LITERARY PUBS: THE KINGS HEAD, CHIGWELL

Of all literary figures, Charles Dickens must surely win the prize for most pubs frequented.  And some of these watering holes have formed the inspiration for inns featuring in his works of fiction.  The Maypole Inn, which plays a key role in Barnaby Rudge, is based on the King’s Head Inn in Chigwell, Essex, although the Maypole name came from an inn called the Maypole, now closed, in Chigwell Row.  The inn is introduced right at the start of the novel, and is central to the story as a communal hub which is later destroyed by rioters.

The King’s Head no longer exists as a pub, having ceased trading in 2011.  However, the building now houses a Turkish restaurant called Sheesh, a favourite with celebrities which has featured in the TV series The Only Way Is Essex.

Chigwell, the former King's Head public house now Sheesh (1) - geograph.org.uk - 2389001. Photo by Nigel Cox, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

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.

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.

LITERARY PUBS: THE WOOLPACK, SLAD, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

The Woolpack in the village of Slad near Stroud in Gloucestershire overlooks an idyllic scene of rolling Cotswolds meadows and valleys, best admired from its outdoor terrace.  Slad was where the poet Laurie Lee grew up, and the village and surrounding countryside were described in detail in Lee’s childhood memoir Cider With Rosie.  Although he moved away for a time, he returned with his family in the 1960s and he died there in 1997.  His grave is in the churchyard of the village church, almost opposite the pub.  

Laurie Lee was a regular at The Woolpack, and the pub has plenty of memorabilia dedicated to the poet, with a small museum containing artefacts relating to Lee and the original wooden settle he used to sit in, providing a brilliant photo opportunity for fans.  The pub has also been known to include special beers devoted to him.

Map of the area.

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.

LITERARY PUBS: THE BELL INN, MORETON-IN-MARSH

One recurring feature of Tolkien’s Hobbit tales is the tavern called The Prancing Pony in the fictional town of Bree.  The tavern forms part of an important scene in the first of the trilogy of Lord of the Rings films, being where Frodo and his friends first encounter Aragorn, who is sitting there in a hooded coat smoking a pipe.

While living in Oxford, Tolkien used to frequent the Cotswolds town Moreton-in-Marsh to meet up with his London-based brother. The brothers got together at the Bell Inn, a honey-coloured stone pub in the town’s main street, and this is believed to be the inspiration for the Prancing Pony.  A local branch of the Tolkien Society has had a blue plaque placed by the entrance to commemorate the pub’s connection to Tolkien and his work. The inn was a popular stopover for horse-drawn coaches in the days before the arrival of the railway, and the arched entrance used by the coaches matches the arch in Tolkien’s description of the inn.

Bell Inn Moreton in Marsh back in time. Photo by Ian Alexander, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.

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.

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.

LITERARY PUBS: THE BLACK LION HOTEL, NEW QUAY, CEREDIGION

 New Quay, a charming seaside village on Cardigan Bay, is famous for its dolphins, which can often be seen without even getting in a boat.  Another claim to fame is the fact that the notorious Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his wife Caitlin spent a short time living there from 1944-1945 in a bungalow called Majoda, and that he based some of the characters in Under Milk Wood on people from New Quay.  While he no doubt visited most if not all the hostelries in the area, the Black Lion Hotel was a favourite of his.  The hotel featured in ‘Quite Early One Morning’, in which it was described as a pink-washed pub “waiting for Saturday night as an over-jolly girl waits for sailors”. 

The incident which led up to Dylan and his wife Caitlin moving out of New Quay started in the Black Lion.  William Killick, the husband of Dylan and Caitlin's neighbour and friend Vera, and a Captain fresh from a mission behind enemy lines in Greece, had a violent encounter with Dylan Thomas in the Black Lion and later attacked Majoda.  Dylan and Caitlin, no doubt unnerved by the incident, moved out of New Quay shortly afterwards.

The Black Lion still operates as a hotel, and serves decent meals to both residents and non-residents.  It is blessed with a large garden with lovely views over the bay.  Inside there is an array of photos and Dylan Thomas memorabilia.  Visitors to New Quay can follow a  Dylan Thomas Trail which includes both the Black Lion and Majoda.  In 2008 a film was released called The Edge of Love about Dylan and Caitlin and the Killicks starring Matthew Rhys, Cillian Murphy, Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller.  Many of the scenes from the film were shot in New Quay.

The Black Lion - geograph.org.uk - 3521553. Photo by Chris Whitehouse, via Wikimedia Commons.

 Map of the area.

ON THE SCENT IN KENT: WHITSTABLE PEARL

Whitstable Pearl, currently showing on UKTV Play, is a light-hearted crime series with a bit of romance thrown in, starring Kerry Godliman as Pearl Nolan, owner of the Whitstable Pearl restaurant, and Howard Charles as DCI Mike McGuire, temporarily relocated to the town from London.  The series makes the most of the location of the title, with many of the town’s sights and landmarks putting in an appearance. 

In the opening episode, in which a body is found in an adrift boat, a strange, otherworldly sight comes into view on the horizon.  These are the Maunsell Forts, built during the Second World War for defence purposes.  Another classic Whitstable landmark seen in the episode as well as subsequent episodes is the Old Neptune, or Neppy, as it is fondly referred to by locals, a white clapboard pub perched on the edge of Whitstable’s shingle beach.

 

Maunsell Army Fort. Photo by Hywel Williams, via Wikimedia Commons.

Whitstable’s harbour, with its distinctive black clapboard sheds and huts and other assorted buildings, some of which form the harbour market, makes a regular appearance in the series, as do the beach huts stretching along the slopes towards Tankerton.  We also get glimpses of the row of beachfront houses backing onto Whitstable’s shingle beach, and of its shopping streets with an assortment of independent shops and galleries.

Harbourside market.

Whitstable is a quirky seaside town with bags of character, best known for its oysters, which are celebrated every year in the form of the Oyster Festival.  The Old Neptune is an unmistakable landmark on the town’s beach, and is probably the best place in town for sitting and admiring the sunsets, which can be seen clearly from here due to the town's west-facing position on the north coast of Kent.  The town’s back streets are full of the handsome clapboard buildings seen in many of the scenes in Whitstable Pearl.  For those who are curious about the Maunsell Forts, there are boat trips which take visitors out to these unique landmarks.

Map of the area.

LITERARY PUBS: THE LEATHER BOTTLE, COBHAM, KENT

 Fans of Charles Dickens will be aware that there are a number of pubs around London which were frequented by the famous writer.  However, Dickens did not confine his imbibing to our capital city.  He got about the country a fair bit, and no doubt found suitable watering holes wherever he went.

One particular part of the country with strong Dickens associations is the county of Kent, since he spent part of his life living there, first as a child, then later, following his separation from his wife Catherine, buying a house in Higham, between Rochester and Gravesend.  Near Gravesend is the village of Cobham, with the picturesque Leather Bottle inn, dating from around 1629.  Dickens used to enjoy rambles in the Kentish countryside, and he often stopped by here for liquid refreshment.

The 'Leather Bottle', Cobham - geograph.org.uk - 2209048. Photo by Roger Smith, via Wikimedia Commons.

Not only was the pub visited by Dickens himself, but it featured in one of his most famous works, The Pickwick Papers.  There is a scene in which Pickwick enters the pub with his companions Winkle and Snodgrass, to find another character Tracy Tupman, recently dumped by Rachel Wardle, sitting there with a magnificent feast before him.

In 2012, the BBC website carried a story about a single hair from Dickens’ head which had taken pride of place in the pub.  The hair was raffled to raise money for the restoration of the ‘chalet’ in Rochester where Dickens wrote many of his works.

Map of the area.

HERO OF ERYRI: MR BATES VERSUS THE POST OFFICE

 

I am not an emotional person, and I do not tear up easily.  This is especially true when watching TV dramas and films (one notable exception being Titanic).  However, the ITV drama Mr Bates Versus the Post Office had me blubbing like a baby, partly out of rage at the sight of ordinary, decent, blameless people being wrongly convicted, bankrupted and in some cases driven to suicide following what was described as the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history, and partly out of joy at the end, when the Court of Appeal overturned the convictions of some of the subpostmasters (those still alive to see justice) and the ensuing scenes of jubilation outside the Court, all as the result of the tireless efforts of Alan Bates to get justice not just for himself, but for all his fellow subpostmasters..

The horror brought on by this shocking story is offset by the beauty of some of the locations used in the series, particularly the scenes filmed around North Wales.  The seaside resort of Llandudno, where the real life Alan Bates was a subpostmaster, puts in an appearance at the start.  The shop containing the post office was in the Craig-y-Don part of town, and St David’s Hospice on Queens Road was used as the location for it. 

 

Llandudno, looking towards the Great Orme.

After the Post Office terminates Bates’ contract when he is wrongly accused of accounting errors, he and his partner Suzanne move to a house in an idyllic location in Snowdonia.  The real life house which serves as their home is in the Nant Ffrancon valley in Eryri National Park. 

There is a pub in a beautiful riverside location which features in several of the scenes.  This is the Saracen’s Head in the Snowdonia village of Beddgelert, reachable both by road and via the Welsh Highland Railway, which runs between Caernarfon and Porthmadog.

Bridge at Beddgelert, Gwynedd - geograph.org.uk - 2630855. Photo by Peter Trimming, via Wikimedia Commons.

Llandudno is a typical seaside resort with a long promenade and a pier, but what sets it apart from other resorts is its magnificent setting, dominated by the Great Orme, which can be ascended on foot, via the Great Orme Tramway or via cable car.  The mountainous area surrounding it is a National Park, formerly known as Snowdonia, but now with its Welsh name Eryri.  Beddgelert is in the heart of the National Park and is very popular with walkers and other outdoor enthusiasts. 

Map of Gwynedd.

LITERARY PUBS: YE OLDE CHESHIRE CHEESE, LONDON

There are a number of pubs in London with Charles Dickens associations, but the one all Dickens fans should visit is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese at 145 Fleet Street.  Not only did Dickens frequent this quaint and atompheric boozer during his time working in the city, but it had a role to play in one of his classics, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, set before and after the French Revolution.  There is a scene in the novel in which two of the main characters, Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, head to a tavern to dine.  Although the tavern is not named, its location on Fleet Street and access ‘up a covered way’ have led to universal acceptance that Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is the inn in question.  The fare on offer is described as “a good plain dinner and good wine”.  I can back this up, based on a visit some years ago, when as far as I can recall I had a perfectly nice Ploughmans at a surprisingly reasonable price for London. 

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Holborn, London. Photo by Adam Bruderer, via Wikimedia Commons.

Charles Dickens is not the only well-known literary figure to have frequented Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese.  Others include G. K. Chesterton, Mark Twain, Samuel Johnson, W. B. Yeats and Arthur Conan Doyle.  In 1927 another eminent writer, P. G. Wodehouse, told a friend that he had looked in at the Garrick (presumably either the theatre or the Garrick Arms) at lunchtime, “took one glance of loathing at the mob, and went off to lunch by myself at the Cheshire Cheese”.   

Cheshire Cheese Basement (15815848118). Photo by It's No Game, via Wikimedia Commons.

The original tavern was opened in 1538 on a site which formed part of a 13^th century Carmelite monastery.  Like many of the capital’s inns of the time, it was destroyed by fire during the Great Fire of London in 1666, but was rebuilt the following year.  The authentic atmosphere inside the pub is enhanced by the sawdust on the floor, which is changed twice daily.  As well as the decent pub food, the bar dispenses beers and other drinks bearing the Samuel Smith label.

Map of the area.

LITERARY PUBS: THE OXFORD BAR, EDINBURGH

The Scottish writer Ian Rankin is best known for his detective novels featuring Inspector John Rebus.  The series of novels, numbering 22 in all and which spawned a television series starring Ken Stott as Rebus, is set in Edinburgh.  The favourite watering hole of Rebus is the Oxford Bar, apparently chosen by Rankin because a lot of police drink there.  The bar is also a favourite of Rankin himself, who can often be found there enjoying a pint of Deuchars IPA.  Sean Connery has also visited, as has another detective novel supremo Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse books.

The Oxford Bar can be found in Young Street, which is in the part of the city known as the New Town, something of a misnomer since the architecture is largely Georgian, and construction started in 1767.  The bar, which is a short walk north from Princes Street, has received many favourable reviews from visiting fans, being described as no frills, with prices to match.  The many pictures on the wall include photographs of Rankin and of Stott.

The Oxford Bar, Young Street - geograph.org.uk - 3150895. Photo by kim traynor, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of Edinburgh New Town.

LITERARY PUBS: THE ACORN INN, EVERSHOT, DORSET

Thomas Hardy’s novels featured many fictional towns, villages and cities which often had clearly identifiable real-life equivalents.  One such example was Evershead, which in real life is Evershot.  The Sow and Acorn inn in Evershead, which featured in a number of Hardy's stories, was inspired by the Acorn Inn, a 16^th century Grade II-listed pub in the village which was frequented by Hardy himself.

In Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, there is a scene in which Tess stops for breakfast in the village at a cottage near the Sow and Acorn inn; she avoids the inn itself, not being the pub-going type.  The inn is also mentioned in Interlopers at the Knap, in which Philip Hall collects Sally’s dress from the Sow and Acorn, and in The First Countess of Wessex, with Tupcombe indulging in a spot of eavesdropping from the inglenook.

Evershot, The Acorn Inn - geograph.org.uk - 3107193. Photo by Mr Eugene Birchall, via  Wikimedia Commons.

The present-day inn offers accommodation in rooms named after places and characters from Hardy’s novels.  The interior has changed somewhat since his time, being more open-plan now.  The village of Evershot is located just off the A37 midway between Yeovil and Dorchester, and around 30 minutes’ drive from the Jurassic Coast.  It is the second highest village in the county of Dorset. 

Map of the village.

LOVEJOY'S BIT OF POSH: BELCHAMP HALL, SUFFOLK

 The 1980s/1990s series Lovejoy somehow passed me by at the time, but, having since developed an interest in antiques, I decided to catch up on the series thanks to the wonders of modern streaming technology.  Most of the filming of the series takes place in Essex and Suffolk, with one property in Suffolk making a regular appearance.

The roguish antiques dealer Lovejoy (Ian McShane) keeps varied company, often straying on the wrong side of the law, while his line of work also brings him into contact with the upper echelons of society.  One particularly aristocratic friend of his is Lady Jane Felsham (Phyllis Logan), who lives at Felsham Hall.  Although she is married, Lovejoy is an attractive man who has a way with the ladies, and one gets the impression that Lady Jane is a little bit infatuated with him.

The real-life property used as Felsham Hall in the series is Belchamp Hall, a couple of miles west of Sudbury in Suffolk.  Located in the hamlet of Belchamp Walter, the building is a handsome red brick pile of the Queen Anne period, home to the Raymond family since 1611, which forms part of a historic country estate.  Lovejoy fans who are feeling a bit flush can book a variety of accommodation options.  The Hall is also available for corporate functions. 

Belchamp Hall - geograph.org.uk - 1000673. Photo by Keith Evans, via Wikimedia Commons.

 

Although the series finished many moons ago, there are still relics of it on view at Belchamp Hall and surrounding area.  Lovejoy’s workshop from the last two seasons remains in the grounds, the Church of St Mary featured in an episode in which Lovejoy was due to get married, and the original ‘Lovejoy Antiques’ sign is also visible.  Lovejoy was a dedicated pub-goer, and the Half Moon Inn in the nearby village of Belchamp St Paul made quite a few appearances in the series. 

'The Half Moon' inn, Belchamp St. Paul, Essex - geograph.org.uk - 225903. Photo by Robert Edwards, via Wikimedia Commons.

Belchamp Hall’s more recent claim to fame is that the grounds of the estate were used in the filming of the ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ film.

The nearby town of Sudbury is a delightful market town on the River Stour near the border with Essex.

Map of the area.

WINGS OVER THE SOUTH-EAST: BATTLE OF BRITAIN

 As I write this, it’s a Bank Holiday weekend, and predictably for such times there is a classic British war film on the TV: Battle of Britain (1969).  With a cast that reads like a Who’s Who of famous actors of the 60s – Sir Michael Caine, Sir Lawrence Olivier, Christopher Plummer, Kenneth More, Ian McShane, Suzannah York, the list goes on – the film does what it says on the tin, telling the story of the struggle for air superiority over the Germans during the Second World War, culminating in the battle of the title.  Not surprisingly, the filming locations which feature in the film are mostly former RAF air bases – and with a pub thrown in.  There are also aerial shots of the south coast, with the white cliffs putting in an appearance.

First up we have Duxford, a former RAF/RAAF airfield in Cambridgeshire.  Filming took place there in 1968, seven years after it ceased operations as a military airfield.  Construction of the buildings on the airfield started in 1918, carried out by German prisoners-of-war.  During the Second World War the airfield played a crucial role in repelling air attacks by the Germans in the real-life Battle of Britain.  During the filming of Battle of Britain, one of the original World War I hangars was blown up, apparently without the agreement of the Ministry of Defence.  Nowadays Duxford acts as an outpost of the Imperial War Museum, housing The Fighter Collection and the Historic Aircraft Collection.  It is also the location of the American Air Museum.

Duxford, Cambridgeshire - geograph.org.uk - 2603257. Photo by Brendan and Ruth McCartney, via Wikimedia Commons.

Moving across to Essex, we come to RAF Debden near Saffron Walden, opened in 1937, which housed an Operations Block for No. 11 Group during the Battle of Britain, when it came under attack several times.  Peter Townsend, one time beau of Princess Margaret, was commander of 85 Squadron during the Battle, and he wrote a book about it called “Duel of Eagles”.  Also in Essex is RAF North Weald, established in 1916 and an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain.  More recently, the airfield has been used as a base for the Air Ambulance and the National Police Air Service.  Like Duxford, the airfield has its own museum, telling the story of the people who worked there during the two world wars.

Leaving Essex, we head to Kent and RAF Hawkinge, another with its own museum, run by the Kent Battle of Britain Musem Trust.  The base had already been in existence for 20 years when the Battle of Britain began.  Hawkinge’s significance in the Battle lay in the fact that it was the nearest RAF station to occupied France, located just inland from Folkestone, just 6 minutes’ flying time from the French coast.  Another  base which put in an appearance in the film was Bovingdon, a former bomber airfield to the south-west of Hemel Hempstead.

Finally, we come to the pub.  There is a scene in the film involving Squadron Leader Colin Harvey (Christopher Plummer) and his wife Section Officer Maggie (Susannah York), in which they argue about Maggie’s relocating closer to Colin’s posting.  The scene takes place in The Jackdaw Inn in Denton, a few miles north of Folkestone, Kent.  The pub makes the most of its connection to the film with wartime RAF memorabilia and vintage posters such as the one declaring “Don’t Help the Enemy!  Careless Talk May Give Away Vital Secrets”, a poster which can be seen in the background in the film sequence.

Denton, The Jackdaw Inn (geograph 3228308). Photo by Helmut Zozmann, via Wikimedia Commons.

COPPERS OF CALDERDALE: HAPPY VALLEY

 

I was late to the party on this one.  Everyone seemed to be talking about Happy Valley, and I normally have a reaction against what I consider to be overhyped TV series or films.  However, I finally relented and watched the first episode to see what I had been missing, and it turned out to be rather good, so I am ploughing my way through the series via BBC iplayer.  The filming of the series mostly took place around Calderdale, West Yorkshire, most notably Halifax, Hebden Bridge, Sowerby Bridge and surrounding areas. 

The world of the main character, Catherine (Sarah Lancashire) revolves around her place of work and her home.  The exterior of the police station where she is stationed was filmed at the now closed Halifax Swimming Pool, while the interior shots were filmed at Dean Clough, a mill complex in Halifax.  Meanwhile, Catherine’s home was filmed in Hangingroyd Lane in the riverside and canalside town of Hebden Bridge.  Towards the end of series one Catherine reluctantly agrees to a birthday party.  The party scenes were filmed at Organic House, Market Street in Hebden Bridge.

Hebden Bridge (8714312985). Photo by Tim Green, via Wikimedia Commons.

One of the most notable features of Calderdale is its waterways, chiefly the River Calder and the Rochdale Canal.  The Canal, part of the Calder and Hebble Navigation, was the scene of the explosive ending to series 1 of Happy Valley, in which Catherine's nemesis Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton) holes up in a canal boat and tries to kill himself and take his son Ryan, Catherine’s grandson, with him.  The scene was filmed in the section between Sowerby Bridge and Luddenden Foot.  On higher ground, meanwhile, it’s all about the windswept moors, which also put in a regular appearance.  In the last episode of the series, Tommy makes an escape on a cycle, and is seen cycling over Ovenden Moor to Warley Moor Reservoir in Halifax.

Barge on the Rochdale Canal, Sowerby Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 1169800.  Photo by Humphrey Bolton, via Wikimedia Commons.

A number of businesses in the area played roles in the filming.  When Catherine first spots Tommy in series 1, he is peering through the window of a takeaway – this is the Happy Eating Chinese Takeaway in Tuel Lane, Sowerby Bridge, in real life (called the Curry House in the series).  The Nisa Local store in Crown Street, Hebden Bridge is where Neil Ackroyd from series 2 and 3 works.  In series 3, Catherine and her sister are seen in heated conversation in the Amico Cafe in Bolton, which lies a bit further to the south-west in Greater Manchester.  The local press reported Happy Valley fans queuing round the block to visit the cafe after its appearance in the series.  Sadly, the cafe has since closed. The intriguingly named Will o’Nats pub near Blackmoorfoot Reservoir near Meltham, to the south-west of Huddersfield, featured in series 2.

Will o'Nats, Meltham - geograph.org.uk - 493996. Photo by Humphrey Bolton, via Wikimedia Commons.

These are just some of the locations featured in the series.  For more information on the area and the series locations, see the Visit Calderdale website, which also lists the many other productions filmed in the area.  

Map of the area.

ATROCITIES IN ABERDEEN: GRANITE HARBOUR

Granite Harbour is a new police series featuring Davis Lindo (Romario Simpson), who arrives in Aberdeen as a trainee recruit to Police Scotland, having transferred from the Royal Military Police.  The first series has received mixed reviews, with one contributor on the IMDB website criticizing the acting.  However, for location spotters the series proves a fine showcase for the city of Aberdeen.

When Lindo first arrives in Aberdeen, he is shown near a striking granite building with an elaborate exterior.  This is the Marischal College in Marischal Square, originally built for the city’s University, but currently being used as the HQ of the Council.  Another notable part of the city which was used in filming is the Castlegate area, known for its Mercat Cross at the head of Union Street.  As its name suggests, Castlegate was named after the gates to the castle, which were destroyed in 1308.  A Salvation Army citadel stands on the site of the original castle.  We are also treated to aerial shots of the city’s waterfront and beaches.

Marischal College A.  Photo by me, via Wikimedia Commons.

No city-based crime series would be complete without the inclusion of a gritty pub, and in Granite Harbour the boozer in the story is The Bodach Stone where Lindo has a number of encounters with the barmaid.  The real-life pub is The Fittie Bar in Wellington Street, a traditional Scottish pub which has received great reviews for its food.

Aberdeen, known as the Granite City for its proliferation of granite buildings, hence the title of the series, is a fascinating mix of the old and the new.  From the late Middle Ages the city was an important political, ecclesiastical and cultural centre, and many of the old buildings in the part of the city known as Old Aberdeen form part of a conservation area.  The modern-day city is dominated by the North Sea Oil industry, and its harbour is also dedicated to fishing and fish-processing, as well as being a departure point for ferries to Shetland and the Orkneys.

Aberdeen-Harbour-Skyline. Photo by JimmyGuano, via Wikimedia Commons.

Map of the area.