A POETIC STRETCH OF CORNISH COAST: TREBETHERICK/SIR JOHN BETJEMAN

When the former British Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman was a boy, he and his family used to holiday on the majestic north Cornish coast at Trebetherick between Polzeath and Daymer Bay.  These holidays evidently made a lasting impression, because he later bought a house in the area, and when he died in 1984 he was buried in the Church of St Enodoc to the south of Trebetherick.  

Daymer Bay and Trebetherick Point - geograph.org.uk - 7916. Photo by Stephen Dawson, via Wikimedia Commons.

This gorgeous part of Cornwall was described in detail in his poem Trebetherick, in which he describes family picnics - “sand in the sandwiches, wasps in the tea” - and the vagaries of the weather - “rain and blizzard, sea and spray”.  Shilla Mill gets a mention, now a campsite at Polzeath, as does Greenaway, a beach to the south-west of Polzeath.

Map of the area.

WATER, WATER...: TEES BARRAGE/AFTER THE FLOOD

The ITV series After The Flood, as its name suggests, tells the story of the aftermath of a flood in Yorkshire, an all too frequent occurrence in real life.  The opening episode shows a dangerously flooded river in the fictional town of Water…. with dramatic rescues and tragic loss of life. 

This scene was filmed not on a real river, but at the Tees Barrage International White Water Centre, where people pay to negotiate the foaming waters.For the filming the main straight section of the barrage was made to look like a village, complete with bridge and foliage.

Map of the area.

Tees Barrage - geograph.org.uk - 5079651. Photo by Richard Webb, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Tees Barrage is located in Stockton-on-Tees and offers a range of waterborne activities such as paddleboarding, white water rafting, canoeing and kayaking.  The centre is open year-round.

MURDER AT THE MANOR: WROTHAM PARK AND SYON HOUSE/GOSFORD PARK

A classic whodunnit in the style of Agatha Christie, Gosford Park sees a group of wealthy guests plus their servants gathering for a shooting weekend at Gosford Park, owned by Sir William McCordle (Michael Gambon).  During the course of the weekend, Sir William’s body is discovered slumped in his chair.  The rest is a familiar round of police questioning, with plenty of likely suspects.  

The gruesome event is offset by the sumptuous interiors of Sir William’s home, with most of the scenes filmed at Wrotham Park, Hertfordshire, for the downstairs and Syon House, West London, for the upstairs and bedrooms.  Near the start of the film we are shown the outside of the home of Lady Trentham, one of the guests.  This was filmed at Hall Barn, Buckinghamshire.

Wrotham Park 1820, courtesy of the British Library, via Wikimedia Commons.

Wrotham Park is to the south of Potters Bar in Hertfordshire.  The house dates from 1754 when it was designed for Admiral John Byng, and it is surrounded by a vast estate of 2,500 acres.  The house remains in the hands of the family to this day, and is not open to the public.  However, it is made available to film crews for filming, most recently being used for the ITV series Code of Silence.

Interior - Syon House - London, UK - DSC07437.  Photo by Daderot, via Wikimedia Commons.

Syon House, the London Home of the Duke of Northumberland, is near Hounslow in West London and is surrounded by Syon Park.  The house was built in the 16th century on a site originally occupied by Syon Abbey.  The house and park are open to visitors, who as well as the magnificent interior can marvel at the beauty of the Great Conservatory. Hall Barn is not normally open to the public, except for open-air theatre productions in the grounds.

LITERARY PUBS: THE SPANIARDS INN, HAMPSTEAD

On the edge of Hampstead Heath is a handsome inn called The Spaniards, so named because it was built by two Spanish brothers, in the year 1585.  Our old friend Charles Dickens, who seems to pop up with uncanny frequency in these ‘literary pubs’, was one writer who frequented The Spaniards, which provided inspiration for ‘The Pickwick Papers’, but he was not the only one.

The attractive garden is said to have been where the poet John Keats wrote ‘Ode to a Nightingale’.  There is a Keats Room in the inn to commemorate the fact.  His contemporary Lord Byron also visited.  The inn also appears in Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’.  As a non-literary aside, the father of the highwayman Dick Turpin was once the landlord of the inn, and it was where Dick came into the world.

The Spaniards Inn 1585 AD and outbuilding - geograph.org.uk - 1131521. Photo by Mike Quinn, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

OF MICE AND BUNNIES: NEAR SAWREY, CUMBRIA/BEATRIX POTTER

Beatrix Potter, who died in 1943, is best known for her children’s books featuring an array of charming animal characters, with illustrations depicting the characters in human clothing.  Benjamin Bunny, Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, Squirrel Nutkin and their friends were brought together a few years ago as a collection of special 50P pieces, a testament to their enduring popularity.

Potter’s obvious affection for the animal world must in part stem from the fact that she made her home in the Lake District with all its natural wonders.  Her house, Hill Top, now managed by the National Trust, is in the village of Near Sawrey, near the west shore of Lake Windermere.  Some of her favourite possessions can be viewed in the house, while the garden, in the style of the English cottage-garden, displays scenes from her books.

Hill Top Near Sawrey 120510w. Photo by Strobilomyces, via Wikimedia Commons.

On the other side of Lake Windermere, in Bowness-on-Windermere there is an attraction aimed at families called The World of Beatrix Potter with displays featuring the characters in Potter’s books.  I have not visited, but it seems to get the thumbs-up on Tripadvisor.

Map of Near Sawrey.

ISLE BE BACK: BERGERAC 2025/JERSEY

Bergerac first hit our screens in 1981, starring John Nettles as the Jersey detective of the title.  Now in 2025 the series has been reborn, with Damien Molony as Bergerac, battling the booze after the death of his wife.  We don’t see much of the island in the first episode.  There are views over the island’s capital St Helier and several glimpses of one of the island’s best known landmarks, the martello tower on a large rock just off the shore at Portelet Bay.  St Ouen’s Bay on the west coast is the backdrop to a pivotal scene in which Jim decides to give up alcohol.

Portelet Bay - panoramio. Photo by georama, via Wikimedia Commons.

Further on in the series there are scenes shot in Bouley Bay, where the crew were treated to a magnificent early morning sunrise.  This is where Bergerac apprehends the couple suspected of abducting a baby.  Another iconic location in Jersey is the town of Gorey, dominated by Mont Orgueil.  The pier at Gorey features in a later scene.  In episode two, Philip Glenister, who plays businessman Arthur Wakefield is seen on a balcony overlooking a beautiful bay - this is St Brelade’s Bay in the south-west corner of the island.

BOULEY BAY-ISLE OF JERSEY..,, (29871258297). Photo by INDIGO WOLFSBANE, via Wikimedia Commons.

Back in St Helier, the disastrous bag drop scene in episode two takes place in Royal Square, where we glimpse the statue of King George II.  The Central Market also puts in an appearance.  

Royal Square, St Helier - geograph.ci. Photo by Bob Embleton, via Wikimedia Commons.

Two businesses feature in the series: The Driftwood Cafe on Archirondel Beach and La Pulente Restaurant, which doubles as the Jersey Club.  The grounds of Victoria College are also used.  

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands, which form part of the British Isles as Crown Dependencies.  There are flights to Jersey from a number of regional British airports, and ferry connections from Portsmouth and Poole (as well as St Malo in France).

Map of the island.

A GRAND ABODE FOR A GRAND DECEPTION: THE SCAPEGOAT/KNEBWORTH HOUSE

The Scapegoat, a novel written by Daphne Du Maurier in 1957, concerns a man who one day by chance meets his double, an aristocrat beset with financial and family woes.  The aristocrat gets his new acquaintance drunk and persuades him to swap places, leading to an unfortunate chain of events as he meets the family and attempts to conceal the pretence.

The novel was set in France, and in 1959 a film adaptation was made, also set in France.  In 2012 a second film, starring Matthew Rhys as the two doubles, switched the action to Britain, starring Knebworth House as the aristocrat’s family home.  

Knebworth House - geograph.org.uk - 6582377. Photo by Jim Osley, via Wikimedia Commons.

Knebworth House dates from the 15th century, when Sir Robert Lytton, a close confidant of King Henry VII, purchased the Manor of Knebworth, which was probably a Saxon settlement previously, and set about building the original house.  Successive generations of Lyttons inherited the property.  In 1843 Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton transformed the property into the Tudor Gothic style which was fashionable at the time.  In more recent times the estate has got a name for itself as a concert venue, with such rock greats as Pink Floyd and Genesis playing there.

Knebworth House, which is located to the south-west of Stevenage in Hertfordshire, is open to the public on selected dates from March to September.  As well as the house and gardens, there is a Dinosaur Trail for the kids, and exhibitions on the Lyttons, filming locations and the concerts held there.

Map of the area.