LITERARY PUBS: THE NEW INN, CLOVELLY

It is amazing how often Charles Dickens’ name crops up when I am researching literary pubs.  The New Inn in Clovelly is one of the many hostelries visited by the writer during his lifetime.  He supped there in 1860, and he renamed the village Steepways when writing about it for the magazine All the Year Round.

Other authors who visited the inn include Sir Walter Raleigh, who stayed there on his honeymoon, Charles Kingsley and Josephine Tozier.  Tozier produced a book named Among English Inns and included a piece about the New Inn, describing it as “a doll’s inn”, "perfectly proportioned" and stuffed with breakable china objects. 

The New Inn is one of two inns in the pretty North Devon village of Clovelly, which is subject to an entrance charge.  For the first-time visitor it is immediately apparent why Dickens named the village Steepways, as the main street running through the village is so steep that coming back up necessitates frequent stops for breath, even for the fittest.  However, it is well worth the visit, both for the village itself and for the wonderful views along the coast.

Clovelly, The New Inn (10857529533). Photo courtesy of National Media Museum, via Wikimedia Commons.

A NORTHERN RETREAT FOR A ROYAL: THE KINGMAKER'S DAUGHTER/MIDDLEHAM CASTLE

 The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Philippa Gregory is the story of Anne Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, otherwise known as the “Kingmaker”, and briefly the wife of King Richard III.  A repeated theme throughout the story is the threat posed by the Queen Consort Elizabeth Woodville, arch enemy of Richard Nevill, who is suspected of poisoning those close to Anne, To get away from this threat, Anne repeatedly decamps to her home in the north at Middleham Castle in Yorkshire.

MiddlehamCJW. Photo by CJW, via Wikimedia Commons.

Middleham Castle lies in the village of Middleham, a short distance south of Leyburn in Wensleydale.  Building of the castle started in 1190, and from 1270 it was taken over by the Neville family..  The “Kingmaker” and his family occupied the castle in the 15th century, and the future King Richard III went to live there for a time in his younger years, then when he married Anne Neville they made it their home.  The castle is now managed by English Heritage, and there is an entrance fee to visit.

Map of the area.

COMEDY IN THE COTSWOLDS: THIS COUNTRY

 This Country is what is commonly known as a ‘mockumentary’ or mock documentary.  The series charts the lives of siblings Kerry (Daisy May Cooper) and Kurtan (Charlie Cooper), who live in a boring Cotswolds village. Daisy and Charlie, who also wrote the series, are brother and sister in real life.

The series was shot in a number of locations around the Cotswolds, but the main focus is Northleach, which features as Kerry and Kurtan’s home village.  The first episode opens with them at one of their favourite hangouts, the village bus stop.  The bus stop in real life offers connections to both Oxford and Cheltenham. Kerry’s home is a house on an estate in the village, and the house in real life is at 15 Fortey Road. 

Other locations in Northleach to look out for in the series include the village allotments, seen in an episode in which Kerry is put in charge of some chickens.  The village church in the series, St Mary’s, is played by the Church of St Peter and St Paul in the centre of Northleach, known as the Cathedral of the Cotswolds.  Meanwhile, the Westwoods Centre, a village sports and community centre, plays the role of the Vicar’s office.

Northleach is a classic Cotswold wool village; the wool trade hit the big time from 1340 to 1540 when a lot of money was made from exports to Europe.  The village church is a reminder of the prosperity enjoyed during that time.  Today the meadows surrounding the village still resound to the baas of the local sheep.  As well as looking up the locations used in This Country, visitors can explore The Old Prison and its cafe, and Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music.  The village lies just off the A40 14 miles east of Cheltenham.

Map of the area.

Northleach, 1994, Market Square - geograph.org.uk - 4707633. Photo by Ben Brooksbank, via Wikimedia Commons.

THREE LOCATIONS USED IN THE 2018 FILM MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

 There have been a number of films made over the years about the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and her first cousin once removed Mary Stuart, better known as Mary Queen of Scots.  One of the more recent films stars Saoirse Ronan as Mary and Margot Robbie as Elizabeth.  Here are three of the locations used in the film.

The film opens with Mary’s return to Scotland from France, where she had briefly been Queen, but her reign ended with the death of her husband Francis.  The ship carrying Mary landed at Leith on the outskirts of Edinburgh in 1561.  The beach used in this scene in the film is Seacliff Beach, North Berwick, a pleasant seaside town in East Lothian, a bit further south.

After landing at Leith Mary makes her way to Holyrood House in Edinburgh.  The exterior of Holyrood in the film was shot at Blackness Castle near Linlithgow.  Situated on a promontory on the south bank of the River Forth, just upstream from the Forth Road Bridge, Blackness Castle is a 15^th century castle owned by Historic Environment Scotland and is open to visitors year round.  The castle was originally built as a residence for the Crichtons, one of Scotland’s most powerful families at the time. 

Blackness Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1238628. Photo by Mike Pennington, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

Meanwhile, Elizabeth is based at Hampton Court Palace on the outskirts of London.  The exterior of the palace in the film was represented by the magnificent Hardwick Hall near Chesterfield in Derbyshire.  We see the tall facade of the building and the formal garden fronting it.  Hardwick Hall is owned by the National Trust, and among its treasures are some fine tapestries.  The cafe downstairs offers a range of tasty meals, coffees, teas and cakes. The property is fully open until the end of October, and partially open thereafter.

Hardwick Hall - geograph.org.uk - 3339472. Photo by Chris Heaton, via Wikimedia Commons.

LITERARY PUBS: THE STUBBING WHARF, HEBDEN BRIDGE

 

The poet Ted Hughes was born in Mytholmroyd in Calderdale (last seen in my post about Happy Valley), and he married the American poet Sylvia Plath.  In Hughes’ collection ‘Birthday Letters’ he recalls the day he and Sylvia sat in the bar of The Stubbing Wharf by the Rochdale Canal on the outskirts of the nearby Hebden Bridge.  They were arguing about where they would live, and Hughes paints a gloomy picture of the pub, describing “the gummy dark bar”, and its rainsodden surrounding with “the fallen-in grave of its history”, “a gorge of ruined mills and abandanoned chapels” and “the fouled nest of the Industrial Revolution that had flown”.  They ended up living in London.

Stubbing Wharf (3617762016). Photo by Tim Green, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

The Stubbing Wharf, established as a pub in 1810, is still going strong today, offering real ales and good pub food in an appealing canaside environment, just a short walk along the canal towpath from Hebden Bridge.  A short distance from the pub towards Hebden Bridge there are boat trips available on traditional canal barges.

Map of the area.

A MAJOR POET CELEBRATES A MINOR RIVER: RIVER DUDDON, CUMBRIA/WORDSWORTH

When a river forms the subject of a work of poetry, more often than not it is a major river.  The Thames, the Wye and other famous British rivers have been the subject of famous poems over the years.  So it is slightly puzzling that Wordsworth chose the obscure River Duddon as the subject of a series of sonnets.  It appears he may have found encouragement in a letter written by Robert Burns to a fellow poet, which Wordsworth read and quoted from frequently.  In the letter Burns asserted that the likes of the Thames, Seine et al had already been done to death in poetry, so better to seek inspiration “adown some trottin burn’s meander”. 

Be that as it may, an obvious reason for choosing the River Duddon is that it is close to where Wordsworth was living, in his beloved Lake District.  The birth of the river is described thus: “Child of the clouds ! remote from every taint//Of sordid industry thy lot is cast”.  The verse goes on for page after page, with sections headed ‘Flowers’, ‘The Stepping-Stones’, ‘The Fairy Chasm’, right up to the ‘Conclusion’ numbered XXXIII.  In short, no-one can accuse Wordsworth of short-changing the River Duddon.

Stepping Stone near Crosby Bridge, River Duddon - geograph.org.uk - 2452540. Photo by Tom Richardson, via Wikimedia Commons.

The River Duddon flows through the south-western part of the Lake District, passing the villages of Seathwaite and Duddon Bridge before widening out to an estuary, joining the sea between Haverigg and Barrow-in-Furness.

Map of the area.

STATELY STRIFE AND FAMILY LIFE: CASTLE HOWARD/BRIDESHEAD REVISITED

In September 2021 I blogged about Madresfield Court in Worcestershire, widely believed to be the inspiration for Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead of Brideshead Revisited, a tale about the ups and downs of the ongoing friendship between two young men who met at University, Sebastian Flyte and Charles Ryder, Sebastian being the son of Lord and Lady Marchmain of Brideshead.  I recently began viewing the TV series based on the book for the first time. Starring Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews as Charles and Sebastian respectively, the series was first shown in 1981.  Apart from the many human stars of the series, the locational star of the show is Castle Howard, a stately home in North Yorkshire, which serves as a suitably imposing setting for the Marchmain family home which forms the focal point of the series.

Castle Howard and garden. Photo by Pwojdacz, via Wikimedia Commons.

In fact, Castle Howard has been used twice as Brideshead, taking on the role again in 2008 for a film version of the story.  In the TV version the Long Gallery is used to depict the drawing room where Sebastian’s friend Charles is entertained by the Flyte family.  The Great Hall, Grand Staircase and other sumptuous interiors also make an appearance.  Sebastian and Charles are seen indulging in some wine tasting in the Temple of the Four Winds.  They are also seen keeping cool in the summer heat by the Atlas Fountain.

Castle Howard The Great Hall Entrance. Photo by Mdbeckwith, via Wikimedia Commons.

In 1940 Castle Howard suffered a fire which destroyed the Garden Hall and the High Saloon.  The Granada TV production company transformed the Garden Hall into the room where Charles painted his landscapes.  Meanwhile, the High Saloon was used as the dining room and also the bedroom where Lord Marchmain passed away.

Castle Howard lies a short distance to the west of Malton, a market town to the north-east of York, and just to the west of the Howardian Hills.  The house opens daily until early November, and the gardens are open daily with the exception of Christmas Day.  Guided tours are available on selected dates between March and October.  There are a number of refreshments and shopping outlets within the estate.  The extensive grounds include lakes, follies, woodlands, statues and temples.  Boat trips are available around the North Lake. Twice a week during July and August there is a coach service from the centre of York; ticket prices include admission to the house and gardens.

Map of the area.