LONG LIVE THE PUB: MOTHER'S PRIDE/SOMERSET, WILTSHIRE AND BRISTOL

In this day and age, with pubs going under at an alarming rate due to the vicious economic policies of the Labour Party, the release of the film Mother’s Pride is very timely.  The film features a struggling West Country pub (with Martin Clunes playing the landlord) which manages to turn its fortunes around by brewing its own real ale, which is entered into the Great British Beer Awards, pitting itself against a rival pub.

The village of Norton St Philip in Somerset provided the location for the main pub in the film, the George Inn, and the rival pub, the Drovers Arms.  The real life George Inn plays its namesake, while the Fleur de Lys plays the part of the Drovers Arms.  The streets of this charming village are also seen in the film, including the scene depicting the village fete, which is set up between the George and the church of St Philip and St James.

NortonStPhilipTheGeorge. Photo by Rodhullandemu, via Wikimedia Commons.

Westbury and environs are also seen in the film.  The station scene was filmed at Westbury station, while the famous white horse etched into an escarpment to the east of the town is also featured.  The local press reported that a couple visiting the site ran into Martin Clunes while he was filming there, and described him as very nice.

Paragliding above Westbury White Horse - geograph.org.uk - 539764. Photo by Chris Downer, via Wikimedia Commons.

Back in the 80s, there was a large venue at Bristol Harbourside where beer and wine festivals were held, which always made for a fun day out.  In Mother’s Pride there is a nod to those times, as the Great British Beer Festival is filmed in the same area, specifically at the Aquarium.  

Bristol Harbourside.

Norton St Philip lies midway between Bath and Frome.  It was an important centre for the wool trade during the Middle Ages, and its church dates from the 14th century.  The Westbury White Horse, clearly visible from the trains moving through the area, is the oldest of eight white horses in Wiltshire, dating from around the late 17th or early 18th century. The Bristol Harbourside venue that used to host beer and wine fairs is no longer there, but it has been replaced by a large array of bars and restaurants, while the aquarium that featured in the film lies just behind the waterfront in another space given over to eating, drinking and entertainment. 

LITERARY PUBS: THE EAGLE AND CHILD, OXFORD

 It is perhaps inevitable that a city such as Oxford, with its long tradition of higher learning and a plethora of colleges, would have watering holes frequented by writers.  The Eagle and Child in St Giles is chief among these.  

The Eagle and Child, sometimes nicknamed the Bird and Baby, was a regular Tuesday meeting place for a group of writers called the Inklings, including J R R Tolkien and C S Lewis.  They would gather in the Rabbit Room to read and discuss their own writing.  The earliest recorded instance of the pub’s name was in 1684, with origins varying from the abduction of Ganymede by the eagle of Zeus, to the crest of the Earl of Derby. 

Sadly, it is not currently possible to visit the Eagle and Child, which has been closed for some time.  However, in October 2025 plans for the reopening were announced.  The redevelopment of the premises is being planned in such a way that the famous Rabbit Room will remain in situ, and the front of the pub will remain unchanged.

Map of the area.

The Eagle and Child - geograph.org.uk - 3989834. Photo by N Chadwick, via Wikimedia Commons.

LIFE WITH A MAN OF WORDS: ACCORDING TO QUEENEY, BERYL BAINBRIDGE/STREATHAM AND LICHFIELD

Dr Samuel Johnson, who made his name as a writer, literary critic and lexicographer, grew up in Lichfield, but he spent much of his life in London, where for some years he lodged with the Thrales, a brewing family who occupied Streatham Park, aka Streatham Place.  Johnson pretty much became one of the family, and had a special bond with the Thrales’ daughter Queeney, whom he addressed as Sweeting.  According to Queeney by the late Beryl Bainbridge is a brilliant representation of this period of Johnson’s life, expressed in terms  authentic to the period and with a great deal of humour.

Most of the day to day activities described centre around Streatham, a district of south London mostly contained in the Borough of Lambeth.  The brewer Ralph Thrale built Streatham Park in the 1730s, and it was passed to his son Henry, married to Hester.  It was this couple who accommodated Dr Johnson.  Sadly, the property cannot be visited as it was demolished in 1863.  

In 1774 Johnson takes the Thrales to his home city Lichfield, where they fetch up at the Swan Inn.  They meet some of Johnson’s old acquaintances and explore some of the key areas of the city, such as the Square, the Cathedral Close and the Market, over which an argument takes place about bears supposedly being tortured in the market place.  Johnson exclaims that “there were never bears in Lichfield Market, tormented or otherwise, only bulls”.  Another argument erupts when Mr Thrale claims that there is a lack of industry in Lichfield, and Johnson retorts that while Birmingham works with its hands, Lichfield folk use their brains.

Lichfield Cathedral, west front. Photo by Tony Grist, via Wikimedia Commons.

Lichfield is a cathedral city in Staffordshire.  During Johnson’s time in the 18th century the city became a busy centre for coaching, hence inns such as The Swan Inn.  Sadly, the Swan no longer exists today, but it retains the name in its current guise of accommodation.  There is a website devoted to the history of the inn.

Swan Hotel Bird Street Lichfield WS13 6NP. Photo by Spudgun67, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of Lichfield.

A SAD STORY IN A SEASIDE SETTING: SOUTHWOLD/A MOTHER'S SON

A Mother’s son, starring Hermione Norris as the mother of the title, along with Martin Clunes as her present husband and Paul McGann as her ex, was first shown in 2012, but I came across it for the first time recently on ITVX, and I’m glad I did because it is a well-acted story of a family tragedy in a picturesque setting.  As soon as I started watching it I guessed which part of the country it was filmed in: unmistakably Suffolk. 

The main focus of the story is the fictional seaside town of Eastlee, which in real life is Southwold.  There is a scene with errant son Jamie and his dad (McGann) on an elevated piece of grassy land. with Southwold Pier in the background.  The pier at Southwold Is a bit different from other seaside piers, with a more upmarket feel to it.  Attractions include the elegant Boardwalk Restaurant and the quirky Under The Pier Show.  Towards the end of the second and final episode there is an aerial view of the town, with its lighthouse clearly visible, an unusual one, being slightly set back from the seafront, right in the town.  

Southwold, overlooking the pier.

To the south of Southwold is the River Blyth, with the village of Walberswick on its south bank.  Some of the most pivotal scenes of the drama were filed here, including the emotional encounter between mother and son towards the end.  Walberswick lies in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and its centrepiece is the Church of St Andrew.

Boats on the Rivrt Blyth at Walberswick - geograph.org.uk - 5825071. Photo by Mat Fascione, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

AN INDUSTRIAL BACKDROP FOR A RISING STAR: PORT TALBOT/MR BURTON

On our westwards drives through South Wales, heading for the tourist hotspots of Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, our thoughts full of the gorgeous coastlines we are about to enjoy, it is always a shock to be confronted with the steaming, industrial environs of the town of Port Talbot.  This is the scene that forms the opening of the BBC drama Mr Burton about the early life of the late Richard Burton and the teacher who saw his potential and took him under his wing.  

Port Talbot, Town Scenery - geograph.org.uk - 5502269. Photo by Lewis Clarke, via Wikimedia Commons.

In the 1950s a famous photo appeared showing Richard Burton and his father walking across the Pontrhydyfen Viaduct  In the film there is a scene with Richard and his teacher Mr Burton crossing the same viaduct on their way to see Richard’s father to try and persuade him to give permission for Richard to take his teacher’s surname in order to facilitate his acceptance into professional acting, hence the change from Richard Jenkins to Richard Burton.  The viaduct, which is in Richard’s home village of the same name, a few miles to the northwest of Port Talbot, was built in 1898 by the Port Talbot Railway.

Several of the scenes in Mr Burton feature a beautiful sandy beach.  Wales has more than its fair share of these, but this is one of the lesser known ones.  The beach is Aberavon Beach, which stretches southeastwards from the mouth of the River Neath, very near Port Talbot.  Another popular hangout in the area is Margam Country Park, two miles southeast of Port Talbot on the southern slopes of Margam Mountain, known locally as Mynydd Margam.  The mountain appears in several of the film’s countryside scenes.  

The beach at Aberavon - geograph.org.uk - 3136704. Photo by Simon Mortimer, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

LITERARY PUBS: THE HILL HOUSE INN, HAPPISBURGH, NORFOLK

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, writer of the Sherlock Holmes stories, once visited the Hill House Hotel, now Hill House Inn, while on a motoring holiday in Norfolk in 1903.  While there, the landlord’s son showed the author a signature he had created using ‘pin men’.  It is believed that this incident provided the inspiration for the Sherlock Holmes story titled ‘The Dancing Men’.  The story is also set in Norfolk and features a local squire with the same surname as the landlord and his son.  The pub has two plaques on the wall commemorating the visit.

The Hill House Inn, Happisburgh - geograph.org.uk - 7694731. Photo by Sandy Gerrard, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Hill House Inn lies in the village of Happisburgh, which is on the coast of Norfolk, about 14 miles from Cromer.  As well as the cosy interior, the outside of the property includes an interesting building which was built as a signal box for a railway which never materialised.

Map of the area.

A SCRIBE'S SUSSEX HIDEAWAY: BATEMAN'S/RUDYARD KIPLING

When Rudyard Kipling moved into the 17th century Jacobean house Bateman’s with his wife Carrie in 1902, he was already an established author, with The Jungle Book and Kim under his belt, to name just two.  For his subsequent works, he drew much inspiration from the house and its charming surroundings, particularly the Dudwell Valley, where the house is located.  The Kiplings fell in love with the property at first sight, declaring that “we entered and felt her Spirit - her Feng Shui - to be good”.  The garden Kipling created was a place of solace for him after he lost his son to World War I.  The poem My Boy Jack was a product of this tragic loss.

Bateman's - geograph.org.uk - 2594587. Photo by Josie Campbell, via Wikimedia Commons.

Bateman’s lies in the heart of the Sussex countryside, a few miles to the north-west of Hastings.  The date above the front door says 1634, although parts of the house are even older.  Not much is known about the owners preceding the Kiplings.  Rudyard’s wife left the property to the National Trust on her death in 1939, three years after Rudyard died.

Map of the area.