvin Klein brought her t ...

and Susie Cave, and fashion designers such as

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...

Donatella Versace Donatella Francesca Versace (; born 2 May 1955), sometimes simply referred to mononymously as Donatella, is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion com ...

Donna Karan Donna Karan ( ; born Donna Ivy Faske), also known as DK, is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels. Early life and education Karan was born to mother Helen "Queenie" Faske (née Rabinow ...

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for founding the brand Ralph Lauren (brand), Ralph Lauren, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He stepped do ...

and

Alberta Ferretti Alberta Ferretti (; ) is an Italian fashion designer and dressmaker. She designed for her namesake brand Alberta Ferretti from its foundation in 1981 to 2024, and designed for Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti until 2014. Her showroom is in Milan, It ...

, who took inspiration from her vintage clothes. ''Virginia'' was also a source of rare vintage clothing for museum curators. Wetherell was named the "54th most important person in fashion" in an early 2000s industry poll, placed above such names as

Stella McCartney Stella Nina McCartney (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is a daughter of English singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and American photographer and animals rights activist Linda McCartney. Like her parents, McCartney is ...

Vivienne Westwood Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood (; 8 April 1941 – 29 December 2022) was an English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 2022, ''Sky Arts'' ranked her the ...

and

Ozwald Boateng Ozwald Boateng, OBE () (born 28 February 1967) is an English fashion designer, best known for his trademark twist on classic tailoring and bespoke styles. Early life Boateng was born in the Muswell Hill district of London on 28 February 1967, ...

. She has been described as 'the doyenne of London fashion' by ''

''. Wetherell was interviewed, as Virginia Bates, about the shop and vintage clothing in ITV4's television presentation of the 2024

Goodwood Revival The Goodwood Revival is a three-day festival held each September at Goodwood Circuit since 1998 for the types of road racing, racing cars and motorcycles that would have competed during the circuit's original period—1948–1966. History The ...

, broadcast on 18 September 2024.

Fashion writing

As Virginia Bates, Wetherell wrote a fashion blog for

British Vogue ''British Vogue'' (stylised in all caps) is the British edition of the American Fashion journalism, fashion magazine Vogue (magazine), Vogue. The magazine was launched in 1916 by Condé Nast, linking together fashion and high society.König A ...

. In 2012 she co-authored a book on 1920's fashion with her daughter Daisy Bates: ''Jazz Age Fashion: Dressed to Kill''.

Personal life

Wetherell was married to actor

Ralph Bates Ralph Bates (12 February 1940 – 27 March 1991) was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom '' Dear John'' and the 1975 series '' Poldark''. Biography Bates was born in Bristol, England. His parents we ...

from 1973 until his death from pancreatic cancer in 1991. They had two children, Daisy and Will. Wetherell is a trustee of the Ralph Bates Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund. In December 2018 Wetherell was attacked in Paris during

the riots ''The Riots'' is a play created by Gillian Slovo from spoken evidence, which explains and evaluates the events that took place during the 2011 England riots. The play is written in the style of verbatim theatre using interviews from politician ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Virginia Bates on Instagram

Interview with Virginia Bates at Goodwood Revival. Segment starts 0:29:45.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wetherell, Virginia 1943 births 20th-century English actresses Actresses from Surrey English film actresses English television actresses Living people People from Farnham Actors from the Borough of Waverley