D H LAWRENCE AND HIS SPAT WITH THE CORNISH: ZENNOR

Normally when a famous author takes up residence in Cornwall the story is one of idyllic days spent writing while soaking up the beautiful scenery and, hopefully, earning the affection and respect of the locals.  When D. H. Lawrence took up residence in Zennor in the wilds of the far west of Cornwall, however, the outcome was somewhat different.  The problems arose from the fact that the stay took place during the First World War, and Lawrence’s wife Frieda was German.  The locals were convinced that the couple were German spies, and they were eventually hounded out on the orders of the police.  To be fair to the locals, Lawrence had been very cruel in his remarks about the Cornish, describing them as “insects gone cold” and declaring that “they ought all to die”.  Not the best way to endear himself with his new neighbours.

The couple started out staying in the local pub, the Tinners Arms, but they later moved to a property in a tiny hamlet called Higher Tregerthen, near Zennnor, which they rented for the princely sum of five pounds a year.  The marriage was reportedly a rocky one, and the cottage was the scene of some fiery arguments, with Lawrence chasing Frieda around the cottage during one of their fights, and with her smashing a plate over his head on another occasion.  At the time of his stay Lawrence was writing Women In Love, published in 1920 and a sequel to his earlier novel The Rainbow. 

The pine, the pub sign and the church - Zennor - geograph.org.uk - 1807780. Photo by Sarah Smith, via Wikimedia Commons

The Tinners Arms is still in business today, providing a welcome respite for walkers roaming this windswept landscape, and  it is so called because this was classic mining country when mining was still a thing around here.  Reminders of that time remain all around the area in the form of ruined engine houses and other mining paraphernalia (a landscape which would be familiar to fans of Poldark).  Before becoming a fully-fledged pub, during the 13^th century, the building was used to house some stonemasons working on the local church, St Senara’s, which gives the village its name.  Higher Tregerthen lies close to the B3306, which links St Ives and St Just and is generally regarded as one of the most spectacular roads in the country.

Large house beside the B3306 at Higher Tregerthen -  geograph.ork.uk - 1617215.  Photo by Rod Allday, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

BOND'S BRITAIN: SPECTRE

Predictably, the latest Christmas and New Year break was punctuated by a number of James Bond films on the telly, and on New Year’s Day it was the turn of Spectre, the 2015 production and the fourth to feature Daniel Craig as James Bond.  As always with the Bond films, the locations are an exotic mix, ranging from Mexico to Rome to Austria, to Morocco, but in between there are glimpses of some of London’s best known landmarks.

The riverside headquarters of MI6 makes an early appearance, looking rather sorry for itself following a terrorist attack in the previous Bond film, Skyfall.  The building finally disappears in a cloud of smoke in an explosion later in the film.  The new Centre for National Security which has been built opposite the ruins of the former MI6 building is portrayed by Riverwalk House on Millbank, which has been transformed into swanky apartments.  As for the interior scene featuring a distinctive spiral staircase, this was filmed in the City Hall building, also known as the headquarters of the Mayor of London.  Early in the film, Bond and M are in a car in the environs of a rather imposing crescent-shaped building.  This is Admiralty Arch, commissioned by the British Government in the reign of Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria.  The environs of Trafalgar Square also feature in this sequence, which was filmed in May 2015.  Another famous London landmark seen in an aerial shot is the London Eye big wheel.

Admiralty Arch - geograph.org.uk - 911892. Photo by Richard Croft, via Wikimedia Commons

The River Thames features heavily in some parts of the film, with one scene involving Bond and the MI6 Chief of Staff roaring along the river in a speedboat, a scene filmed in December 2014.  They also spend some time on the Regent’s Canal near Camden Lock, home to the famous market.  During a scene involving a helicopter and car chase, Westminster and the Houses of Parliament feature, with the helicopter crashing on Westminster Bridge.  During the filming, smoke was seen billowing from the area, which would no doubt have caused alarm if it were filmed nowadays following the terror attack which took place there last year.  Lambeth Bridge, Hungerford Bridge and Vauxhall Bridge also get a look-in during the boat and helicopter chase scene.

Big Ben, Westminster Bridge Road, Westminster, London - panoramio. Photo by ktanaka, via Wikimedia Commons

The oldest restaurant in London is Rules in Covent Garden, established in 1798 by Thomas Rule.  In Spectre M, Q and Miss Moneypenny are seen meeting in a dining room, a scene which was filmed in Rules.  Also in Covent Garden, the Freemasons’ Hall in Great Queen Street provides the interior shots for the corridors of the British Intelligence Headquarters.

In February 2015 the filming moved to Blenheim Palace, a huge stately pile and estate in Woodstock to the north of Oxford, best known as the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, which has been used countless times in film and TV productions.  The palace provides a suitably grand backdrop for Bond’s Aston Martin, which is involved in yet another high speed chase starting from the building, which is meant to be the fictional Palazzo Cadenza in Rome. 

Blenheim Palace (6092890723). Photo by Simon Q, via Wikimedia Commons

Map of Central London.